Happy Birthday Baby Edrei!

Baby Edrei's bday cake!

Happy bday Baby Edrei!!!

Today, March 29, 2011, Baby Edrei would have been 3 months old.. I wonder what would he look like now at 3months. Is there milk in heaven or fruit juice? Did they celebrate his bday? What’s the theme for the party? Clown or mascot?  How many guests? Did he receive gifts?  But hey wait, Baby Edrei is with God now and that eases even the tiniest worry in me. My baby is not with “just anybody”.. any guardian.. any nanny.. he’s with his Creator.. our Creator.  Our God.. and I know God will give the best of everything for my baby.. the best of everything for us..

When Baby Edrei was still in the hospital, though I never had the chance to hold him in my arms, I had the chance to lull him to sleep one night.. I was allowed inside at around 7pm. I got a chair & sat by his crib. I had stayed a little longer & was about to leave but he cried. Maymay (our nurse friend who was on duty) gave him a pacifier. I know he is hungry but he was still NPO coz he vomited after he had his 3ml feeding (This was already days after his 2^nd surgery).. he was still restless even with the pacifier so I softly hummed a lullabye while stroking his head.  He then went to sleep & that’s when I left.

Some of the "stick ons" in Baby Edrei's crib. Others were on the wall.

At times, I would talk to baby Edrei even when he is sleeping & would stroke his feet & arms.. Though I could not touch him all I want because of the precaution “minimal handling.. I would always whisper to him how much we love him & that we are waiting for him.. Before surgeries, I would tell him to be brave & strong.. to survive the surgeries for a lot of family, friends are waiting for him. I would tell him how family, friends & even strangers are praying for him.

The only time that we were together (Boots, me, PJ & Baby Edrei) was at the xray dept for his special procedure upper abdominal series with barium sulphate (dye). It was before the 2nd surgery. The procedure was suggested to determine the patency of the small intestine. It was the doctors baseline for the decision to have a 2nd surgery..We accompanied him to xray & PJ talked to his brother..

Boots had his special moments with our baby too. He was allowed to go inside the NICU a day before he went back to work..

Even Mama (Edrei's grandma on my side) had her moment with Baby Edrei in the NICU. She was accompanied by baby's infectious consult & was allowed to stay a little longer to pray & talk to Baby Edrei..

 I treasure those moments with him.. It will forever be engraved in my heart…

Happy bday again baby! I hope you enjoyed your heavenly party up there... We miss you! We love you!

*as i end this blog (already early am of March 30,2011, i got a txt message from Doc Minerva that the docs conference (where baby Edrei's case be presented) will be today. she will give me a copy of the presentation.  I hope my baby's case can help not just doctors in their search for more knowledge but families as well who might also encounter such rare case. 

A Rare Case

I wanted to hold him in my arms. But all i could do was feel his tiny feet.

Last week a Pedia Resident Doctor at the hospital where baby Edrei was managed asked my consent to present baby Edrei's rare case in the doctors conference.. I agreed & told her I just want a copy of the case presentation.. Aside from my own documentation of baby Edrei's every day situation, I wanted to have the Docs write up 'coz it would be a complete record of Edrei's daily management, from his bowel movement to medicines given to lab requests & results.. I wanted to have a record of everything about my baby. 

The conference was scheduled last March 23 but was postponed because the father of my baby's pedia surgeon passed away (condolence Doc!) & the Resident Doc assigned to make the presentation was sick & admitted in the hospital (get well soon Doc!)..

I went to the hospital March 24 to get the biopsy result of my placenta & of baby's intestine (it's long been overdue, but maybe the pathologist had some difficulty with the specimens)..As I walk the familiar grounds of the hospital & stepped inside it's building, I still feel heavy in my heart. I had walked this path for almost 2 months.  I saw familiar faces who smiled at me. People who knew what  happened.  Surprisingly, an orderly (who had brought me in a wheelchair from my room to the NICU to visit baby several times when I had just given birth) recognized me & asked if my baby is still admitted.  I answered, not anymore.. I didn't told him that Baby Edrei had passed away.  I would have given everything in the world for me to be going to the hospital everyday & still have baby. But of course God's way is always better than ours. Our thoughts & feelings can never compare to His.

I had a talk with baby Edrei's neonatologist in his clinic. His greeting was "how are you che?".  Doc had always been compassionate. (I guess i have to write another post about my baby's team of doctors & nurses). He said baby Edrei had gone through a lot of things. I asked from him a letter for the medical records to release to me a medical abstract. I didn't stay long 'coz he had patients waiting & med reps.. Maybe I'd have another talk with him about my desires of doing something tangible in memory of baby Edrei (that would still be another post).

In the medical records, I was asked of my purpose for requesting an abstract. Is it be for PCSO? I told the lady I'd like to have it in memory of my baby. I'd like to have anything & everything that has connection with my baby.. His memory is now my treasure.  A treasure that will stay in my heart forever... until we meet again..

We miss you baby!

Our Little Man

Baby Edrei hours after birth

I would have chosen a different name for our baby but Boots liked the name Edrei.. It should have been spelled Edray. The combination of his 2 grandfathers name, Eduardo (my father) and Raymundo (Boots' father).  But as i surfed the net for biblical names i came upon Edrei which means strong, valley for a flock, goodly pasture.. Boots & PJ agreed with the change in spelling & our baby was named Edrei Navarra Lacson.

God was there all the time. He allowed my husband to be home earlier than his vacation so he can be with me when i give birth & he can meet the little man.  He was here for Edrei's 1st surgery and for several days after that. We would go the the hospital every day to take care of our baby's prescriptions, lab requests, etc.  God allowed me to give birth prematurely (33wks) so the little man & his dad can meet.  Had I given birth at term, Boot's had missed the chance of seeing our precious baby..

Baby Edrei came into this world a strong & a healthy baby.. he was active & always has a good cry.. if not for his jejunuileal atresia we would be discharged from the hospital together.

God knew my baby even when he was still inside my womb. He knew the very count of my Baby Edrei's hair. He had chosen him.. Chosen him to a mission.. He taught us lessons in life that will stay in our hearts. He taught us to fully depend to God on a daily basis..Though Edrei's life was short, i know he accomplished his mission.

Name:     EDREI NAVARRA LACSON

Birthday: DEC. 29, 2010

Weight:   2.05 kg

Length:   47 in

Wanted: Prayer Warriors

For i know the plans i have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you & not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.--Jeremiah 29:11

I had claimed many times on this promise..Now, I ought to claim on this once again & on other promises God gave His people.

I'm now on my last trimester of pregnancy of my 2nd baby. during my 1st trimester ultrasound showed placenta previa which had caused me a few spotting days & for me to bed rest for 2 wks.. but God changed that & my placenta was normal during the 2nd trimester. on that 2nd trimester i again had spotting due to fungal infection but God corrected that again..my OGCT result during the 1st trimester had been on the borderline and my OB friend Ruphil requested for an OGTT on the 28th weeks of pregnancy. God's grace upon me gave a negative result on the OGTT so i was free of the gestational diabetes w/c can be life threatening for the baby and that diabetes runs in my maternal family.

During my 32 weeks of pregnancy, i again experienced spotting. I suspected that I'm leaking fluid when i woke up last Dec 21 w/ my underwear somewhat wet. I texted my OB and she asked me to observe & have an ultrasound. ultrasound showed that my baby has obstruction in his intestine (i'm having a baby boy). The term used was duodenal atresia vs jejunu-ileal atresia. the OB-sonologist pointed the double bubbles in the ultrasound & explained that im having pre term labor. i'm spotting because i have much fluid in my tummy since my baby could not properly utilize the fluid due to the condition of his intestine. Also he needs to be operated right after birth to correct his intestine. Most babies with duodenal atresia are born prematurely so it would be best if i can hold him in my tummy for another month so he will not be born early and that would complicate things more.. so im on bedrest again..

My own research & my talk with my OB friend revealed another blow. duodenal atresia is associated w/ trisomy 21 or down syndrome. stats given by my OB tells 30% of those having duodenal atresia has down syndrome.more than half of this has other anomaly and the remaining percentage constitute the normal babies..

Boots & I cried & prayed together. Pj also prayed for her little brother to be strong.

It breaks my heart to think that my little man would be operated upon at a tender age. It awakens many questions in my mind. Will he survive? will he be ok? It breaks my heart even more to think that there is a possibility that my baby will be a special child.. but I guess it will not make him well if i worry & cry. what we prayed for is a possible miracle..i'm going to have another ultrasound w/ other OB-sonologist for a 2nd opinion on monday.if God will send a miracle then my ultrasound will be clear & normal  but if God wills this for us then may He lead us to the right persons and the best docs there is to help us. If He will give us a special child then we will take care of our baby as best as we could..All babies are a blessing regardless of their condition.

God loves us that He gave us this trials.. he wants to mold us further. to strengthen us & bring us closer as a family and also bring us closer to Him more. We lay everything to God. We will just do our part. Though we will be claiming God's promises, I could not help but be reminded that  I can not demand selfishly from God because He had unselfishly gave us His only Son.  His only Son died.. for our sins.. God's will be done!

Anyway, before we even found out the situation, Boots wanted to name our baby EDRAY. Combination of his grandfathers names.. Eduardo & Raymundo.. I told him i anted to change the spelling of ray to rei..  EDREI is a biblical name which means STRONG, GOODLY PASTURE, VALLEY FOR A FLOCK.. I know my baby will be strong!

Please intercede in prayers as we claim God's promises!

I posted this note in my FB account after knowing the result of my ultrasound that my baby has congenital anomaly.

The Gift of Life

It all started last June 20, 2010 when I found out that I was indeed pregnant with our 2nd baby. We had our wedding May 6, 2010 though we had been together for almost 6 years.. but problem with the status of my husband had hindered us from getting married earlier, so we had to wait for everything to be legally settled before we can be married.

my father’s day gift to dad

It was Father’s Day, June 20 last year and we were in Marikina when I took the pregnancy test. I was delayed for 2 weeks & I haven’t told Boots abt it.. When it was positive I made the letter and wrapped it inside a paper together with the pregnancy kit.. I secretly asked my daughter PJ to give it to his Dad as my Father’s Day gift..  Boots kidded me that it was a “cheap” gift.. the wrap was just a creased paper.  When he finally opened it, he was wide eyed & asked me if I’m joking.. I told him I’m not.. I’m pregnant!!!! 

He laughed & hugged me & PJ. Pj knew abt it but I asked her to keep it a secret first ‘til we give the gift to his Dad. As happy as Boots is, he started texting family & friends.  He immediately asked close friends to be ninongs & ninangs.. haha! Talking abt being excited. We prayed & thanked God for this much awaited blessing. Pj is now 5 years old. Just the right time for her to have a sibling. Boot’s & I wanted a baby boy but PJ wanted a baby sister & will name her baby Heart..

After returning home to Capiz, I went for a prenatal checkup to my OB & then started taking vitamins & drinking milk.. I was 3 weeks then. Later, I transferred to an OB friend Ruphil (had been my classmate at UPV) who had just started her practice in Roxas. I was thankful I had her as my OB because I had been a constant patient.. I’ll drop by her clinic or anywhere she is if I feel i have to.. in a month I’d have at least 3-4 prenatals. hehe.. it’s the perk when your doc is a friend.. I took vitamins & supplements as early as 1st month of my pregnancy.

The fears started when I was 2 mos. I had spotting & was given meds. Ultrasound showed placenta previa. I had to be on bedrest for 2 weeks to avoid further spotting. Though I was assured that the placenta would still correct itself as I near term. But if it won’t correct, I need to have a C section when I give birth..Right then, I just need to rest to avoid miscarriage.  So, Pj had to transfer school from Roxas to Ivisan coz I could no longer drive her to school. I was not allowed to drive anymore.

Thank God that my 2^nd ultrasound @ 5 mos. showed that the placenta had indeed moved upward. It’s not placenta previa anymore & I’m having a baby BOY!!! Answered prayer.. after getting out of the ultrasound clinic I told PJ that she will be having a baby brother.. to my dismay PJ cried & it took me a lot of explaining before she finally said it’s ok if it’s a baby boy..hehe..

During my 2^nd trimester, I had spotting again due to fungal infection & I was given neopenotran and isoxuprine for a week. Every time I had spotting I was given tocolytic meds.. Despite the occasional spotting, whole time of my pregnancy baby Edrei had always been active inside my womb & showed excellent heartbeat.

Boots arrived November which was not supposed to be his vacation. He signed a 6mos contract but after learning that I’m having a difficult pregnancy he decided to cut short his contract. He even paid for his fare & that of his reliever since he was only on his 4th month.  I was nevertheless happy because he will be with us on Christmas. His office scheduled him to live after Christmas, before new year.

Preparing for Christmas had then been exciting with Boots around as it is not always that we get to be with him on special occasions.  We placed Christmas tree in our living room & lit Christmas lights.. To complete the season’s feel, we shopped for gifts at Iloilo on Dec 19.. it was a tiring day for we had to buy gifts for family & friends.  We slept in a hotel & it was early morning of Dec 20 that I woke up with wet undies.. I instantly felt concerned & thought that I was leaking my amniotic fluid. I texted my OB abt it & she asked me to have an ultrasound. It was at the ultrasound with Doc Palacios that I found out abt my baby’s congenital problem. Doc told me I’m polyhydramnios. Meaning I have too much amniotic fluid. It is due to my baby’s problem in his intestine. He can’t utilize most of the fluid & it was being retained inside me. She suggested I should see a pedia surgeon & that I must give birth in Iloilo since there’s no pedia doc in Roxas.  

Her findings then were not sure if it was duodenal atresia vs jejunuileal atresia... But she is sure that right after birth my baby’s intestine should be surgically corrected.  I cried in the car as we drove & Boots comforted me saying that it will be alright. We have to be strong for our baby.  We informed our families abt the findings.  When we were home we cried together & prayed for God’s intervention & guidance. I researched abt duodenal artesian in the net & found out that most of those having this kind of artesia will also have Down syndrome. My OB also explained it to us when we went to see her for my last prenatal with her the following day.  


We prayed for miracle that God would heal our baby right inside my womb so he will not undergo surgery & he will not have down syndrome. But we also asked God that whatever His will for our, He will just guide us to the rights persons & the best doctors there is in Iloilo to take care of our baby.

I started asking my OB referrals of doctors that my baby would need in Iloilo. I even asked PJ’s pedia.  They gave me names & Doc Botin even offered to contact a neonatologist friend of hers.


I was again on bed rest and I was not able to cook & prepare for Christmas Eve. We slept at my parent’s house which was just across us so it would be easy for Boots to take care of me without the stairs going up to our room.  We celebrated Christmas Eve with my parents. PJ & Boots went to Mambusao on Christmas day to bring our gifts to relatives & friends.

I was scheduled for another ultrasound on the 27^th of December to have a 2^nd opinion. This time it with Doc Palmers.  However on Christmas day I really felt that I was leaking fluid. My OB asked me to use a sanitary napkin & observe.  I was changing napkins every 4 hrs. I had researched about it & I read in some sites that its smell is sickly sweet..  Mine smelled that way.  I was told that I must be admitted so I could be properly managed to avoid premature birth.  So on Dec 26 we went to Iloilo & I was admitted at Don Benito.  It was confirmed that I was indeed leaking my fluid. 

Doc Maravilla my new OB told me that we will try to delay my baby’s birth for he's just 8mos inside me. I wasn’t tocolized because my bag of water had a rupture. I was given steroids for my baby’s lung development in case he goes out prematurely.. on Dec 28 doc ordered a congenital scan to know if my baby have other anomalies so the pedia surgeon, neonatologist would know what to expect & they could prepare.  However, the sonologist could no longer perform a congenital scan since my fluid level had been down to 4.9..two of the chambers was already empty. It was found out that my baby has JEJUNUILEAL ATRESIA & not duodenal atresia. I was now oligohydramnios & not safe for my baby to stay inside my womb so my OB decided to induce me the following day.

The night after they found out that I am drying up I was transferred to labor room & was attached to a fetal monitor & had a fetal stress test. On Dec 29, they started giving me oxytocin @ 5 drops after lunch but even before that I was already having contractions every 12min.  My mom & Boots would take turns in getting inside the labor room. But when contractions were at short intervals & I was feeling pain at my back Boots could no longer afford to see me in pain. When contraction would come I would ask my mom to stroke my back just like when I gave birth to Pj. 

I was already 8cm when Doc Maravilla arrived & ordered everyone to bring me to the delivery room.. Manang Leslie, my mom’s cousin whose an OR nurse was allowed to be with me inside the delivery room.  It was only about 4 pushes that I finally gave birth to Baby Edrei at 5:05pm of Dec. 29, 2010, 2.05kg & 49cm long. I heard his cry & I thank God for the gift of life & prayed that he will be well & strong as he will be facing a surgical procedure this early in life.. They showed him to me & I smiled seeing my baby for the first time. They rushed him to the door & showed him to Boots.  Boots later told us that it was an unexplainable feeling seeing his son right after birth.  He was not around when I gave birth to PJ.

I never felt exhausted after I gave birth to baby Edrei. I was not even sleepy.. Maybe God made it that way for I was in for the next toughest & longest 49days of our lives..