Dancer and business owner Lovely Manalo has given birth to her first child with her husband, Benj Manalo.
On September 17, Lovely shared the news on Instagram with an unfiltered photo of her, breastfeeding her son, Liam Emmanuel. Contrary to other birth announcements where the mom looks fabulous after birth, she decided to post a photo of a raw and unfiltered moment.
She wrote, "Sa lahat po ng pinagdaanan ko, hindi ko na po kayang magpaganda, ang gusto ko lang ay mairaos ng healthy ang anak ko, ng mga oras na to wala akong kinapitan kundi ang faith ko kay Lord na hindi niya kami pababayaan [sic] ang pagmamahal sakin ng asawa ko, pamilya at mga kaibigan ko, at ang mga dasal ninyo."
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She adds, "Binigla kami ng pagkakataon, di ko alam na mararanasan ko lahat ng hindi ko naranasan sa unang anak ko."
Lovely hopes her photo will serve as a reminder for everyone to love and cherish their mothers and parents, "Walang sinumang magulang ang naghangad ng masama para sa anak."
She noted that they will be sharing a vlog about her birth story soon, detailing "Kung gaano kahirap ang dinanas namin, pero in God's grace, napakaganda ng reward niya sa amin."
Lovely adds, she is determined to continue breastfeeding her son, even though she's been struggling to produce breastmilk, "Pag-aaralan ko ulit hanggang sa magtagumpay ako para sa pangangailangan ng anak ko."
She then thanked her doctors for assisting her in giving birth to her second child after 16 years of waiting.
Lovely and Benj announced their pregnancy in January.
Among the celebrities who wished her well was new mom Kris Bernal, who said, "Let's normalize unfiltered births and postpartum. This is so authentic! One thing about you that I really admire. Congrats and enjoy every moment!"
Congratulations, Lovely and Benj!
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