How Rocco Nacino and wife Melissa are preparing for parenthood

Rocco Nacino (right) and wife Melissa

While Rocco Nacino is doing the best he can to prime himself for the arrival of his first child, he thinks that one can never be fully ready for parenthood.

“I have watched so many videos and read so much stuff as I prepare for being a father. But I feel like you can never be ready. But I’m more excited than nervous,” he said in a recent virtual conference for MamaLuna series, his and his wife Melissa Gohing’s new line of personal care products for pregnant women.

Staying active

“We’re trying our best to stay fit … We’re watching our weight and staying active. We’re also mentally preparing ourselves for the months leading to our baby’s birth,” said Rocco, who’s expecting a baby boy with Melissa, who’s on her third trimester. “We just watch and stare at Mel’s tummy, waiting for the baby to kick. He loves rock music. We’re so excited.”

For Melissa, who’s a professional volleyball player, one of the toughest parts of pregnancy is putting physical activities on pause. “I had to adjust to not being active. It’s such a huge lifestyle change from being an athlete. My pregnancy was delicate during my first trimester, so no activities for me. I was going crazy,” she related.

Thankfully, she said, Rocco was always there for her to make her feel better. “Having him around was a big help … When I feel sad, he was there to boost my mood,” she said.

“As a husband, you also have responsibilities when it comes to taking care of your wife’s mental health,” Rocco said. “It’s so crucial for expecting couples to have a good support system.”

Holding and taking care of a newborn baby won’t be a problem for the 35-year-old Kapuso actor, who’s also a licensed nurse. “I have experience working in a delivery room. I also took care of mommies and babies in wards. Now it’s my turn to do it for my family,” he said.

Rocco plans to take a week or two off when the baby comes out. But after that the actor will return to the taping bubble for a new GMA 7 show. “I have been working really hard. I’m happy that I will be doing a new series soon. Financially, I will have to provide for my family. I’m set on making our home safe and sufficient for Mel and our baby. I want to provide the things they need. That’s my mentality,” he said.

Aside from acting, Rocco also has various other business ventures—restaurants, boxing gyms and COVID-19 testing services. But what inspired him and Melissa to come up with their own line of skin care products for moms?

“When I first worked as a nurse, I was exposed to the OB-GYN wards and pedia wards, so I have an idea what mothers go through during and after pregnancy. They deal with things like hyperpigmentation and some would say that they don’t feel beautiful … That got us thinking about things that we can do to help them feel better,” Rocco said.

Eco-friendly

Their personal care products for pregnant women come in eco-friendly, wheat straw-based packaging. “We wanted a product that’s not just safe for me while I’m carrying our baby, but also safe for the environment, which will benefit not just my child, but all our children when they grow up,” Melissa said.

Despite coming from different industries, the couple have grown to learn what each other’s career entails, and figure out how they can better support each other.

“One of the things that’s important when you’re in different fields is moral support. And we had this checklist of all the things we want to do because we don’t want to have what-ifs. We were able to tick off many of those before we got married. After playing for more than half of my life, I felt I was ready to have a baby,” Melissa said.

“It took us some time to adjust when we first started dating. And then we adjusted to married life, living in one house. I know that Mel misses volleyball and we’re at a stage where we’re talking about the possibility of her playing again. I will be supportive of her decision, whatever it is, after the baby comes out,” Rocco said. INQ