Mariel Padilla on Having APAS: Medications a Small Price to Pay to Be a Mom

Despite longing for more kids, Mariel Padilla says her husband, actor Robin Padilla, does not want her pregnant "because I go through so much." 

The TV host, who is currently on the family way with her second child, has previously revealed she was treated like an APAS patient in 2016 while she was pregnant with daughter Isabella, even if she tested negative for the test. Thus, she had to be under a lot of medications round-the-clock to keep the baby. 

APAS, or Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome, is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when the body’s immune system makes abnormal antibodies that attack and damage tissues or cells. It can raise a woman's risk for miscarriages.

"I had several miscarriages and even though I tested negative for APAS, my OB, Dr. Eileen Manalo (who in my book is the best ob/gyne in the country), treated me as an APAS patient, and that is why I have Isabella," she wrote on Instagram recently as a caption for a photo of herself doing her daily injections. 

Being pregnant is quite taxing for Mariel since she has several health conditions, some of which are triggered by the pregnancy itself. Aside from twice-a-day heparin injections to manage APAS, "I also have PCOS, I had cysts in my ovaries, I even had gestational diabetes with my other pregnancy wherein I needed to inject insulin as well," she wrote on Instagram.

In an interview with Smartparenting.com.ph in 2016 when she was still pregnant with Isabella, she also mentioned that she had to prick herself three times a day to monitor her blood sugar. "When Robin is here, he administers the shots, but when he's away, I do them myself," she said then.

Before conceiving Isabella, Mariel suffered two miscarriages in 2015. Although she had no difficulty conceiving, she had a hard time carrying the pregnancy to term because of the suspected APAS. She admitted they refused taking heparin shots in the beginning, but later gave in.

Despite all this, Mariel remains positive and is ready to embrace anything for the sake of her children. "For me, it is a small price to pay because in exchange I get to mother one of God’s greatest creation," she wrote.

Asked what she discovered about herself as a mom in the previous interview, Mariel replied, "Na kakayanin ko pala kahit ano, all these medicines and injections.

"I don't do medicines, kung may masakit, titiisin ko. I won't take paracetamol or anything. Pero ngayon, I have so many medicines. I realized na when it comes to your baby, yun palang mga beliefs mo mashi-shift sya ng konti. Gagawin mo whatever it is. You will really fight for your baby."

In her Instagram post, she ended her caption with a message of encouragement for her fellow APAS moms. 

"This is a message for all the women who are trying... don’t give up. One day God will bless you with His greatest gift. Believe. It may be a difficult painful journey but it will happen. Remember nothing worth having comes easy. Sending lots of baby dust your way."