MOMMYDIARIES: Beating My Kadayawan Blues

Kadayawan... Festival, Feast, Festive.. But this 2013, I spent it asleep at home with my baby. Everybody else in the family, including my firstborn kid went out on their different trips to check out some 'kalingawan' (happenings) around and just celebrate the city's biggest festival. It's okay coz I'm learning to be a "home buddy" now. It's just that I (super duper) wanted to go to DavCon for The Great Kadayawan Trade Fair and Bazaar, to shop, eat, see my  friends' booths. Through the years, I always check-out the Trade Fair there but since it was cloudy/rainy and I'm all alone (with my baby), I didn't risked it. I also wanted to see my kid crush Daniel Padilla (haha, don't laugh, but I fancy him).  But it's okay. As long as I have eaten a lot of duryans at The Durian Festival! (haha). It's okay for me, really, although i am teasing myself for slightly pretending. I did this last year too, I was so pregnant, just behaved, but at least last year I had photos of some floral floats, exhibits, etc. This 2013 is kind of a "Rest Year" for me, if there's such a term.

But I still got to admit, a tiny part of me is screaming inside, that I hated it this way. When I was a student, it was a 'tragedy' for me if I'm on night/graveyard shift for hospital duty during kadayawan week. I see the Mall Sale spotlights calling me, the cheerful music outside and the text invites of friends partying & these are all killing me. It's kind of a big deal for me, yes, it's because Kadayawan for me is not just about shopping on sale galore, eating unli durian, or food tripping. Kadayawan Nights, as I call it, were the best nights of the year, well, for me. When I was younger, and a party animal too, kadayawan for me means being out with my gay friends, looking out for our favorite celebs on malls (it's a shame to admit but i dare to go w/ a stampede of fans just to get starstrucked.haha) and when the moon is up, I spend the entire night drinking out, bar hop with friends anywhere and i only go home during sunrise (mom wants me safe so she would prefer 6am than 2am. haha Yeah, cool mom!). I sleep all day and wake up with a hangover and freshen up a bit and do it all again. Young, wild, carefree. That's just me. Well, as for an UPDATE-- that 'was' me.

It WAS my life, way back when there's no Ace and no Coy Coy waiting for their mommy at home (but today, i could NEVER imagine life without them, EVER). Of course, along with my early pregnancy and marriage, I am aware of the consequence that my youth would not be fully shut-down in a blink of an eye so i had to double my effort to update/upgrade myself into a 'proper' mom & a wife. After I gave birth with firstborn daughter Ace, sometimes I pump and throw breastmilk after having a 'mommy break'. I did that silly thing just to go out to take a 'night off' from my new & strange job called motherhood, then just party, drink, smoke. I even hang out with guy friends (i used to pefer to be with dudes than girls) but with permission w/ hubby of course, who is the one watching over our baby at home. I dared to do those stuffs, really, (right now I can't also imagine myself that I was once like that but i do have evidences on my old Friendster photos. haha It's a different version of my latest self now.) Yeah, upgrade indeed coz years passed by, my urge to do those stuffs gradually decreased. I finally had the strength to decline (& endure doing that) the invites of my single friends. The last time I went out for a drink was during those nights I probably conceived my latest baby, Coy. That's around January last 2012. Hooray for me, I'm vices-free for 1.5 year and EBF is a major factor for my clean-living now. Yay!

I now find inspiration in the quote ''Sorry I suck as a friend, I'm too busy being an awesome mom.'' (hehe, it's cute!) Now that I fully embraced mommyhood and I see my gorgeous, gifted children, I say, there's always a Kadayawan, a party, a celebration some other time. And you beer, you can wait for me (wink) but this time, I'm a 'Family First' kind of gal and let's just have a feast on that.

My Not-so-Beautiful Hospitalization Adventures

It was April last year 2012 when I was still working... my 2-year-old daughter who is usually hyperactive every second of everyday seemed to be normal (behave na).  SUPER unusual. But when the time came that she's no longer feeding , talking or even smiling, my heart and my mind was blown as I got home from work and staring at my matamlay baby girl. And I know at that very moment I am on "panic mode". Heck! I don't even have an income, just a volunteer nurse for two different services: a Diagnostic Laboratory and a non-profit OB Clinic. Volunteer, yes, not so charitable of me eh? ;) And then, that moment, I know this calls for hospitalization and that means we're gonna spend money-- lots of money (kaysa naman sa mapabayaan kami sa Government hospital. hmm). This is all so intense for me, it's my daughter's first hospitalization (aside from her birth) and first time to get really sick. She was vomiting and also pooping water! As in super watery stools and lethargic. My mom and hubby assisted me during the hospitalization. Upon discharging, my heart was pounding so hard waiting for our bill. But thank God, it was much less that I expected. Thanks to Phil Health! 

January that year (2012) I already contributed for years 2012 and 2013. And my baby Ace is my dependent. It's a big help. Especially that after my daughter's hospitalization, upon arriving home, I felt so sick. I'm having all the symptoms my daughter experienced (vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, loss of appetite) and obviously shows i caught the virus or bacteria (it was not diagnosed, basta lang kay "Moderate Dehydration due to Gastroenteritis" daw yun. It's too difficult din to "catch" a good specimen for stool exam when there's just no stool, only water! And again, I know for sure I'm gonna get admitted! 

I don't know but these happenings made me think that it's really true that "bad luck strikes not just once but twice, or even thrice" (Big sigh)... I had to be hospitalized, I can't even have the power to sit or to talk! Super drained energy (Plus, it's stressful to be a patient's watcher esp. if the patient is your child). All the contributing factors made me stayed at the hospital for a couple of days. That's the saddest days of my life. For 2 years of no-separation from my first-born Ace, that time, it is happening. I miss her so much. Hubby had to get excused from work to take care of me (mom took care of my daughter). My sister wasn't here at Davao to help me (more sadly, she also had the bug, same symptoms w/ ours, only that, she's at Cebu that time to be our represebattive as our Clan mourns for the death our father's brother. Mas kawawa siya coz siya lang mag-isa doon.)

Haaay.. What an illness! This is epic! During my hospital stay, all I wanted is the intravenous administration of pregnant-safe drugs to control my excessive vomiting and the fetal heart monitoring. YES... That time I (secretly) was 3 months PREGNANT (with my charming baby Coy, my 2nd child) and nobody knows but me and Mel (and my OB-GYN just knew about it too). Hubby and I are conquering one of the real-life storms and are actualizing our "in sickness and in health" marriage vows. And we were unable to tell everyone about our second baby for some personal reasons so it's just among us, the medical team. It was super! All the secrets, the stresses, the illnesses. But again, thanks to PHIC, the bill wasn't that big. Great help for patients like us who are getting crazy with all other financial and emotional stuffs.

After that, I promised myself to stay healthy and also, as much as possible, prepare for emergency situations like these. God cannot ensure us, whether rich or poor, that we're gonna have healthy and emergency-proof lives. So better be prepared. One way is to secure your PHIC matters. The MDR I used for our April hospitalization is still the one I used for the birth of 2nd baby on October 2012. So Here are some quick info about it...

>REQUIREMENTS:

(Submit the following to the billing section prior to hospital discharge:)

*CF1 FORM (Duly accomplished PhilHealth Claim Form 1)

You can get this from the hospital or download it at www.philhealth.gov.ph. Fill your information together with the patient’s information. AND then (if employed) give it to your employer to be filled-up.

*CERTIFICATE OF CONTRIBUTION

(IF EMPLOYED) This is a certificate of your contribution to PhilHealth from your employer. It should state at least 6 months of contribution. Stating your participating amount, date of payment and OR number.

*MDR (Member Data Record) 

Clear copy of MDR. This your record from Philhealth together with your beneficiaries. This is a proof that your are registered at Philhealth. You can get this at any Philhealth center near you, anytime. In my case, I am "individually paying or volunteer" so I just showed my official receipts. If you are expecting, better get one ASAP, you don't want to get this one right after ka ni-raspa.

*PROOF OF RELATION

If the patient is not registered with your Philhealth (shown in your MDR), you need to provide this requirement.

If the patient is your spouse, you need a Marriage Certificate. And if the patient is your child, parent, or sibling, you need their Birth Certificate.

>HELPFUL TIPS:

* Prepare all the documents needed prior to confinement or as early as the day of confinement. It is easier to get the claim when it is included in your bill than reimbursing it after the confinement (but hospitals usually require people to process this within 24 hours upon admission).

* Ask you doctor, if he/she is accepting Philhealth. So that they will be informed that they have to deduct Philhealth from their charge. Again, discounts, we love! ;)

* Be a smart one, research and discover. Know more about your benefits. See PHIC's FAQs section.

http://www.philhealth.gov.ph/members/employed/faqs.html

* Davao City's new PHIC center is now located at Magallanes St. 

Good luck and let's all stay healthy, as much as possible and be prepared for some of these not-so-beautiful instances.