Most pregnant couples know that giving birth entails a lot of hard work, especially for the mom. While the pregnancy journey can be an emotional rollercoaster already on its own, this mom’s near-death motherhood experience thus far has proven to be a powerful story worth telling— about a mom’s will to survive for the love of her child.
Baby Pian's first day of life, and already with so many injections.
Covid pregnancy
Diane Yap-Reyes found out she was expecting almost a month into her pregnancy. She had tested positive for Covid-19 in June 2022 and was in quarantine when she decided to take a pregnancy test simultaneously. Diane’s period was delayed, but because she has PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome), a syndrome whose symptoms include irregular menstrual periods or no period at all, she didn’t think much of it.
Bored with nothing to do at quarantine, Diane spontaneously decided to give the pregnancy test a go. When the test revealed two lines, Diane and her husband Paolo were in disbelief. They used up multiple kits only for it to produce the same results again and again. The couple decided to wait until they finished their isolation protocols before consulting with their OB-Gyne Dr. Debbie Meguizo.
It was Diane’s first Covid experience, and it was an unpleasant one. She was symptomatic, suffered high fever, body malaise, anosmia, sore throat, cough and colds—all the Covid symptoms! So when her doctor confirmed that she was indeed pregnant at 3.5 weeks to be exact, Diane started to feel anxious. Worried about the possible complications that might affect her developing baby because she’s infected with Covid.
Cute and chubby Pian who was two weeks old at NICU.
Pregnancy struggles
As early as the first trimester, Diane’s pregnancy was hounded by so many struggles. She experienced cramps just weeks after her first visit to her OB-Gyne. “I was given medicine to treat to ensure the baby will ‘kapit’ (hold on) during this critical phase of the pregnancy. I asked fellow mommy friends if the cramps were really that incredibly painful? Or maybe my pain tolerance was just that low.”
Diane was later diagnosed with Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD), which explained the stabbing, wrenching pain in her pelvic girdle. She was asked to be on bed rest as soon as possible. Diane said she still felt so thankful to God when she was informed that SPD is not harmful to her baby, in spite of the extreme pain the condition had caused her.
Not long after, she started feeling cramps and pressure in her back and lower abdomen, which radiated a different kind of discomfort from that of her SPD. Her doctor disclosed that she was in fact positive for Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). Diane was prescribed antibiotic medications to address her ailment.
Entering the second trimester of her pregnancy, Diane was confronted with more bad news after taking a glucose screening test. Despite having a regular fitness lifestyle with a healthy weight and diet before and during the pregnancy, her sugar test results revealed that she had Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM).
When asked if she ever questioned why she kept getting all these health scares, Diane shares, “I didn’t know why these were happening to me. I just kept praying to God for my baby to be healthy and okay.”
Mommy Diane visits Pian at the hospital every day.
Near-death experience
Following Dr. Debbie’s instructions obediently and taking all the necessary precautions to mitigate risks in her pregnancy, Diane’s health slowly improved. As things started to look up, Diane and Paolo finally chose a name for their daughter, Pian Grace.
Diane was at her pregnancy’s final trimester, and she felt energized to finally plan and organize Pian’s baby shower. This is in honor of Pian and her parents’ resiliency throughout their turbulent pregnancy journey.
It was then that another unfortunate event shook Diane’s world. She caught a dengue fever and was admitted in the High Risk Pregnancy Unit (HRPU). What she thought would be a few days of recuperation in the hospital became ten long days in the HRPU, where she battled with pneumonia caused by post-dengue fever.
“I thought I was gonna die,” Diane says of the traumatizing experience. She recalls rashes manifesting all over her exposed skin, not being able to move, while bloating from her fingers down to her legs. “I could not even breathe,” adding how her oxygen levels had dropped to as low as 80. Diane was injected with steroids to support Pian’s lung maturity because she was at risk of preterm, which made Diane’s diabetes worse. The doctors also closely monitored Diane’s heart, which demonstrated the presence of hypokinesia—a medical term for low heart ejection fraction, the amount of blood that your heart pumps each time it beats.
Paolo stayed with her the whole time, begging her to fight for her life and for Pian Grace. Visitors are not allowed in the HRPU, so Paolo was permitted inside for as long as he served as her bedside nurse and did not go out. Paolo even slept on the floor to keep Diane company. “I don’t know how I survived,” says Diane as she looked back to the moments she thought would be her end.
The event was equally traumatizing for Paolo who refers to Diane’s pregnancy as “stormy.” He confides that he was so scared, “your pregnant wife is telling you she’s okay to die. That’s two lives gone if she gives up.”
Diane's husband, Paolo, stayed by her side in the HRPU and slept on the floor throughout her life threatening battle with dengue pneumonia.
Postpartum complications
Two months after her near death experience, Diane successfully gave birth via emergency Caesarian-section to Baby Pian Grace last March 8, 2023. But the feeling of relief was short-lived as doctors were quick to admit Pian Grace into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and placed her in an incubator due to Transient neonatal hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia (TNHI). In layman’s words, Pian’s neonatal pediatrician, Dr. Alma Enriquez explained that Pian Grace had very low blood sugar levels at birth, which could affect her brain’s function if not treated properly.
TNHI is a rare consequence of Diane’s gestational diabetes. This condition only occurs in about one to three babies out of every 1,000 births. Unlike other moms and their newborns, Diane was not roomed with Pian like the usual set up.
Diane had to personally visit Pian in the NICU every time she wanted to see or touch her baby. “Things weren’t really sinking in to me fully yet,” said Diane who was still in shock from her major C-section operation. “But the very next morning, despite how painful it was to move, I forced myself to stand up and walk so I could see her and be with her.”
“All I wanted was to hug her already,” Diane recounts her feelings of desperation. Diane was discharged in less than a week, but Pian Grace needed to stay in the NICU for over half a month. “I don’t know how else I could have done it. Definitely only through God’s grace and guidance,” Diane recollects.
Baby Pian's homecoming flowers from Petalier.
“I survived going to the hospital every single day for 19 days just to spend time with her and let her breastfeed directly.” Diane would pump breast milk and store them whenever she was at home, then bring them daily to Pian Grace at the NICU. At one point, Pian needed 1.2 liters of milk per day to maintain her normal sugar levels, and Diane is grateful to have been able to provide her that.
Pian Grace is now safe at home with her strong and brave parents. From the beginning until today, Diane is still surprised by what she was able to do for Pian. “I was able to always put what’s best for her, even if it will take a lot of effort. The interesting thing is, at the moment, it doesn’t even feel hard at all, but when I look back, I can’t believe I was able to do it.”
Diane's first "reunion" photo with Baby Pian after they were separated at the recovery room, because Pian was admitted in the NICU. Diane forced herself to stand up to be with PIan.
Diane’s story is proof of how truly selfless a mother’s love can be. And in that selflessness came power—the powerful will to survive amidst life’s hardships, all for the love of her child. She is also grateful to her OB-Gyne, Dr. Debbie Meguizo, and Pian’s neonatal pediatrician, Dr. Alma Enriquez, for their medical expertise and going above and beyond to ensure Diane and Pian’s survival. She is also grateful for having her mother-in-law, Rosana, who has been genuinely caring for her and preparing all her nutritious meals every day—even postpartum. And, of course, her husband, Paolo, who has been her rock for personifying the true definition of “for better or for worse” during one of the most difficult moments of their family’s life.