Motherhood continued....

written May 20, 2005

So you think that when the room swirls and your stomach just wants to crawl out of your mouth, you can stop it by steadying yourself. Not really. As soon as I learned I was pregnant, I was running to the bookstore on "how to" tips. Some say that you should eat a cracker before you get out of bed, (damn, no can do...) others asks you to pop a pill to stop the nauseous feeling. But I think, the joys of being pregnant will not be complete if you do not experience the pain - and yes, the swelling of your toes and fingers - that comes with it.
It would have been easier I guess, if I was not leaving home to stay in a different country. No Mommy and Daddy by my side. Different language, different culture. And to make things worst, -28 degs. C. My ref doesn't even go down to -10! So I flew from the beautiful Island of Boracay-take note, 39 degs C.- to the Land where Santa Claus lives. We arrived at Helsinki airport on December 22nd, 2002, My bag packed with all the pregnancy books I could find. What made the difficulty a notch higher is the fact that I only obtained a tourist visa from Manila before we left. I couldn't get a free maternity check-up. I had to register first from the Registration Office, get a social security number and get a KELA card. (Similar to the card that they want to implement in the Phils. where you can get free hospital benefits and discounts on medicine).
Getting the residential permit was another story. Toni and I had to submit loads of papers and letters proving that we indeed lived together and that Toni will take all responsibility for the unborn child.
After 4 agonizing months, the wait was over. I got the Kela card and my A status visa, which will give me the same benefits that citizens receives. Maternity allowance (yes, just because you are pregnant and couldn't work), free education, student allowance, unemployment allowance, and since this country is a European Union member, I can travel to all other EU countries without ever needing a separate visa.
As my tummy grows, so is the anxiety of actually having a tiny lil person that I will need to take care of. So Toni and I started to buy the baby stuff. We had no idea of the baby's gender so we couldn't decide on a motiff. We did wanted to check the gender, but here, they don't encourage you to know it beforehand - or maybe they are just afraid to make mistakes if they assume the gender even through ultrasound.