The holidays are usually about happiness and celebration, but unfortunately, bad luck strikes on some people on the days where one is supposed to celebrate.
Such bad luck struck on Dubai overseas Filipino workers (OFW) Jea and Oyo Ilagan, whose child died on Christmas Day. Jea shared their journey through a Facebook album from the moment she found out she was pregnant to the moment she laid her baby to rest.
Jea found out she was pregnant on June 24, Oyo’s birthday. The couple immediately told their parents as soon as they found out, and everyone was overjoyed. At that time, though they still didn’t know the baby’s gender, they’ve agreed to name the baby Kiefer should the baby be a boy.
Upon consultation with the OB-gyne in Dubai, Jea found out she was seven weeks pregnant. Jea experienced a special trimester where she rarely experienced morning sickness and cravings. She also regularly went to the OB-gyne for checkup even if the consultation costs PhP10,000, exclusive of prenatal vitamins.
Jea underwent an anomaly scan on her 20th week of pregnancy to determine the baby’s health, as well as the gender. The baby was determined to be a boy, much to their joy, and she was expected to give birth on February 2016.
The couple decided to fly back to the Philippines on Jea’s 29th week so they can be with their families. Jea flew first to the Philippines and enjoyed her time back home, with Kiefer kicking in her tummy. She also looked for hospitals where she can give birth.
On December 23, Jea woke up after a tiring day, only to discover that Kiefer is not moving. When Kiefer still wasn’t moving the next day, she called her OB, who told her to go to the emergency room immediately. She was rushed to the hospital where nurses couldn’t find her baby’s heartbeat. She underwent an ultrasound, where she found out that Kiefer had no heartbeat and no movement, added to the fact that there was no blood flow in his heart.
The doctors advised Jea to be admitted to remove Kief’s body from her tummy through induced labor. She went into labor on December 26.
Upon waking up, Jea found out that Kiefer’s nose passage was too small and that his navel was not proportionate to his umbilical cord, which caused it to swell. Jea refused autopsy of Kiefer, and was discharged at the end of the day so they could bury their baby.
Kiefer was buried on December 27. Despite the loss, Jea felt grateful that her baby came into her life, even for a short period of time.
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Screen shot from Jea Guico Ilagan Facebook post:
