Iya Villania-Arellano, Drew Arellano, and Primo, Leon, Alana, Astro, and Anya for Smart Parenting May 2025 cover
When your cover mom has five young kids—including a newborn—you brace yourself for a chaotic shoot. But because this wasn’t our first rodeo with the Arellanos, the Smart Parenting team knew that Iya Villania-Arellano and her husband, Drew Arellano, would be able to smoothly manage their big, happy family with their vibrant energy and seamless teamwork.
And manage they did. Iya arrives two hours before the rest of her family, riding a blue scooter. This allows her to get her hair and makeup done, and the kids don't have to get ready too early. By 10:30 AM, Drew arrives, driving a family van full of kids: Primo (8), Leon (6), Alana (4), Astro (2), and newborn Anya (3 months). Iya was calm, confident, and in control, especially when handling her children. She would instinctively shift between checking in on her three older children, ensuring her toddler's comfort, and nursing her newborn.
“She’s evolved into a confident, powerful woman, lalo na when she became a mother. You see a shifting of gears,” Drew says. “She’s in control. It's automatic. It’s innate.”
While Iya agrees that she and Drew have become more intentional about their parenting, she admits that raising five kids means she’s still learning something new every day. That includes feeling like she was giving birth for the first time when she delivered Anya.
“It was funny to me that it seemed like it was all new to me, even if it was already the fifth,” the mom wrote in an Instagram post. “I guess no mom can ever be a pro in pregnancy.”
Feeling Like a First-Time Mom
Despite having gone through four rounds of labor and delivery, Iya says she still feels terrified about giving birth. “I’m so scared of delivery. It might not look like it, and people think I have it so easy, but kung alam lang nila, I’m always so scared because I know anything can happen,” she says.
“And you know, just being fit, it doesn’t guarantee anything. It doesn’t guarantee that I will have an easy delivery or recovery,” the mom adds.
Looking back, her fear was probably the reason she experienced prodromal labor, or false labor, a pregnancy symptom she did not experience in her previous births. Iya recalls going to The Medical City, the same hospital she delivered all four children in, on February 2 after experiencing consistent light contractions for two hours, only to be sent home because she was only dilated by 1 to 2 cm.
“Sabi ng doctor ko, ‘Iya, you’re anticipating labor, kaya ka nagkakaganyan.’ So I feel like it was God’s way of fooling me, kasi I’m scared of delivery,” Iya shares.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, prodromal labor falls between Braxton Hicks contractions and active labor contractions. They can be painful, like active labor contractions, and each contraction will typically last just shy of one minute. It does not trigger real labor and does not progress toward delivery.
Iya experienced two more rounds of prodromal labor that she didn’t realize she was already going through the real thing. On February 11, the day she gave birth, she even planned to go to the gym in the morning while Drew asked permission to play golf.
“He asked, ‘are you sure wala pa ‘yun?’ Sabi ko, ‘yes, love, wala pa ito. Wala pa ‘yung water ko, wala pa akong blood’,” Iya recalls. The mom was waiting for a bigger sign to go to the hospital, like her water breaking or her mucus plug coming out, because that’s what she experienced in her other pregnancies.
Luckily, Drew insisted Iya check in with her OB-GYN and describe what she was feeling. Her doctor told her to head to the hospital when the contractions come in five-minute intervals. “I was in the car [on the way to the gym], but if Doc is asking me to monitor my contractions, then I can’t go to the gym kasi hindi ko ma-mo-monitor,” Iya says. The mom went to their condo gym instead, where she stepped on the treadmill to get her mind off the pain.
“After half an hour, I kind of had to stop. Sabi ko, medyo sumasakit na ito, ah. Tapos lumalapit na ‘yung interval,” she shares. That’s when Iya decided to call Drew and told him she was getting ready to go to the hospital.
Iya arrived at The Medical City around 10 AM and was surprised to learn she was already dilated 6 cm. “I told the nurse, ‘safe to say ngayon mangyayari, ‘no?’ Sabi niya, ‘yes, ma’am. You’re giving birth today.'”
“I felt her—I could feel her head. And before I knew it, the baby was out. I pulled my lab gown up, and the baby was there.” —Iya Villania-Arellano
The next moments felt like a blur. Drew arrived 15 minutes later, and at 10:30 AM, they entered the Birthing Suite (the same one where she gave birth to Primo, Leon, Alana, and Astro). “My doctor was telling me to just keep on walking kasi medyo mataas pa daw yung ulo. So I was walking around, dancing my way through the contractions. Tapos biglang, at 10:45, my water broke,” Iya shares. “In that instant, that was when I really felt the pain.”
The mom thought she was about to poop and ran to the toilet but ended up kneeling on the hospital bed upon the nurse’s instructions. “Eventually, I could feel her [Anya] coming out. And it happened so fast, my doctors didn’t make it,” Iya says. “I felt her—I could feel her head. And before I knew it, the baby was out. I pulled my lab gown up, and the baby was there. That’s when the nurse and the doctor rushed to me. I guess nagulat sila na [I already gave birth] because I wasn’t shouting.”
Iya says that in that moment, “There was no fear. There was like a spirit that came over me. I just happened to be so calm. I know it was all God.”
Mom Life with Five
Iya’s fifth pregnancy was not planned (“may umaabot ba sa lima na planado?”), so naturally, the biggest challenge for her and Drew nowadays is splitting their time between five kids. “The dilemma is we can still physically hug and touch two kids [each], but with the fifth, I can’t. One’s going to be left out if I’m attending to Anya, right?” she says.
The mom adds that caring for Anya has been difficult, especially when their toddler, Astro, is still clingy to Mama. But Iya is quick to clarify that he’s not jealous of being dethroned as the bunso.
“Sa nakikita ko sa kanya, wala siyang galit kay Anya. He’s just needy—he wants to hug me or he wants me to hug him,” the mom shares. “Malalaman mo kung may galit siya kasi he’d be pushy, he’ll try to push Anya away. But hindi. He’ll come to me and hug me, and he’ll do the same to Anya. Kasi mahal niya.”
She now realizes that the two-and-a-half-year gap between Astro and Anya made adjusting from four to five kids tougher. Since the older children have just a two-year gap between them, they’ve adapted to having a new addition to the family quite well.
“Primo loves and hates being a kuya at the same time,” Iya shares with a laugh. “He’s at an age where I can already trust him to handle Anya. He loves to hold and calm her down. He’s like my extra pair of hands at home.”
Leon is Iya’s independent boy with a big heart. She describes him as being sweet, friendly, and thoughtful. On the other hand, Alana is still a baby but loves to hang out with her kuyas (they have cooking classes together!).
With Astro, Iya says the two and a half years of being a bunso gave him more time to become clingy. “I guess because I breastfed him for so long, there’s a natural clinginess to me,” she says.
“It’s just crazy to see how she can multitask and care for each one, love each one separately and as a whole.” —Drew Arellano
The whole family is currently navigating their new setup, including their bedtime routine. Because they all like to sleep in one room, the kids, especially Astro, are not yet used to Iya being in a separate space with Anya. It’s up to Drew to try and take charge and get the four kids to sleep beside him so Iya can focus on their newborn. Try is the operative word because, as they’ve shared with us, the moment Astro wakes up and looks for Mama, the other kids also wake up, and chaos erupts!
Managing a big household can be exasperating, but Iya won’t have it any other way. “Ine-enjoy din naman namin ni Drew because we know it’s just a matter of time. Maybe three years from now, Primo’s not going to want to sleep na siguro with us. It’s just a matter of adjusting as a family,” she shares.
Parenting as a Team
For many parents in this generation, raising one or two kids is already a handful. But Iya and Drew make raising five seem like a walk in the park. Maybe it’s because the two are so in sync—at the cover shoot, they smoothly switched carrying Astro and Alana while watching over the older kids. And they did it with such ease, almost like a dance.
Even during their separate interviews, the two shared the same stories, as if reaffirming what the other was saying. Drew says they owe it all to their “superpower as a couple”—communication.
“Sa totoo lang [communicating with each other] keeps getting better because before we got married, we were already on a good trajectory. When we started having kids, it became important that we had set that foundation already,” he shares.
“It’s easy for us to talk about anything, lalo na with the stuff that we need to confront, like issues and conflicts. We talk about it, and we already have our cues—if the other one is on edge, the other one backs off a bit, but then we know when to talk [to each other] again, which is very important,” Drew adds.
When it comes to their kids, however, the couple will be the first to admit that their parenting is far from perfect. Back in June 2023, they told us that caring for multiple children has ups and downs. “It’s always a struggle. One day, you’ve got it right, the next day, I’ve totally messed it up again. But I think the first step is really just to be aware and to recognize it and your frustration,” Iya shares.
As their family gets bigger, so does their growth as parents. Two years ago, they said they wanted to use their phones less when they were with their children. Indeed, Iya focuses on being more present and accessible to her kids. “Now, when I’m on my phone, and I feel na umaaligid na sila, I put the phone down. I’ve improved on that,” she shares.
Drew can’t help but be in awe of how far they’ve come, especially Iya, who, he says, has developed a different level of patience as their family grows. “It’s just crazy to see how she can multitask and care for each one, love each one separately and as a whole.”
A Happy Full House
Even if you already have children, people still can’t help but ask, “Are you going to have more kids?” Well, it seems that question can finally be answered with a “no,” as Drew recently elected to have a vasectomy.
During our cover shoot, Drew shared that he had already scheduled an appointment with his urologist. He adds that he had already planned to do it last year, but “it just didn’t materialize” because “Anya happened,” Iya jokes.
In the Philippines, the thought of going through a vasectomy still intimidates most men, especially with the misconceptions surrounding the procedure. But for Drew, it was an easy decision to make.
“My mindset is, she did all the work already—all the birthing and everything. Ano ba naman ‘yung katiting na ‘snip-snip’, right?” he says. “I felt it’s one of the duties I needed to do.”
With this new chapter, the couple can now focus on nurturing their family of seven. Iya is particularly excited to see her two daughters bond. “Seeing Alana’s kaartehan, I know when Anya grows a little bit more, meron na siyang ma-me-make-upan, lalagyan ng nail polish,” she shares. “I am also looking forward to having my own girly trips with my daughters!”
Yes, caring for five kids hasn’t been the easiest, but Iya firmly believes there’s a reason God blessed them with multiple children. “God is trusting us with something that He knows we truly value,” the mom says.
“I’ve grown so much in gratitude and faith with each kid. So even though I feel tired and I miss my sleep, I'm so happy. It makes my heart happy just to be where I am now, seeing that I survived five deliveries and my children are healthy and loving,” Iya shares.
Despite the sleepless nights in a house that rarely quiets down, Iya knows she’s exactly where she’s meant to be—right in the thick of motherhood with a heart that’s never been fuller. “I’m grateful just being able to breathe, wake up, and witness how my children love on each other,” she says.
Editor’s Note: Quotes have been edited for brevity.
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Photography by Nicolai Melicor of Oh Hello Studios
Makeup by Denise Go-Ochoa
Hairstyle by Kiel Otilla
Styling by AJ Alberto
Editor-in-Chief: Ronna Capili Bonifacio
Assisted by Max Geronimo
Creative Direction by Stephanie Ocampo
Associate Video Director: Cherrie Julian
Videographers: Rolando Pingco Jr. and Jino Del Mundo
Video Editor: Rolando Pingco Jr.
Shoot Assistant: CJ Gabaleo
Social Media by Zen Arganda
Associate Publisher: Bettina Santos
Interview by Em Cruz
An Editorial Collaboration with The Medical City
All beddings, sheets, and pillow by Anko
