When 22 year old Filipina domestic July Ann Loretcha left the Philippines in March, she had no idea that she was already pregnant.
ABS-CBN Middle East News Desk’s Delfin Montenegro reported that it was therefore imperative that nine months after July Ann first arrived in Jordan, she hurriedly fly home to give birth in the Philippines.
She had originally wanted to give birth in Jordan, but her employer warned her she would have a hard time bringing home her child so she agreed to go home instead.
Mindful of the fact that she was on the family way, her employer had taken it easy on her, assigning her light work during the nine months she worked in Jordan.
Unfortunately, she said "naglalabor na ako nagta-trabaho pa rin ako, naglilinis pa rin ako ng bahay. Tapos sabi ko po dalhin na ako sa doctor kasi parang mamamatay na ako, tapos 'yun po, dinala po ako sa doctor, hindi po sila makapaniwala na manganganak na ako noong araw na 'yon (I was already in labor but I was still working, cleaning the house. Then I asked them to bring me to the doctor because I felt like I was dying. They couldn’t believe that I was already going to give birth)."
That was when her employer counselled her to go home and give birth in the Philippines.
"Pumayag po ako na umuwi baka sakali po maihabol ko pero nagli-labor na po ako, konti-konti lang po 'yung sakit n'ya. Kaso 'nung nasa taas na po kami, eh 'yung altitude diba po o kaya napaaga po, kasi 'nung tinantya ng doktora, sabi ay makapaghihintay pa raw po ako ng 24 hours. Eh kaso hindi na po ako nakapaghintay (I agreed to go home on the off chance that I would give birth in the Philippines. It wasn’t really that painful anymore. But when we were airborne, the altitude affected my condition although the doctor in Jordan had adked me to hold off for 24 hours. I just couldn’t wait anymore)," she said.
The plane immediately stopped over at the Doha International Airport in Qatar and July Ann gave birth to a healthy baby girl with the help of a Jordanian doctor who was on the same flight.
Qatar Airways paid for July Ann’s expenses at the Hamad Hospital in Doha where she and her daughter were rushed after giving birth, and also for their stay at the Movenpick Hotel nearby.
July Ann is now worrying about how she will explain the baby to her parents in the Philippines.
To her parents she said "sana mapatawad n'yo po ako, kasi po hindi ko po talaga alam na buntis ako noong umalis ako, sana po tanggapin n'yo pa rin kami ng baby ko. Mahal na mahal ko po kayo. (I hope you will forgive me because I really did not know I was pregnant when I left. I hope you will accept my baby. I love you both very much)."
As a way of thanking Qatar Airways for their financial help during her strange birth and for the airline crew’s support at the time, July Ann named her baby Qatarina Heidalou,.
"Nais ko pong magpasalamat sa mga Pilipino at Pilipinang tumulong sa akin dito, sa Hamad Hospital tapos 'yung tumulong po sa aking mga Pilipina dito sa Movenpick Hotel, tapos 'yung mga nagta-trabaho po dito na naging kaibigan ko na, maraming-maraming salamat po (I want to thank all the Filipinos and Filipinas who helped me, at the Hamad Hospital and at the Movenpick Hotel and the Filipinas who became my friends in Qatar, thank you)," she said.
abs-cbnnews.com
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