MY LIFE-GIVING JOURNEY: SHALOM

May 15, 2017, at 01:46 PM, our little boy, Shalom Mondez Sumatra came out of my womb and into this world. We are blessed with a healthy baby boy weighing 3400 grams. The contractions started around 3AM, I went to the hospital around 9:30, and he came out in the afternoon after the painful contractions and a few pushes. Everything went well and baby was good in breastfeeding.

Even before we got married, my husband and I thought of the name Shalom for our future child (whether boy or girl). So when we got pregnant, it was a given what we were going to name him. My 2-year old nephew was the first to find out :)

Shalom, in Hebrew, means peace.

My pregnancy with him was generally "peaceful". I was surprised that I didn't have the common symptoms during the first trimester. I never had morning sickness or vomiting. I lost my appetite for a while, and only ever craved for fresh coconut (juice and meat), which my husband made sure to buy for me every single day when he was around. 

Because he was still assigned in Tacloban, there were more times that I was on my own, and I am thankful that I did not have any hard times being alone. I felt exhausted in the afternoon after working all day, and that made me sleep early (around 8 pm). I made sure I ate only fruits and vegetables, and occasionally have some meat (but I craved for it more). I did pregnancy yoga from the first trimester until the last. It attribute me fast labor and delivery to the yoga routines I did almost everyday.

During the entire pregnancy, I still traveled a lot for work. I finished my Peace Leadership Programme in Siem Reap, Cambodia during my first month. I traveled to Davao del Norte for work when I was three months pregnant. 

At 7 months pregnant, my father-in-law succumbed to his sickness and died, not being able to meet his grandson. I traveled with my sister to Davao for his funeral, and my husband had to go back to Tacloban right after.

Few days after I gave birth to Shalom, the Marawi siege occurred. My husband went there for relief work and saw the painful situation of  thousands of people affected, even newborns like our own son. We felt really blessed that we had comfort and security to welcome our firstborn. 

A month later, my husband decided to work in Palawan. We soon visited him there for a month with my parents. We were able to bring Shalom (and my parents) to a tour in Coron island and in the Calauit Safari where he was able to come close to giraffes and zebras.

Shalom was 7 months old when my brother visited from the US. We had a family reunion with three kids in the family: Rosh, Elias, and Shalom.