Beauty queen, model, athlete, actress, and now a mom. Katarina Rodriguez talks about her pregnancy and journey to motherhood in an exclusive interview.
Congratulations, Katarina! Just this afternoon, Katarina Rodriguez announced that she is expecting her first child with her partner Niño Barbers. She delivered the news to her followers through a vlog on her Youtube channel. Lucky for us, we got to talk to Katarina about her pregnancy, and what she’s looking forward to the most.
A journey like no other, Katarina shares that her pregnancy and journey to motherhood has changed her perspective. “I’ve been feeling very blessed throughout my journey. Once we confirmed my pregnancy everything came so naturally to me,” she shares. “Pregnancy humbled me. I went from feeling like I knew people and how the world works to seeing how little I actually knew about life. I definitely empathize more with people now. My body wasn’t the only thing that changed, my mind and heart did too. I feel grateful for all the growing happening, for the baby in my womb and for my personal journey as well.”
Of course, the journey doesn’t come without challenges. Katarina, together with her partner Niño have been in Siargao since March 2020, where there is no proper hospital or OB-GYN on the island. Despite this, Katarina acknowledged how lucky she is. “I can’t express how lucky I’ve been. I didn’t have any morning sickness, or any challenging symptoms. I was lethargic the first few months but really I have no complaints. I’m even luckier because my partner Niño has been amazing,” shares Katarina. “Throughout my pregnancy I’m sure he’s been challenged by my requests like giving birth in Davao (where my family is from) and staying in Siargao for 8 months of my pregnancy. He agreed to what I wanted because there’s no way I could have been as relaxed as I have been if I was pregnant and in Manila or the city while this pandemic is on going.”
While the announcement may come as a surprise (especially since Katarina has been posting bikini photos), her and her partner have been talking about starting a family since the beginning of the pandemic. Despite initially worrying about how young she is and her career, her brother reminded her of one of her biggest dreams, which was to be a young mother. “My whole family has been so supportive and they’re all extremely happy because the baby will be the first apo and first great grandchild.” A well-kept secret (at least, until now), Katarina says that she’s been sharing her pregnancy with her friends little by little, with some only finding out recently.
Asked what she’s looking forward to the most about being a mother, Katarina beams, “Aside from experiencing the actual delivery I’m most excited for making each day of my child’s life the best day of its life. Every day will be an adventure.”
Proving that a child is truly a gift, Katarina shares that she found out about her pregnancy exactly on Christmas Day.
