I’m back! Finally, I am able to sneak a little blogging time during my busy no-sleep baby schedule. If you have been following me on Instagram you will know that I gave birth to a healthy and happy baby boy last July 2. His name is Tristan Antonio Misa Fernandez and he is the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes on. Carlos and I are so happy to welcome our little boy into our lives, and these past three weeks have been the most crazy, tiring, nerve-wracking, exciting and fulfilling time in our lives. Our daily schedule has changed drastically, having absolutely no time for ourselves, being completely sleep-deprived and just head-over-heels in love with our child.

Now I get it. I now know what all the other moms have been talking about. Having a baby is life-changing. All of a sudden life is no longer about you, or you and your husband, but about this little innocent person who is completely dependent on your love and care. This person needs you to survive, and will continue to look to you for nourishment, comfort, life lessons, values and support. It is an overwhelming and incredible feeling to bring someone into this world. Every single day is a wonderful journey that’s difficult and scary but also incredibly fulfilling and beautiful.

As new parents, Carlos and I made a vow to take care of our little family, and do whatever it takes to safeguard our health and keep everyone happy. This is why we decided early on that we would look into cord blood banking. We believe in its potential and we see it as a gift we could give our baby, Tristan. Great strides have been made in the science of cord blood banking, as cord blood (or placental blood) has been known to help nurture life, long after a baby’s birth and provide a source of stem cells should there be a need for a stem cell transplant. Cord blood is a rich source of stem cells known as haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) which are responsible for replenishing blood and regenerating the immune system. It can be used in the following ways: to replace and regenerate damaged or diseased bone marrow, treatment for blood cancers, to correct genetic defects and potential for cellular therapy and regenerative medicine. For us, these are very good reasons to sign up with the program. And of course, as more studies and research are made, its benefits will only be greater.

And talk about timing (and good luck), a few months ago Cordlife Philippines invited me to be one of their ambassadors, along with my good friend Patty Laurel-Filart. As you know (I’ve mentioned it many times here in my blog) Patty and I got pregnant and had babies at around the same time. This propelled us to be each other’s cheerleaders and support group, as we went through very similar experiences in the course of these 10 months. I have to say, we are very lucky to find this kind of encouragement and strength in each other as going through the hurdles of pregnancy and now motherhood has definitely not been easy for us. Our late-night conversations about pregnancy cravings, hormonal changes, aches and pains, giving birth and now breastfeeding, have been an incredible source of strength for us. It is great to know we aren’t going through this journey alone, and that we have each other to depend on for support. We’ve probably talked about everything related to pregnancy and babies, including making the decision to sign up with Cordlife Philippines.

Honestly, it was an easy decision to make. And the process of signing up was even easier as the good people of Cordlife Philippines gave us all the information we needed to know, answered all our questions regarding cord blood banking, and gave us the necessary documents and paperwork to secure our slot. At the hospital on the day of Tristan’s birth, we were required to bring our Cordlife Philippines blood and urine collection kits which were sent to our house early on. We gave these to my nurses who gave them to my OB-GYN in the delivery room. My OB took care of the whole thing–I didn’t even think about the collection until I was wheeled into the recovery room. That was how easy and non-invasive it was, I mean when you’re giving birth you don’t really want to think about these things. I got a text a few hours after giving birth that a Cordlife Philippines representative had picked up the cord blood and it was immediately going to be processed. At that point, I was just glad it was all handled, no stress, no fuzz and no tiring back and forth with the company.

As part of our job as ambassadors, Patty and I did a shoot for Cordlife Philippines, which I am so excited to share with you. It was a couple of weeks before we gave birth and I really loved the way it turned out. It was shot by Jaja Samaniego and the guys at Happy Folks Studio, styled by Margaux Alampay, makeup by Czari Domingo and hair by Marie Tan.

THANK YOU again, Cordlife Philippines for taking care of our babies, Tristan and Theo!