Husband, not kid, is Miriam’s top priority next to God

Miriam Quiambao

Miriam Quiambao’s colorful journey is one for the books. During our long plane trip to Dubai, I was moved by Miriam’s story about how the Lord transformed her life and molded her. Peace and joy were written all over her face. The beauty queen scratched beneath the surface of fame and found faith. She’s living proof that prayers work wonders. Miriam’s coming baby is what she has been praying for.

Mama Mia, este, Miriam My My …

Congrats, dear Sis! Motherhood will make you feel even more beautiful in a way that no beauty pageant can.

Here’s my chat with Miriam:

What excites and scares you about motherhood? I’m excited to be a part of the miracle of life that God is creating in my womb. What scares me is the possibility of losing my child to miscarriage. However, the opposite of fear is faith. This gives me hope that God is in control, that He has a great plan, that He knows what He is doing, and it helps take away my fears.

What’s the best and toughest part of your pregnancy? I had to cancel a lot of my scheduled talks in my first trimester and all my out-of-town and international trips for the whole duration of my pregnancy. This is under strict advise from my OB-GYN.

Please tell us about the moment when you and your husband, Ardy Roberto, found out that you were pregnant. I was already beginning to feel anxious because my doctor said that I was already perimenopausal, and I still haven’t gotten my period. We were already resigned that perhaps God would answer our prayers through adoption or IVF (in vitro fertilization) … The IVF doctor prescribed medicine to make me bleed, but my husband suggested to take a pregnancy test first.

On the 15th day of my missed period, I already had the medicine in one hand, but had the pregnancy test in another. I decided to follow my husband’s advise and took the test. I saw the first line … and after a few seconds, the second line came out and slowly a smile parted my lips. I came out of the bathroom and showed the test results to my husband, who was in our bedroom. We were jumping up and down with held hands and giggling like little kids. We stopped to pray and thank the Lord for His goodness and for answering our prayers.

Do you and Ardy prefer to have a boy or a girl? Any names in mind? How many kids do you plan to have? We have prospective names, but we can’t decide yet until we determine the gender. Ardy wants to have 12.

What are your cravings? No morning sickness nor food cravings so far. I just like to cuddle a lot.

What kind of mom do you plan to be? I would like to … [instill] godly values and character that Ardy and I believe are important. I think Ardy will be a balance of being the bearer of fun and imposer of discipline. I will be a home-school mom and the imposer of order. I hope to breastfeed my child until about 2 years old.

What are some of the lessons you learned from your mom that you want to pass on to your child? I learned much about dignity, strength and self-sacrifice from my mom … I also plan to teach my kid about financial stewardship.

How do you intend to balance being a wife and a mom? I am blessed because Ardy is really my partner—in life and in parenting. Ardy is still my top priority next to God. After my husband, my children.

After giving birth, do you plan to revive your show biz career, or will you be a full-time mom? Perhaps if it is still the Lord’s plan for me, I’m open to that possibility but my family will always be my first priority.

When your child grows up, what love advice will you give him/her? I will teach them to love and trust the Lord most of all, and He will direct them to what is best for them—including a partner in life.