In early January 2022, Iya Villania announced in an episode of 'Mars Pa More' that she is expecting her fourth child with her husband, Drew Arellano.
The celebrity mom welcomed the newest addition of Team Arellano, Astro Phoenix V. Arellano, on June 4, 2022, at 4:39 p.m.
As she continues to nurture their growing family, her story has witnessed many moments that prove her admirable features as a mother to Primo, Leon, Alana, and Baby Astro.
From powering through the pain of breastfeeding to overcoming countless "puyat" nights, the well-loved Kapuso host is a wonder wife and supermom when she's at home with her family.
Check out this roundup of photos that stand testament to Iya's real and relatable motherhood journey.
Iya has remained impressively active throughout each of her pregnancies. She constantly shares her hopes to dismantle the misconceptions about expecting mothers being forbidden to do physical activities, although she firmly stresses the importance of consulting with their respective doctors.
"[The] last thing I want is for mamas to feel like they should workout only once they're pregnant. Please, no. What I want is to encourage fitness to be part of your lifestyle before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and especially after," she once wrote on her Instagram stories.
Iya generously shares the realities of her parenthood journey on social media - the sleepless nights, sore and wounded nipples, and all the tough in-betweens.
But among the many things she learned since becoming a mother, the incredible value of selflessness is one she has deeply embedded in her heart.
From breastfeeding in public places to doing it while reporting for Chika Minute, Iya makes sure that her children are well-nursed with her self-produced milk.
Aside from her, many local celebrities like Marian Rivera, Kylie Padilla, and Jennica Uytingco also belong in this club of breastfeeding celebrity supermoms.
Sometimes, Iya's jam-packed schedule doesn't allow her to physically breastfeed her children, so she pumps her breast milk and ensures that it's preserved properly.
After her trip to Mexico in 2020, she shared a video documenting her experience as she pumped in random places, stored milk, cleaned pump accessories, and faced several problems in bringing the milk back home through her long flight.
Three children, with another one on the way, may be a plate too-full for many but Iya has admirably made it look doable and worth it. When she reached full term during her pregnancy with Alana, she still effortlessly carried and played with her two toddlers, Primo and Leon.
Bearing and delivering a child during a global health crisis is not an easy ordeal, and Iya was quite vocal about her fears and uncertainties throughout her third pregnancy.
After giving birth to Alana, she took the time to thank her all-female roster of doctors who have made her feel "secure, confident, and safe," especially since her husband couldn't accompany her due to the strict COVID-19 protocols.
As hands-on parents, Iya and Drew believe in the importance of expressing their love to their children through the language of hugs and kisses.
Despite both their busy schedules, they also set aside much-needed time for family activities that range from everyday playtime to occasional out-of-town trips.
Being a mother is an everyday job and Iya is "cherishing every second of it."
Her remarkable parenthood story is real, relatable, and nothing short of beautiful. She has repeatedly raved about the mundane memories she shares with her children, once saying, "I live for those moments, even the little moments like when we all wake up next to each other in bed."
Iya has religiously potty trained all three of her children at a young age. She also shared tips about how to teach this practice to children, noting how it's important to make a routine out of it.
"Have you guys tried sitting your baby on the toilet? It's crazy! You'll be surprised! It's almost natural for them to poo in the toilet! It must be the pooping position. If you haven't yet, take them when you know they normally poop like in the morning or before bath time, and then make a routine," she said.
Since the pandemic broke out, Iya also had to transition to a work-from-home arrangement.
While this set-up is not without its consequences, she also shared the precious perks of having her family around while reporting from home, including the cuddles and kisses she gets from her three children during commercial breaks.
Iya's fourth pregnancy hasn't been an easy ordeal. Aside from experiencing difficulty with her morning sickness, she also tested positive for COVID-19 and later entered isolation with her husband Drew.
The 'Mars Pa More' host shared how heartbroken she was after seeing her youngest child, Alana, break out into tears after being separated from her parents, “It broke my heart to see her cry for me and not be able to console her even for a bit. So mamas in this same situation, you are not alone...Ang hirap…but you have to get over it as soon as you can and get in that speed car towards recovery for your family. Kapit, guys! There's a whole bunch of us! We can do it."
Soon after testing positive for COVID-19, Iya's son Leon began vomiting and experienced a fever. He would eventually test negative on two antigen tests. Iya called the experience “tricky,” explaining that it is “not as simple as positives with positives and negatives with negatives.”
Primo, Iya's eldest, also tested positive soon after. Despite having just recovered from the disease herself, Iya lived up to being a supermom and took care of her child, calling on other parents to “have everything ready” should they have a child test positive for COVID-19 as well.
After Primo and Leon, Iya's youngest Alana was the next one to test positive for the virus, and her being uneasy meant that Iya had to give her daughter “unli cuddles.” Iya was honest about the whole experience, stating in the caption that she was “trying to stay positive” as they “try to find our way out of the woods.”
Before her pregnancy journey came to an end, Iya Villania posted a photo of herself clad in an all-purple outfit while on the set of '24 Oras.' The Kapuso TV host shared that it was her first time to still be working at 37 weeks of pregnancy.
She captioned her Instagram post, “I normally take my maternity leave starting on my 37th week and deliver 2 weeks after. So this time, I'm gonna try [to] work until my 38th. Laban! Getting so anxious about how labor and delivery will unfold this time around.”
Iya Villania and Drew Arellano welcomed the newest addition of Team Arellano as the former gave birth to their fourth child, Astro Phoenix V. Arellano, on June 4, 2022, at 4:39 p.m.
After giving birth to her fourth child, Iya Villania shared her birth story calling it her “longest and most painful delivery.”
She wrote in her post, “My longest and most painful delivery but also the most special because I was praying for strength and courage EVERY SINGLE DAY hoping to get thru an unmedicated birth to wrap up this journey (yes guys, I believe this is the last!)”
Just a few months after Astro's birth, Iya revealed that they officially joined the podcast world.
Iya and Drew are now hosts of 'Life with the Arellanos' podcast. According to the Kapuso couple, their content is about life as husband and wife, parents to four adorable kids, and human beings.
The mom of four is not slowing down when it comes to her TV projects. Aside from her daily hosting stint in "Chika Minute," she also returns for the 4th season of 'Eat Well, Live Well. Stay Well.' with Chef Jose Sarasola.
Iya proved in her workout video with Kuya Kim Atienza that she is continuously doing her best to stay strong and fit to take care of her kids.