Maricris Garcia on the aches and pains of pregnancy

A preggy Maricris Garcia

Pregnancy has only reaffirmed what singer-actress Maricris Garcia already knew all along: “We’re superwomen!”

“Before I got pregnant, I thought that it was going to be easy. But now that I am, I have realized how tough it actually is to be a woman. Some of the things we have to do—carrying the baby, giving birth and eventually raising the child,” she said in a recent virtual conference.

The first trimester, in particular, was physically taxing for the GMA 7 talent, who’s expecting a baby girl with husband, TJ, in January.

“The morning sickness, nausea—I don’t want to experience those again. I would throw up what I ate during lunchtime. Even drinking water was difficult because I felt like my body was rejecting it,” she said.

“At first I had plans, things I wanted to do for myself. But I just couldn’t bring myself to do them, even if I have the time, because I get tired so easily,” she added.

And as if being a first-time mother wasn’t nerve-wracking enough, she has to go through the process amid a pandemic.

“It’s the first time something like this happened, so we don’t know what to expect and we’re not sure how to go about things,” she said. “You think you’re already being too careful, but sometimes, it turns out, it’s still not enough.”

“I also can’t help but wonder how the situation will be once the baby is here,” added Maricris, who turned 33 last Sept. 26.

That’s why it’s important, Marircis said, to have a support group. Aside from her own mom, the “Pinoy Pop Superstar” season 3 champion seeks help from her friends, who happen to be pregnant as well.

“I always talk with Aicelle (Santos), Sheena (Halili) and Chariz (Solomon). We update each other,” she related. “We’re excited to learn and experience new things together.”

The best piece of advice she has received so far is simple: “Just enjoy the ride.”

“I know you can’t always stay positive given the situation; panic attacks happen once in a while. But having a baby is something I have been praying for all this time. She’s our rainbow. I want to stay positive and stress-free as much as I can,” she said.

Garcia

“Another thing I have learned is that, no matter how much you plan, unexpected things happen. So you just have to go with the flow,” she shared.

And that goes with her show biz career, too. Though being a mother will be her new priority, Maricris remains open to different opportunities, whether they be about singing or acting.

“After doing my last soap, ‘Asawa Ko, Karibal Ko,’ I really asked for a break. There are no concrete plans at the moment, so let’s see what happens. Perhaps I can focus on doing more music, albums, shows,” she said. “Or maybe I can start doing mom roles, and that would be fine!”

While she misses performing onstage, Maricris is grateful that, somehow, she’s still able to do what she loves at home. Recently, she recorded the theme song of the GMA 7 show “Wish Ko Lang,” which was an interesting, learning experience for her.

“I have tried recording at home, because I can’t go to the studio. The challenge is not having a sound engineer or a vocal coach, so you’re not really sure if what you’re doing is good; you don’t know if there’s something you should do more of. And I don’t see myself as techie, so I was constantly calling up people to help me,” she said.

But it was an eye-opener. She knew that she had to start investing in recording equipment for home use. “I’m slowly investing in it. You have to have a perfect microphone. That’s crucial. I’m also slowly learning the ropes of the process, because this will be part of our lives now,” she pointed out. INQ