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Rica Peralejo announces she's four months pregnant, shares struggles of having reproductive health issues
Together with her husband Pastor Joseph Bonifacio, Rica Peralejo announced on her YouTube channel Monday that she is pregnant.
"We're so happy to share the news with everybody, especially everyone who has cheered for us when I shared about reproductive health issues online," Rica said.
Rica said she has been having reproductive health issues, previously suffering through two miscarriages.
How she found out
In August 2018, Rica said she has been feeling an activity inside her womb which made her think that she was pregnant.
"When I went to bed, I closed my eyes then I thought parang may activity sa womb ko. What if pregnant ako? Then I asked: 'pregnant kaya ako?'"
The following day, before Pastor Joseph preached at his 3pm-service, they grabbed a bite at a cafe near the church where a woman they never met approached Rica.
"[She] went up to me and said 'I don't really know you. I've never met you before —and she looked very hesitant and shy to tell me what God told her — that whatever it was...she feels that it's coming soon."
Rica said the encounter was a little bizarre: "The night before, I was thinking exactly that and somebody would confirm and affirm it? So I really had a felling that I was already pregnant as early as that and that was so many weeks away from missing my period pa," she said, adding she had been waiting to miss her period since that encounter.
She said when she missed her period on the second or third day, the pregnancy test showed she positive for pregnancy on October 17, 2018.
The struggles
In the video, Rica gave tidbits about her medical history and said she was given a lot of medicines to take.
"I have certain issues with my hormones that were interfering with conception, fertility, the ability to keep a baby in my womb, general health. But it was when the right things were addressed, and I was given some supplements that I actually got pregnant."
Rica said she had the condition called APAS, a autoimmune disorder that occurs in pregnant women.
According to an article on Smart Parenting, APAS or Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS or APAS) "occurs when the body’s immune system makes abnormal antibodies that attack and damage tissues or cells. Antibodies help defend the body against infection, but in the case of APS, the antibodies attack the body."
There are five categories of APAS, Rica shared, "and I think I don't really fall in any of them."
Despite not wanting to take lots of medicines, she said it was the only way to keep the baby safe inside her womb with her disease at bay. She takes seven pills in the morning, five pills at lunch time and three in the evening — apart from intravaginals and daily injections.
She said taking the medicines has been effective in keeping the baby.
Her previous miscarriages, overcoming fears, and living by faith
Rica recalled the two times she suffered a miscarriage.
"The first miscarriage I think is at twelve weeks. I found out there was no heartbeat but the baby was only at 8 weeks. The second one didn't even go past six or seven weeks. No heartbeat na talaga 'yon."
She happily announced that she's now on the 17th week. "Actually almost 18th and probably by the time that you're watching this, I'm 18 or 19 weeks already."
Her husband Pastor Joseph commended his wife for being so brave for doing the procedure herself.
"It has been such an emotional ride for me ever sine I felt that I as pregnant like I said the fear is unhelp-able I have to choose faith all the time."
Pastor Joseph also noted that their story is an example of "how we only live by faith. The only assurance we have for health, for prosperity, for a good future, for hope is that God is a good God and he will take care of us. And we know this because he sent Jesus to die for us. Lahat pa ng ibang pangangailangan natin, Siya na rin ang bahala dun."
Rica and Pastor Joseph have a five-year-old son named Philip. — LA, GMA News
