Bea Fabregas-Ramos: Smart Parenting Mom We Love March 2024
You might have first seen her super relatable dancing how-to videos, but Bea Fabregas-Ramos first made her presence known as a DJ, host and, sports reporter, and more recently, mom to one of the cutest babies on the Internet, Tyler. As an athlete and go-getter for most of her life, Bea knows the importance of finding and accepting oneself in every season she is in.
Motherhood season
Bea admits that her first year of motherhood “was really all about getting to know myself as a mom, how I’m going to balance everything, and still being able to be 100% with your career and give your best but also be a good mom.” She and her husband, Nikko Ramos, a host, radio personality, and creative, got engaged and married in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. 
Bea initially wanted to have a year on their own as a couple after realizing the heavy demands of motherhood when one of her sisters gave birth. However, the “pause” from the pandemic made them reconsider, and Bea found herself pregnant right away.
“A lot of people have said that it’s such a blessing because I was pregnant right away,” she shared. “And at first, I was a little overwhelmed because I also have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). They said it’s going to be hard to conceive, but it wasn’t. So I feel like it was God’s timing, God’s blessing.”
The pregnancy was challenging for Bea, who admitted that she had to stay home most of the time due to the pandemic restrictions. “It was a long pregnancy because it was all indoors. I did nothing. I didn’t get to shop for anything for my baby. Not even sit in a restaurant to satisfy my cravings," she said.
“I was just trying to be active and move every day. But despite being sad about the circumstances, I was always talking to my baby.”
Aside from being cooped up, Bea also admits to not recognizing herself amidst the pregnancy changes. “I gained 45 pounds. Because of the pandemic, even though I work out at home, it’s still not enough overall movement,” she said.
As an athlete for most of her life, Bea knew what she needed to do to regain her strength. “I know what to do to make my body strong again. But as you expand to great lengths, you’ll be surprised because you’ve never seen yourself like that. You’ve never seen yourself that big,” she emphasized.
'I would say, I love my body. Even if I didn’t believe it, even if I didn’t like what I was seeing, at least the words coming out of my mouth were positive, right?' —Bea Fabregas-Ramos, on her pregancy body
Despite not liking what she saw, Bea would talk to herself in the mirror, “I would say, I love my body. Even if I didn’t believe it, even if I didn’t like what I was seeing, at least the words coming out of my mouth were positive, right?”
Looking back, Bea thinks that these small pep talks to herself helped, plus of course, the encouragement she received from her husband, family, and even newfound mom friends. She shared a cherished memory of one conversation with her husband, “He apologized, I don’t even know why he did. But he said, ‘I am just here to support you in whatever way I can, even though I don’t know what I’m doing.’”
Bea uses her motherhood experiences to inspire other moms to accept and celebrate their new mom-bods.
“That’s why I always want to make sure that when I move or try to make my body strong, the message is not, hindi parang babalik ka and you’re going to be sexy and you’re going to be this hot mom. It’s not that. You need to see where you are at in the moment and do what’s best for your body in the moment.”
Parenting Tyler
As parents, Bea describes herself and Nikko as the type to do research but are flexible enough to their family’s needs. “I think Nikko and I early on, we established that we’re going to decide what’s best together always. And then with our small circle that we trust. We always just wanted to know what’s best for Tyler,” she shared.
“We’re the type that read up. We get to know what people are saying, and then we talk about it and decide. Like even with sleep training, we did it,” she added. “And then we saw that, okay, now we have to adjust because this isn’t working for us. We’re not rigid, definitely not.”
Read also: Whoa! Beyonce Sends Flowers, Now Friends With Bea Fabregas' Son Tyler
And while Bea described themselves as chill parents, she admitted that they do have their moments, “Our fights were about how to take care of him [Tyler] best. And if you’re going to fight, I think it’s a great thing to fight about, if we’re doing a good job as parents.”
Even so, Bea and Nikko are putting their spin on parenting. One simple example is how they are conscious of the content that Tyler consumes and is exposed to. In one instance during the shoot, Tyler ran to Bea, and they launched into their own mini-production of The Lion King’s The Circle of Life.
Afterward, Bea shared, “He loves Lion King, but people are surprised when I tell them he hasn’t seen the movie. And people are like, huh, why? Because the main character, the dad, dies.”
“So I feel like that’s something we’re learning from. My husband watched Jaws when he was four years old. It’s not like that they [our parents] didn’t care. They just didn’t know back then. There wasn’t as much research. Small things like that.”
'I know that there’s a struggle, there’s a lot of stuff online that says apparently, don’t force them [children] to greet if they don’t want to [greet]. But also, there’s culture, there’s respect.' —Bea Fabregas-Ramos, on parenting trends
However, Bea said that while they do respect Tyler’s boundaries, they also make sure to impart to him both their families’ values. One example she shared is in greeting elders. “I know that there’s a struggle, there’s a lot of stuff online that says apparently, don’t force them [children] to greet if they don’t want to [greet]. But also, there’s culture, there’s respect,” she said.
“Kailangan mag-mano, kailangan mag-hi. So I think we’re in the middle of that. Na of course, you have to say ‘Hi’ to lolo and lola. But also, if you can see that he clearly is not in a good mood [then you have to respect that as well].”
Bea believes that while her generation of parents is more informed, she can still learn a lot from her mom. She said, “My mom was telling me, ‘Oh, you’re so fearful, you need to let him touch dirt and touch grass.’ It took a while for me because I gave birth during COVID. But now I see that they need to play. They need to be outdoors. They need to build their immune system. So I think you can learn from both sides.”
'This is why we [moms] feel lost. It’s because we’re gaining a new self. That’s what we don’t really know prior to getting the first baby. You don’t only have a new baby, you also have a new self.'-Bea Fabregas-Ramos
Bea on taking care of herself amidst motherhood
These days, Bea has found her rhythm in motherhood—the right mix of taking care of herself while also taking care of her family.
As she and Smart Parenting Editor-at-Large, Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio talk about fitness routines, Bea shared that during the pandemic, she received messages from her mom-followers asking for tips on how to work out as a mom. She admitted, “I would respond na you just have to try and carve out, figure it out with your schedule, which I do. It still is true.”
However, after having Tyler, Bea admitted, “Gusto ko silang hanapin, lahat ng mga moms na nag-message. Gets ko na.”
“Because that season, especially the newborn season, is not for you, it’s for your child,” Bea emphasized.
After surviving the newborn season, this is Bea's advice for moms who want to move again: “All you have to do is, if you see it, grab it. If you see the opportunity na, okay at this moment, tulog siya. Wala na akong gagawin. Okay, time to move.
“If it’s just squats, if it’s just stretching, if it’s just anything, just to move, to reconnect with your body and to just feel healthier, that’s okay. Because you will build it eventually. And I had to teach myself that.”
Bea emphasizes the significance of fitness for mothers, "Kasi napaka-physical ng nature ng ginagawa natin. Lalo na in the first few years [of motherhood], this is when you become so broken, fragile.
"So as [our children grow], ito yung time to repair ourselves, and movement can help us do that," she adds.
Aside from finding the time and routine that works, for Bea, it’s also about moms knowing their bodies and their new selves after motherhood.
“This is why we [moms] feel lost. It’s because we’re gaining a new self. That’s what we don’t really know prior to the first baby. You don’t only have a new baby, you also have a new self.”
And when it comes to what she finds as the most rewarding aspect of motherhood, Bea said it's witnessing Tyler grow up, "Just seeing him experience, seeing him grow up every single day."
"When I'm putting him to sleep, when I'm holding him, or in moments when [he's] not hyper and [he] just wants to lie down with [me]. And [for me], this is what it's all about. This is the greatest gift that the Lord has given me. This moment right here. And I try to lock it in my heart and collect it."
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Produced by: Ronna Capili Bonifacio
Shoot assisted by: Em Cruz
Art Director: Stephanie Ocampo
Video producer: Abigail Olaco
Videographer: Teddy Garcia
Editor: Rolando Pingco Jr.
Photographs by: Nicolai Melicor
Styling by: Keith Angelo
Makeup by: Nicole Ceballos
Hairstyling by: Rudolf Davalos
Shot on location at Aruga Apartments by Rockwell
Fitness equipment provided by Wandergym
Social Media by: Zen Arganda
Interns: Vehmee Ramos and Yuuki Dela Cruz
Publisher: Iza Santos-Cuyos
