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Max Collins opens up about fears and anxieties over giving birth amid pandemic
A pandemic is not an ideal time for a woman to be pregnant, and it's no different for Max Collins.
In a feature on Preview, the Kapuso actress opened up about her fears and anxiety about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and how it affected her pregnancy.
For one, it pushed her to decide on home birth
instead of going to the hospital to deliver her baby boy. Even visiting the hospital for check-ups have become concerning for her.
"When COVID-19 spread, I just felt like I personally wouldn’t be comfortable giving birth in a hospital, especially now that you can’t have a companion in the delivery room," she told Preview. "That’s when I did my research, watched documentaries, and asked questions so I could figure out what my other options were."
"I don’t think I would’ve considered having a home birth in the first place, but now I feel like this is the best decision for my son and I," she added.
Max has already planned out every detail of her home birth, and shared it in the interview.
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She said, "Once I go into labor, my midwife and doula will come over and help me handle the pain. A few family members and close friends might come over for support. My room will smell great with essential oils and candles, the lighting will be dim and I’ll have praise songs or meditation music on to relax me, and when my body is ready to push, I’ll get into the pool filled with warm water and give birth to a healthy baby boy."
As she nears her due date, Max has stopped leaving the house altogether to ensure she and her son will be safe.
She admitted that the pandemic has caused her to experience anxiety.
"I didn’t know how to cope with my fear of not knowing if things would ever go back to normal and how the ‘new normal’ would affect my child’s future. But things happen for a reason and I know that amidst uncertainty and fear, answers come when you least expect it," she said.
Despite not having planned for a baby this year, much less giving birth amidst a pandemic, Max said she sees her baby as a blessing and "there's nothing I’d prioritize more than him."
In fact, she has already planned what to tell him about his birth when he grows up.
"I’d tell him that the year he was born, life was like a movie. People were afraid to go out and be near one another, everyone wore masks, life was so different from how it was when I was growing up. But the sky was bluer, the air was fresher, the stars shone brighter, and there was no traffic in the streets," she said. "There’s always something to be grateful for and him being born was one of them."
Shortly after announcing her pregnancy last December, Max and husband Panch Magno said they weren't planning to start a family until next year. Still, they were happy to hear the news and felt that the pregnancy was a blessing.
—JCB, GMA News