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Ella Pangilinan on Her Pregnancy Journey

<p>Time is, indeed, flying so fast. From a young girl often spotted with her actress-mom, <strong>Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan</strong>, fashion, beauty, and lifestyle personality <strong>Ella Pangilinan-Miranda</strong> blossomed into a woman who’s ready to face another chapter in her life: being a mom herself.</p><p>Ella is currently savoring the final weeks of a journey, the third trimester at the time of this <strong>Metro.Style </strong>interview, which she and husband <strong>Enrique Miranda</strong> prayed for. Since this has been a fervent dream for the couple, the moment of finding out they’re expecting is something she cherishes.</p><p>“We were over the moon because we were actually trying for a while. I remember it was a really long day because I had just flown in from a bachelorette [party] in Bali. The flights were really early, so I wasn&#x27;t feeling well. <em>Sakto</em>, I had a checkup scheduled that morning because I&#x27;ve been regularly seeing my OB, and then she had me take a blood test. [The results] came after a couple of hours in the afternoon. Then I waited for my husband to come back from work. It was just a beautiful moment that he and I got to experience—just the two of us,” Ella began, smiling.</p><p>“When we opened the results, and we both found out that it was positive, we were so happy. It was like, ‘Oh, finally, we&#x27;re here. We&#x27;re at this point.’ We actually kept it to ourselves for about a month. We wanted to be really sure. We only started sharing with immediate family after that, and then friends only after three months. We were really savoring every moment and enjoying it for ourselves first,” the soon-to-be mom happily shared.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1777863863262ella pangilinan pregnancy journey.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div><strong>Turning over a new page</strong></div><p>The journey to motherhood is certainly a season of changes and adjustments. Though many would find the first trimester challenging, Ella’s biggest challenge was the mental shift toward slowing down. Usually buzzing with activities and commitments, she quickly realized that her body was telling her to slow down.</p><p>“I think the most challenging part was realizing that I had to make adjustments to my lifestyle that early on. When I first found out I was pregnant, I was like, ‘Well, I can continue with life as usual and everything that I&#x27;m doing because anyway, it&#x27;s still going to take a while.’ But no! Wow, I was so tired. I realized that I have to start slowing down now,” Ella confessed.</p><p>“I need to just embrace this time that I&#x27;ve prayed for and waited for. This is the time for me to learn more about this stage in my life and slow down. I don&#x27;t think I prepared for how that stage would look like because we were just so excited to have a child. I had to make a lot of adjustments when it came to my commitments, my workload, and what I would say yes to, what I would say no to. My energy levels were just so different, and even my mindset was just so different. I just wanted to be present in my pregnancy,” she pensively said.</p><p>When Ella decided to be more present in her pregnancy journey, she was more aware of the needs, wants, and cravings that she had and would have. There were moments marked by her cravings for specific food and soup dishes.</p><p>“I remember the first craving I had was pickled cucumbers from my favorite Japanese restaurant—so specific. I told my husband that I wanted this from there. I just kept thinking about it,” she laughed. </p><p>“Something that&#x27;s been consistent throughout my pregnancy has been like brothy beef soup. So, there’s <em>nilaga</em>, <em>kansi</em>, <em>bulalo</em>—I&#x27;ve been craving those things. It makes me feel so taken care of. It feels so good. <em>Kailangan lutong-bahay</em>. It had to be made at home, and I didn&#x27;t want to order it from a restaurant. I would ask my mom&#x27;s cook or my cook to prepare specific dishes that I knew that they would really do well,” Ella shared.</p><p>Food craving is just one of the many things that Ella found fascinating about expecting. The past few months have been a journey of discovery that she was blessed enough to experience.</p><p>“I&#x27;ve just been in awe of how the woman&#x27;s body was designed to be able to carry a child and how every stage of pregnancy or the progression of every week, what develops in the womb, and all of that, it all has a purpose. I didn&#x27;t realize how intricate those details were. Even up to the preparation of the body for giving birth, how our anatomy adjusts and changes. I&#x27;ve just been so amazed as I&#x27;ve been learning about it. Just seeing how my body&#x27;s able to cope and how I&#x27;m able to remain healthy and take care of the child, just the ability to carry a child—it&#x27;s absolutely amazing to me. <em>Parang</em> I didn&#x27;t think of it as much compared to now that I’m having one,” she said with pure delight in her eyes, adding that the first kick of the baby was incredibly fascinating to her.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1777863898292609739714_18551935246061651_8523241958283161736_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Love and support system</strong></div><p>The content creator-designer and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/salosalabyella/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Salo Sala </strong>founder</a> <strong></strong>credits her husband, Enrique, for being a reliable and caring partner throughout the process.</p><p>“I really couldn&#x27;t have asked for a better partner for this. I&#x27;ve just been so amazed by how caring he&#x27;s been. It&#x27;s like we&#x27;re getting to know each other also in a new way. I didn&#x27;t think that he would be like that. He&#x27;s been with me to every checkup. He&#x27;s been so involved in wanting to learn about this journey of pregnancy. He&#x27;s been reading the books. He&#x27;s been attending the classes with me. He&#x27;s the one initiating, like, ‘Okay, we have to learn this.’ He&#x27;s so involved and aware of everything that&#x27;s happening. He&#x27;s always trying to think of how to make things easier for me. <em>Mas malambing siya.</em> He&#x27;s been so much more caring and so understanding,” she said, admiring her husband’s commitment to the role of being a soon-to-be dad.</p><p>To her amusement, she also noticed how patient Enrique has been to her.</p><p>“I&#x27;m just so blessed that he made that decision <em>pala</em> [to be more understanding] because he hasn’t fought me since I got pregnant. He was like, I made that decision that you&#x27;re already carrying the child, so I want to support you in every other way that I can and help you because I&#x27;m not the one carrying the child. If I can take care of you while you&#x27;re taking care of the child, then hopefully that will contribute to a positive birth experience for you.’ He&#x27;s been so patient. That&#x27;s how Enrique has been throughout this time, and he&#x27;s not afraid to ask for advice or ask for help,” Ella shared, beaming.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1777948194720649219164_18571322422061651_6979126936650467778_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Apart from having a supportive and caring husband, Ella is certainly learning from the best—her mom, Maricel. Her own mother successfully raised five children through—and Ella especially emphasized this—natural birth. Clearly, she didn’t have to look too far for a trusted person to lean on and learn from.</p><p>“I ask for advice from her every day. I think the most valuable thing that she&#x27;s helped me realize is how important your resources are. She&#x27;s been redirecting me to the right books to read. Because my mom had five natural childbirth experiences, she&#x27;s really my idol when it comes to that. I admire how she&#x27;s been able to carry all of us and give birth naturally. She&#x27;s been sharing with me which people I should be getting advice from or getting lessons from. She can vouch for whatever she&#x27;s sharing with me and has tried and tested all the books. My birthing coach was her birthing coach. It&#x27;s just amazing that I&#x27;m able to ask these things from her, from someone as experienced as her. She encouraged me to really educate myself throughout the process so that I can feel more prepared and excited as opposed to stressed and fearful of the process,” Ella narrated, her relief, joy, and pride evident in her face.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1777948343539673782194_18583650265061651_5436787689467889652_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Ella and Enrique with their moms, Maricel and Angelique</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>As mom Maricel empowered Ella to educate herself to replace fear with excitement, she allowed herself to embrace the present with so much joy.</p><p>“I think something that I admired about my mom the most is that she really was so intentional about being present and hands-on with all of us. She showed us that it&#x27;s really possible to do that and eventually still have a career for yourself at the end of the day. But she prioritized, she set [her career] aside and put her kids first,” she said with so much love and admiration for her mom.</p><p>“And I think that for her, she really saw her children as her legacy, and that&#x27;s really been inspiring to me. My goal is to be able to be as present as I can, as hands-on as I can, so that I can also give that experience to my child. Because it was so wonderful having a mom at home, a mom to pick me up from school, to just be involved in all those special moments growing up, and I want to be that as well. She was able to do it for five kids, so I was really like, ‘Wow!’ And we all ended up so close to each other and close to my mom. I can&#x27;t imagine what it would have been like if she weren&#x27;t the one who really took care of us,” she noted, determined to follow in her mother’s footsteps.</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0i_FxqLKoU/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=810&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A1142855.7999999989%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Preparing for parenthood</strong></div><p>On the practical side of being present, Ella and Enrique are in the process of fixing their baby’s nursery, and it has reached the stage of near-completion. As there are so many things still unfolding, the couple decided to “not go overboard” and focused on the essential furniture pieces that they would immediately need, like the bassinet, the crib, and a comfortable breastfeeding chair for the nursing mom. The nursing carts are already equipped with breast pumps, creams, and essentials. The couple chose to prepare their “stations” so they could navigate their planned parenting systems and methods seamlessly.</p><p>“We also have the station for postpartum care. I have a cart for postpartum care so that after giving birth, I also get to take care of myself. That&#x27;s what my mom was telling me. You can&#x27;t forget yourself because you&#x27;re not going to be able to produce milk if you&#x27;re tired and stressed. So, you have to take care of your things like that,” she noted.</p><p>What is she most excited about in this journey? She meaningfully expressed her sentimental take on this, saying, “I&#x27;m just so excited to meet the baby. We&#x27;ve been praying for this. I&#x27;m just so excited to see the face, smell the feet, and just have that bonding and savor those moments that I&#x27;ve been picturing in my head. It&#x27;s just like, ‘Okay, this was what the whole process was for. It was all worth it so that I could enjoy these moments.’ Or like, just imagine what the face will look like. <em>Sino&#x27;ng kamukha</em>? To see it finally coming to fruition,” she beamed.</p><p>As she prepares to meet her little one, she offers her future self a gentle reminder: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. You’ll figure it out.”</p><p>To her baby, soon to meet the world, she lovingly shared a message too: “Thank you for making me a mom because I’ve always wanted to be a mom. Thank you for making that dream come true for me,” Ella smiled, clearly glowing with anticipation.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1777949138280680428393_18583650193061651_2516959513024922876_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>Photos from <strong>@ellapangilinanx</strong></p>

<p>Mom-to-be Ella Pangilinan-Miranda takes us through the beauty of joyful anticipation.</p>

Mom-to-be Ella Pangilinan-Miranda takes us through the beauty of joyful anticipation.

Ella Pangilinan Opens Up About Her Pregnancy Journey—The Cravings, Challenges, and Changes

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Ella Pangilinan Opens Up About Her Pregnancy Journey—The Cravings, Challenges, and Changes

Grace Diez

Published May 05, 2026 10:55 AM PHT

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