Rubella Baby

It is said that you could never repay your mother if you did not become a mother yourself. Childbirth makes one a complete woman.

I went beyond childbirth. My pregnancy was a gamble and I made a pact with God.

In the middle of 1992, the rains were coming as it was the onset of the wet season. Epidemics that the rain would bring were rampant. I remember being downed with a severe cold and a cough with a convulsive fever. Then one day, I woke up with red dots all over my body. Itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, red polka dots.. Dengue! Uh-oh.. A chill swept over my spine. I was supposed to stand as a baptismal sponsor that day, but went to the doctor instead of going to church where the rites were performed.

The doctor flashed a concerned look upon seeing me. 

"œThis is rubella, Coy," he bared.

"œGerman measles?" I asked in confirmation.

He nodded.

"So what medication should I get?" I asked, wanting to get over the red spots immediately.

"œDepends. Get yourself a pregnancy test first."

"But doc, I had my period three weeks ago," I protested.

"Never mind, you still have to undergo the pregnancy test to be safe."

So I went to the medical laboratory where my sibling had an internship as a medical technologist. The rest of the interns gathered upon recognizing me and playfully asked what kind of test I would prefer: the kit or the frog test. Ugh! I was more concerned of the measles.

The kit yielded a positive result. An ultrasound suggested I was gestating at six weeks.

The doctor was concerned as ever. "This is a risky pregnancy," he announced. "Your baby could be born blind, deaf-mute, or without extremities. Worse, he could get a heart disease."

He referred me to his good friend, an obstetrician, who further said that she had a patient with the same case as mine. The baby developed cataract right on the delivery table.

"We should terminate your pregnancy," she informed me. She set the date, the hospital, and all the stuffs that should be taken care of. My mind was somewhere else. My baby born blind? I went home warbling a song in my head.. Three blind mice, three blind mice, see how they run.. No! I do not want a blind baby for a child.

On the arranged date, I did not show up at the hospital. I went to church instead and asked that God would at least show me His mercy and give me a healthy baby, far than what has been described of a rubella baby. I offered my baby to Him long before he was born, leaving God to do what He wants my child to be.
 

"œJust give me a complete baby and He is all yours," I was ready to enter into a memorandum of agreement with Him.

It was a difficult pregnancy during the first trimester: dizzy spells, nausea, vomiting, weird food preference. The rest of the months came easy. I was strong, active, and workaholic.

When the baby was born on May 31, 1993, I opted not to sleep through the normal delivery process. And when he was placed on my bosom for his first suckle, I inspected his tiny frame right away. I heaved a sigh of relief. My baby was complete (thanks heavens!) with both lower and upper limbs. A thought came. Had I expelled him, I would have not seen him in that form. I must have made the right decision of going on with my pregnancy despite the doctor'™s stern warning. I was so proud thinking I was going to have a baby.

(The boy is turning 14 years old by the end of the month. At ten days old, he was discovered to have a ventricular septal defect (heart has three holes)“ and he was classified as special and hyper-active. Ultrasound revealed that when I contracted rubella, his heart was developing at that time. He was on steroids at age ten days until two years. He is growing up pretty well, tall, still hyper-active, and will be in junior high school next month. He attends a special education class for the gifted. Photo above showed his early attempt at arts.)

(Reposted: May 10, 2007)