Mel and the New Normal

I often get asked the following questions. For anyone who needs to know the basics of CDH, or a little about my medical history, here are some questions and answers: 1. Is the cause of CDH known yet? Unfortunately, no. Some studies are leaning towards a lack of Vitamin A in the diet as a possible cause of CDH.. in rats. I could tell you straight out though that the food I ate while I was pregnant has a LOT of Vitamin A. Other studies show that it could be the combination of the parents that cause it, triggered by something else (age?). Maaaannnnnn, I mean, talk about match incompatibility right? We probably won't know in this lifetime. If your baby has CDH, it would be a great help though, to contribute your blood samples and family history to a CDH study, like J and I did. We sent blood samples to New York, and we are part of the study being done there. Who knows, maybe someday, they'll know how to prevent it from happening. If you are in the US, please research on how yo...

1. Twenty-nine is OLD.  I have always thought that 29 was still a good age to have a baby. I mean, most of my friends don't even have kids yet. But in my first appointment, my first OB called me "old" when I complained that this pregnancy was more difficult than my previous 2. By OLD, she didn't mean old, but she meant older than the usual women. I thought she was kidding, but 2nd and 3rd opinions by OBs agreed - 29 is apparently not "young". Which was odd. When I was 12, I always assumed 28 onwards was the marrying age. The risk of having a baby with chromosomal disorders increase as a woman grows older. The most common of these disorders is Down syndrome, a combination of mental retardation and physical abnormalities caused by the presence of an extra chromosome. At age 25, a woman has about a 1-in-1, 250 chance of having a baby with Down syndrome; at age 30, a 1-in-1,000 chance; at age 35, a 1-in-400 chance; at age 40, a 1-in-100 chance; and at 45, a 1...

If you've stumbled upon my page, you may be in need of milk for your baby. I will be more than happy to help, as long as I can. Please note that I will most likely stop pumping anytime January-February 2013, which is about 6 months after my baby's passing. I am cleared of any possible diseases that may pass on to the milk. I took the necessary tests for these when I was pregnant. I do not smoke, drink (and if I do, this will be pumped and thrown away), or do anything that can pass on to the milk. I refrain from eating sushi and sashimi (which is ironic, because that's our family business) because this can affect the milk. As of now, I do not drink cow's milk and avoid any seafood as well. I am, however, a big fan of milk tea and Starbucks Christmas drinks (haha). As of now, 30+ babies have availed of the milk, and I have yet to receive any feedback that the milk gave the babies adverse reactions. Your doctor might need this information, as milk-sharing is not complete...

After our third CAS, our OBGYN, Dr. Arlene Bravo, explained that we would have to assemble a team of doctors to work together. Though in the end, only our OBGYN, Anesthesiologist, and Neonat were with us in the delivery room, I would like to think that it was a team of doctors that got us there, to full term. As predicted, we had several complications leading to her delivery, and we are so grateful that she made it to her 37th week. We were also so grateful to have more than a day to say goodbye, have her baptized, take pictures. Since their lungs don't function properly, most CDH babies die within the first few seconds or minutes, or hours.  Though Kat didn't make it, I can tell you, I had the best team of doctors possible here in the Philippines. They were the best of the best. And I will be always grateful for their efforts (which is why MMC is my priority in donating milk). Here is my Team of Doctors, and their contact info. I will have a separate entry for each one eventu...