Mav Gonzales opened up about her emotional and challenging childbirth experience as she introduced her newborn daughter, Maya, with husband Matt Valeña.
In an Instagram post, the GMA News reporter shared that she initially went to the hospital only for a routine check-up before unexpectedly going into labor. “I was sitting on the hospital bed just for a check-up. I felt something leaking. My water bag had broken during an internal exam,” she recalled. Mav said she immediately called her husband Matt to get them admitted, adding that they were both “confused and shocked” as they prepared to welcome their first child.
Mav Gonzales revealed that despite only experiencing mild contractions, she was already fully dilated and effaced. “Labor was so easy,” she shared, joking that doctors even told her “pain tolerance is a history maker in Makati Med.” However, complications later arose when baby Maya was not moving down properly. The couple and doctors tried different positions including using a tub, squatting, sitting on a stool, and lying sideways on the bed, but the baby still would not descend.
According to Mav, doctors later discovered that her baby's umbilical cord was unusually short. “Apparently her cord was so short so it was like playing a tug of war between the outside world and her placenta,” she said. She eventually received an epidural to help relax her muscles, though she described the procedure as the “worst experience” because she could no longer feel or move her legs. Baby Maya was later delivered with the help of a vacuum procedure.
The journalist also recounted the frightening complications she experienced moments after giving birth. “I remember praying, 'God please don't let me die. Not now that I just got my family,'” she wrote, revealing that she began vomiting, shivering, and losing a lot of blood shortly after delivery. While fading in and out of consciousness, Mav remembered seeing Matt holding their daughter for the first time.
“He smiled at me,” she said.
After undergoing several stitches, receiving a body warmer, and getting a blood transfusion, Mav finally got to hold baby Maya. She described her daughter as the “greatest blessing” she and Matt have ever received, calling the newborn their “7.5lb chubby cheeked baby Maya.”
In June 2025, Mav Gonzales and Matthew Valeña announced their engagement before officially tying the knot in the United States some months later. The couple then held a second wedding ceremony in Antipolo City in 2026.
RELATED CONTENT: Did you know Mav Gonzales and Matthew Valeña met via a dating app?
Aminado si Mav na pinagdasal niya ang kaniyang asawa. "Sinasabi ko, gusto ko attractive to me. Kasi, di ba, bakit naman gugustuhin ng asawa nang hindi ko gusto 'yung hitsura? Siyempre, 'pag nagpe-pray ako, 'Lord, bigay mo po 'yung mabait, 'yung attractive to me, 'yung matalino, funny.'" Ngunit si Matthew, simple lang ang panalangin sa mamahalin, ang makahanap ng tao "that fit with where I was in life."
Pagbabahagi pa ni Mav, naging panalangin din ng lolo ni Matthew para sa aktor na makahanap siya ng Filipina na mamahalin.
Kuwento ni Mav, nagkakilala sila ni Matthew sa isang dating app. Dahil pareho silang interesado sa isa't isa, nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na magkausap sila sa app.
Paglilinaw ng GMA News reporter, hindi naman siya agad-agad nakipagrelasyon kay Matthew. "Kasi reporter, so kailangan may due diligence ako. Kailangan sure ako na totoong tao 'to, na siya talaga 'yun, so that's actually what I did with him. After we matched, I asked for his social media kasi gusto ko lang tingnan kung totoong tao ba siya."
May anim na buwan lang simula nu'ng magkakilala sila nang makasal sina Mav at Matthew. Kwento ng aktor, una pa lang ay nag-usap na sila kung anu-ano ang mga plano nila sa buhay. At nang mag-line up ang ilan sa mga iyon, nagdesisyon na siyang mag-propose.
Paliwanag ni Matthew, sa halip na maghanap ng taong mache-check ang boxes ng ideal person, mas mabuting maghanap ng tao na wala kang mahahanap na mali. "Try to find somebody who actually has nothing wrong with them. Like, 'You know what? I cannot find something wrong.' And I couldn't find something wrong with her," sabi ni Matthew.
Ang pagiging intentional din ni Matthew ang dahilan kung bakit naisip ni Mav na nakita na niya ang the right one sa asawa. Inilahad umano ni Matthew ang mga ayaw at gusto niya sa buhay at ganu'n din siya.
Dahil pareho ang gusto nilang mangyari sa buhay at handa nang mag-settle down, napapayag na rin si Mav na magpakasal kay Matthew.
Pag-amin ni Mav, wala problema sa pagitan nila ni Matthew, pero mas marami pang pangamba ang mga tao sa paligid nila. Ang isa, kwento ng GMA News reporter, handang ipa-background check ang aktor sa FBI.
Ilang buwan matapos ang kasal nila, may bagong milestone sina Mav at Matthew sa kanilang relationship. Ani Mav, "We're expecting our first baby." Hindi man nila ito inaasahan, masaya naman ang dalawa sa pgsisimula ng kanilang pamilya at naghahanda na sila para rito.