Part 4 – The Quiet After: Healing and Remembering Baby Lux

(The Final Chapter of the Baby Lux Story)

THE FIRST NIGHT IN THE HOSPITAL

The night before the surgery was the night we were admitted through the Emergency Room.

Everything had happened so quickly — the unexpected ultrasound results, the doctor’s explanation about a possible molar pregnancy, the sudden instruction to go straight to the hospital.

By the time we were finally settled into our room, all three of us were emotionally drained.

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Part 3: The Operating Room — Letting Go of Baby Lux (My D&C / Dilation and Curettage Experience)

The Waiting Before They Came For Me

That afternoon, I began quietly counting the minutes.

Around 1:30 p.m., I kept glancing at the clock. We had originally been told that I might be wheeled to the operating room around 2:00 p.m., but one of the resident doctors had also warned me earlier that my OB still had other patients scheduled before me.

So it might be 3:00 p.m.
Or even 4:00 p.m.

Still, the waiting made every minute feel longer.

Nurses came in and out of the room throughout the afternoon, checking my blood pressure, oxygen levels, and asking the usual questions. Each time the door opened, I wondered if it was finally time.

At 3:30 p.m., the gurney finally arrived.

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Part 2: The Morning Before Surgery — Saying Goodbye to Baby Lux

Part 1 ended with us entering the hospital not knowing exactly what the next hours would bring.

Morning came anyway.

And with it came the quiet understanding that the day ahead would ask us to let go of the life we had begun imagining.

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Part 1: The Day We Went to Hear Baby Lux’s Heartbeat

Before I begin this story, I want to anchor it to two posts I wrote earlier in my Pregnancy & Perimenopause Diary Series.

At the time, I was writing in real time — still in the “in-between,” still waiting to understand what was happening inside my body.

If you’ve read those entries:
Pregnancy & Perimenopause Diary Series: Notes from the In-Between and
Pregnancy & Perimenopause Diary Series: The Waiting, the Wanting, the Yes

— then you already know the emotional landscape we were standing in.

Those posts captured the uncertainty, the quiet hope, and the fragile possibility that a new life might be beginning.

What I’m sharing now is what happened next.

This story begins on the day we went to my OB’s clinic… on what we thought would be a joyful day — the day we were supposed to hear Baby Lux’s heartbeat for the first time.

We went to my OB’s clinic for a transvaginal ultrasound, expecting the usual moment many parents look forward to: that tiny flicker on the screen that confirms a little life is growing.

Instead, the screen showed something else.

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Dumaguete Day Trip

Dumaguete Day Trip

Dumaguete is just a 25-minute boat ride from Liloan Port in Santander which is about 30 minutes away from Oslob by car. So it’s faster to get here than to go all the way to Cebu City (which is 3-4 hours away from Oslob depending on traffic) for a little errand run and shopping. I just want to share here what usually happens whenever we go to Dumaguete from Oslob for a little day trip. Here’s my vlog:

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Cabugao Gamay

How to Avoid Travel Burnout When Traveling With a Group

Hello from Boracay! It’s already the month of August, known as the “Ghost Month” (kaway-kaway sa mga Bea-Gerald-Julia followers jan… yeah, I’ve been following their drama too, lol!)  and I just found some time to check my blog. We’ve been traveling from Cagayan de Oro to Oslob, then to Dumaguete, Bacolod, Iloilo and Boracay, then Antique, then back to Iloilo, Bacolod, Dumaguete, then Oslob again. I thought of continuing the 3rd part of my Boracay Series since I am here once again on one of the world’s best islands but I feel like I must share with you first this topic that I’ve only experienced now.

Let us define first the word “BURNOUT”:

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demand  (Reference: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm)

Don’t get me wrong. I love traveling! I’ve been doing this since I was 6 years old and I love the entire process of it — from planning our activities and itinerary, to listing down the clothes and accessories that I am going to wear (I like prepping 2-3 sets of clothes a day: one in the morning, one in the afternoon, one in the evening), to unpacking everything when we get to our destination and doing it all over again when we get home. Traveling is just one of my passions and I don’t think I will ever stop, not until I really have to due to old age. Teehee. So, it came as a surprise to me when all of a  sudden I feel so burnt out from all the traveling we’ve been doing. Has this ever happened to you as well?

So, how do we avoid travel burnout when traveling with a group, especially with our extended family? Continue reading