Benj Manalo and Lovely Abella. Image: Instagram/@benj
After three years of trying to have a child, Lovely Abella exclaimed that “miracle happens” as she is now pregnant with her first baby with actor husband Benj Manalo.
The actress-entrepreneur documented the moment she told Manalo about her pregnancy through a video shown on her Instagram page last Sunday, Jan. 22. Abella, who almost fainted upon seeing the positive result in the pregnancy test, ran to Manalo to wake him up and tell him the good news.
“Napakagandang blessing sa unang buwan ng 2023! After 15 years sa unang anak ko at after 3 years na tina-try namin ng asawa ko, tsaka pa lang binigay ni Lord,” she said in the caption. “Miracle baby para sa amin knowing na mababa ang sperm count ng asawa ko.”
(A wonderful blessing in the first month of 2023! Fifteen years after my firstborn and three years after my husband and I started trying to have a child, the Lord finally gave it to us. For us, it’s a miracle baby, given that my husband has a low sperm count.)
“Kung kani-kanino na din ako nagtanong para magpaalaga dahil tumatanda na din ako. [I’m] turning 37 this year kaya mas takot na ako sa mga imposibleng mangyari sakin [pero] iba ang FAITH namin kay LORD, lalo na ang asawa ko,” she added.
(I have also been asking several people [who] can take care of me because I am getting older. I’m turning 37 this year so I am even more scared of the things that might happen, but my husband and I really have an extraordinary faith in the Lord.)
Abella then asked the public to include her and her baby in their prayers, reminding them not to lose hope as God grants prayers in His perfect time.
Manalo, for his part, spoke about how his faith helped him power through despite his condition, in a separate Instagram post.
“Yes, finally after many years of trying, we are now having a baby. Just to give you a background, mababa po ang sperm count ko and that is one of the reasons kaya hirap kami ng asawa ko,” he wrote. “Been battling this issue sa sarili ko for how many months now pero lagi ko kinakausap si Lord.”
(Yes, finally after many years of trying, we are now having a baby. Just to give you a background, I have a low sperm count and that is one of the reasons why we struggled to have a child. [I have] been battling this issue by myself for how many months now, but I have been talking to God [about it].)
“We’re asking for your prayers for my wife and our baby, na maging healthy ang pregnancy niya [for her healthy pregnancy],” he stated. “If you’re losing hope, this is your sign that anything can happen if you believe and trust in the Lord.”
The couple received congratulatory greetings from fellow celebrities Kathryn Bernardo, Valeen Montenegro as well as Camille Prats and Iza Calzado who got emotional over Abella’s pregnancy announcement.
Image: Instagram/@benj
Image: Instagram/@lovelyabella
Image: Instagram/@lovelyabella
Image: Instagram/@lovelyabella
Abella and Manalo got married in 2021 after being in a relationship for six years. Both of them have children from their previous relationships, namely Crisha and Nathan. /ra