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Soon-to-be mom Jennylyn Mercado looked as lovely as ever during her baby shower at SIS. Her actions reflected poise and self-reliance.
Thursday, August 7, 2008. Officially 37 weeks and five days into her pregnancy, Jennylyn Mercado looked as lovely as ever, even if she could’ve given birth any time that day. During her baby shower at SIS, Jen took everything in stride -- a live song number, tough questions from the media, and cameras capturing her every move. Her actions reflected poise and self-reliance, and it’s a safe assumption to make that Jen has gained maturity beyond her years. Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco, with interview excerpts from SIS. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio. Baby shower! “[I have] mixed emotions--natatakot, [but] at the same time, sobrang excited na lumabas na siya!” Jen exclaimed when asked about how she was feeling. “Syempre doon sa paglabas ng baby, talagang excited [ako]! Gustung-gusto ko na siya talaga makita. Nakakainip!” She shared that she feels aches every day, and asks the three SIS hosts, who are all mothers, if giving birth is really as painful as what everyone says. “Masakit, pero you know what? Pag nakita mo na mukha niya, mawawala na lahat ng sakit,” replied Gelli de Belen. Janice de Belen and Carmina Villaroel agree with their co-host. “Ang gusto ko lang, basta healthy yung baby ko, tapos maayos yung delivery -- yun lang kasi takot na takot ako!” Jen admitted. When asked to give a message for her unborn son (Jen hasn’t decided on his name yet), Jen said, “Syempre, I can’t wait to see you, and I’m always here for you. I’ll take care of you and I love you!” Jen has been open about her breakup with her baby’s father, Patrick Garcia, as well as her desire to raise the baby on her own. What will she tell her son when he asks about his daddy? “Ano [nga] ba? Anak, next question please! Hahahaha!” Jen joked. Carmina interjected, “Siguro ang pinaka-iniisip pa ni Jen [ngayon] yung panganganak niya, [at] pagaalaga [sa baby], kasi sanggol pa naman. Then eventually, I’m sure malalaman na niya isasagot [niya].” Since they say that you’ll only fully appreciate your mother once you become one, what does Jen want to say to her “Mommy Lydia?” “Syempre gusto kong magpasalamat. Thank you sa lahat ng suporta, pagmamahal, and thanks for taking care of me. Hindi ako magiging ganito siguro kung wala siya,” she said, while looking at her teary-eyed mommy Lydia who was watching from the studio audience area. Jen also thanked her fans who remained supportive no matter what. “Gusto ko mag-thank you syempre sa walang sawang suporta nila, kahit na ang tagal;-tagal na naming hindi nagkikita! Ang tagal na nila akong hindi nakikita sa TV. Sana tuluy-tuloy yung suporta.” A happy reunion Jen’s StarStruck 1 batchmates were also with her during her Sis guest stint. Dion Ignacio, Alvin Aragon, Katrina Halili, Yasmien Kurdi, Rainier Castillo, and Mark Herras were on hand to show their support. Each of them gave Jen a gift and a wish for the baby. Most of their wishes included good health, a happy outlook in life, and for Jen’s son to inherit her musical talent. Mark added, “Syempre [sana] magmana yung mga ugali niya sa kanyang mga ninong at ninang, at syempre mas maganda kung magaling din sumayaw!” Jen and Mark’s chemistry was undeniable, and it was apparent that they remained close friends even after their publicized breakup. Even Carmina noticed it: “Parang may kakaibang spark!” Janice asked Mark, “Hindi mo ba wini-wish na sana ikaw yung katuwang ni Jennylyn ngayon sa nangyayari sa kanya?” Careful with his reply, Mark said, “Kasi po kung ako yung nasa situation na ganito, hindi pa rin kasi ready. I mean, kung kami pa rin siguro ni Jen, siguro hindi pa rin po mangyayari ito kasi syempre iingatan pa rin namin po.” Jen expressed her gratitude to her StarStruck batchmates: “Lahat sila talaga laging nandiyan para sa akin, talagang very supportive and hindi nila ako nakakalimutan,” she noted. Mark assured Jen that they will always be there for her and the baby, and that everything will be okay. “Nandito mga ninong at ninang na gagabay diyan. Kaming bahala ni Rainier diyan!” He continued, “Si Jen kasi napakatapang na tao niyan, so kahit anong dumating na problema, kayang-kaya niya, at kinakaya niya. Kung ano man kailangan mo, nandito kaming lahat. Kung ano mang tulong ang pwedeng gawin, kung ano mang suporta, basta ingatan mo sarili mo and yung baby mo. God bless.” A diligent patient The SIS-ters also got to interview Jen’s Ob-Gyne, Dr. Judy Uy-Luna. “She’s due any time. Her expected date of delivery would be on August 22, pero there’s this one particular date that Jen wanted to deliver sana,” said Dr. Judy. She explained that Jen had premature uterine contractions during her last hospitalization. “Since hindi pa siya full term, we call it pre-term labor. She was admitted kasi before her 37th week, [and] that condition was really delicate for her, so we decided for her to be admitted in the hospital para we can give her the necessary medication. She was admitted for like three days.” “I told Jen, once we reach 37 weeks, kahit mag-acrobatics ka, pwedeng-pwede na!” Dr. Judy jokes, saying that the baby is ready to come out any time, and it’s already okay to do activities that could possibly encourage that. Will Jen be having a normal delivery? “We’re really praying [for that], but I was able to give her the orientation already during one of her prenatal checkups, yung possibility of ending cesarean section.” How is Jen as a patient? “Jen has been very diligent with her follow ups for the entire prenatal checkups, tapos pag sinabi mong day ng follow up niya, talagang nandiyan siya. And you know it shows, [‘cos] she’s very pretty, and she’s a happy mommy! And we make sure na every prenatal checkup, we’re as excited as her talaga.” Posing nude Jen will also be featured in a Coffee table book by Artistic Director Dante Chiongson and Photographer Jay Tablante. Two samples were shown during Jen’s Sis stint, and the shots were incontestably impressive. One of the photographs showed a very pregnant Jen wearing nothing but white cloth while lying inside a bath tub. The photographs were inspired by Hollywood celebs like Demi Moore, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears who did magazine cover shoots in the nude when they were pregnant. “Itong coffee table book, idea ito ni tita Becky (Aguila), yung manager ko,” Jen explained. “Gusto niyang maging memorable yung pagbubuntis ko kaya ginawan niya ako ng coffee table book. Ire-release ito by October or November [2008].” “We’re looking at somewhere between 70-80 pages -- all Jen,” says Jay. He adds that the team was extremely cautious during the shoot because they were all worried that Jen might get too exhausted. “Actually, during the shoot, kabado kami kasi eight months na siya! Tapos every other take, ‘Jen, okay ka lang? Hindi ka pa [ba] manganganak? Buti na lang, siya, sige, next layout na, tuloy lang! Pero in between [takes], break [talaga] kami, kasi kabado kaming lahat, e!” Jen shared that the coffee table book is divided into the three stages of her pregnancy. “Yung habang pregnant ako, pag lumalabas yung baby, then kaming dalawa pag medyo malaki na siya.” The coffee table book is allegedly titled Reborn, and is Jen’s gift to her fans. Cool mom! Aside from Jen’s tummy, everything about her remained the same, if not better. But the actress was quite vocal in saying that she needed to lose weight after giving birth, and that she really exerted effort to take care of her body throughout her pregnancy. For instance, she shared that she uses Palmer’s Cocoa Butter every day to prevent stretch marks. She also plans to take a two to three month hiatus from showbiz after giving birth to be hands-on with her son and to get back in shape. As a mom, Jen says that she foresees herself as “maalaga at saka cool!” But Jen shared that she definitely enjoys the perks of being pregnant, and one of them is being able to eat anything she wants. “Happy kasi lahat nakakain mo! Ito na ung chance na pwede mong kainin lahat ng gusto mo, kasi after nito, diet na naman!” she says with a laugh. “[At] susundin yung mga gusto mo, kasi [iisipin nila], buntis, baka sumama yung loob!” she adds. Jen also said that she appreciates everyone’s willingness to help her financially, but she’s also thankful that she has already saved up for raising her child. “Syempre thankful [ako], pero ngayon, I’m prepared. Prepared ako sa lahat for my child. Walang dapat ipadala,” she noted. As for her next GMA project, Jen hasn’t heard anything yet from her manager, although she asks everyone to continue their support and loyalty. “Sana wag kayong magsawa. Hintayin niyo pagbabalik ko!” Want to receive updates straight from Jen? Text JENNYLYN to 4627 to Feel the Fun with Fanatxt! For pics of the blooming mom-to-be, text GOMMS JENNYLYN ON and send to 4627. Each SMS costs P2.50 for GLOBE, SMART, TM, and TALK N TEXT, while it costs P2.00 for SUN subscribers. Each MMS costs P5.00 for all Networks.