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After fielding questions during the print-media portion of her first post-natal presscon with husband Ogie Alcasid yesterday at Cravings (Roces Ave. off Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City) and before the round of TV interviews, Regine Velasquez excused herself to breastfeed their two-month-old son Nathaniel (nicknamed Nate like the son of Krista Ranillo and Niño Jefferson Lim).
“I’ve been breastfeeding Nate since his birth,” volunteered Regine. Nate weighed a little more than four pounds at birth and now weighs twice as heavy.
“Thanks to Regine’s milk,” said Ogie who, since he has two daughters with ex-wife Michelle van Eimeren (who is based in Australia with her new husband, fellow Aussie Mark Burrow, and daughters Leila and Sarah), is more experienced than Regine in caring for a baby. “When I change Nate’s diapers,sandali lang. Si Regine, marami pang seremonya…nag-iinit muna ng tubig, nag-a-apply ng lotion at kung anu-ano pa.”
The presscon for the couple’s Valentine concert Mr. & Mrs. A. on Feb. 14 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum (produced by Star-Media, with Dingdong Dantes, Vice Ganda, Angeline Quinto and Kyla as guest performers, directed by Randy Santiago) was light and breezy, altogether free-wheeling, when the topic veered towards the couple’s parenting style.
Now, did you know that Regine has named her breasts “Susan” and “Amalia” (without saying who’s left and who’s right)?
Asked “who” is Nate’s favorite to suck on, Regine said still in jest, “Kay Susan,” generating laughter from the crowd.
“I want to breastfeed Nate for as long as I can; ayokong mag-shift to formula kaagad.”
There’s a Filipino kaugalian (custom) that before the baby, it should be the husband who should first suck its mom’s breast.
“I forgot to do that,” admitted Ogie.
“I think that is so that the mother’s milk will flow freely kasi mas malakas dumede ang father,” explained Regine. “With Nate, hindi na kinailangan kasi ang lakas-lakas niya dumede. Ang takaw-takaw niya!”
During her pregnancy, Regine weighed more than 190 lbs., and thanks to Yoga she has so far shed 30 lbs. but has to get rid of more than 30 lbs. more to get back to her ideal weight.
“I can do rigorous workout,” said Regine who underwent Caesarian section. “My doctor advised me not to. Instead, one week after giving birth, I decided to take Yoga.”
Thankfully, her current weight doesn’t affect her singing.
“My doctor assured me that after six weeks, my surgical wound would start to heal,” added Regine, not even if she resorts to her birit style.
It’s also her avoirdupois that’s preventing her from making a comeback, although she will appear only as “guest” (and as co-host of Ogie, et al) on the GMA show Party Pilipinas one of these Sundays to promote their Valentine show.
“Mabuti na lang my bosses are not pressuring me to go back,” said Regine. “Sana hindi muna ako bigyan ng offer at least for a year because I want to concentrate on raising Nate.”
Among her projects on hold is her movie with Aga Muhlach (who himself has shed considerable poundage), which has shot for several days but is in danger of being totally revised because, as Regine simply put it, “we look differently now from how we did at that time.” The shoot has been postponed several times because Regine and Aga’s schedule just wouldn’t jibe, both of them being then busy with other projects.
Meanwhile, Regine contents herself with by being mother to Nate and wife to Ogie who doesn’t mind working, as usual, oftentimes until the wee hours when he comes home tired.
“Sometimes,” related Regine, “Nate sleeps with us. Kabisado ko na ang feeding time niya. Si Ogie, no matter how busy or how tired he is, nakukuha pa niyang maging hands-on father. Kapag basa si Nate, I would wake him (Ogie) up at siya ang nagpapalit ng lampin.”
Nate will have a “special participation” in his parents’ concert but Regine was mum on what it will be. The guess is that Ogie will dedicate a song to Nate while film photos of different stages of the boy’s growth are flashed on the monitor onstage.
On Sunday, Nate will be baptized in Catholic rites, to be followed later on by his dedication in Christian rites.
Asked how he preferred to be called, Ogie said, “I want Nate to call me Tatay. Ang sarap pakinggan ngword na Tatay.” On his GMA show Daldalita, Ogie is called Tatay by his kiddie co-star Jillian Ward.“Tumatalon ang puso ko everytime Jillian calls me Tatay.”
What about Regine?
“I don’t know about her,” said Ogie. “It’s up to her.”
And how soon will they, or can they, start working on their second baby?
“Bawal muna,” laughed Ogie. “Maybe after one year.”
Said Regine, “It’s up to Him,” looking upward, “kung ilan ang ibigay Niya sa amin.”
Source! Philstar.com / Ricky Lo
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