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What having Deia has made Iza Calzado realize about life, parenthood, career

Article (news)

Mary Ann Bardinas

It has already been more than a year since <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/darna" target="_blank">Mars Ravelo’s Darna</a> actress Iza Calzado welcomed her and her husband Ben Wintle’s firstborn Deia Amihan. And in the latest episode of ABS-CBN News’ “On Cue”, she enthusiastically discussed with Gretchen Fullido her motherhood journey – from the challenges and changes that she has to go through to the happy and memorable moments she has made with her little family.As Gretchen points out how noticeable Iza’s constant evolution is and how there’s always something new every time they see each other, the latter stresses how important it is for someone to evolve and grow. In fact, she assumes that this chapter of her life is perhaps God’s way of telling her to become a full-fledged adult already since she has always been a child or baby at heart.<div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="703" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O8VuTxERWxA" title="ON CUE: IZA CALZADO" width="1250"></iframe></div>“Now [that] I have a baby life has changed so much and in great ways, but also in ways na siyempre minsan overwhelming. Ang hirap pala maging nanay, pero napakasarap niya rin,” Iza uttered.While celebrity moms like her don’t usually display the humdrum side of motherhood on social media, the seasoned actress refuses to paint a perfect picture of it because, for her, nothing is perfect, except babies like Deia since they’re still very pure or “walang kamuwang-muwang.”Just like other mothers, she also had a tough time especially during the first month of Deia, and even went through post-partum, which she consciously didn’t imbibe. She just made herself aware of the sudden shifts in her emotions and thoughts, which are caused mainly by biological changes and lack of sleep and rest.Going on a social media hiatus for around two months had helped her to focus and relish the initial moments that she had with Deia, too. However, Iza admitted feeling a bit of FOMO (or fear of missing out) upon getting back on Instagram as she saw how life simply went on for everyone during the time that she was away and chose to seclude herself inside the four corners of their house. She realized that just staying at home was a ‘mistake’ after one of her friends advised her to go out and do something for herself.And if she has one important takeaway from her and Ben’s parenthood experience, it would be to learn how to surrender and let go. “Ako kasi naniniwala ako na what is meant for you will make its way to you when the time is right and in God’s perfect time,” she conveyed, recalling how she used to imply in her past interviews how frightened and reluctant she was to be a mom. But things suddenly changed when she finally saw and held her daughter in her arms, as it made her realize that it was what she had been looking for her whole life.Furthermore, Iza advised women that it’s okay to be not in the rush and to not box themselves within the timeline set by society. She stated, “Kung hindi pa siya nangyayari, huwag na nating pilitin masyado. But let’s always try our best if that is what we want. And again, you have to let go and surrender kasi life [and] all our plans, they’re ultimately just our plans. But there is Someone who is in control na actually His plans are mightier than ours. Maging humble to accept what God has for us.”When asked how she could compare the way she raises Deia and how her late mom nurtured her, Iza remarked that she actually couldn’t do it since they have different circumstances and environments. She might not have much memory of her mother since she was really young when they lost her, but Iza believes that her Mommy Tisay took good care of her and that she really tried to overcome what she was going through when she was still alive.She confessed that what happened to her mom and her childhood traumas were among the reasons why it took her quite some to decide to have a baby. Aside from being blessed to have an understanding and doting husband in Ben, she’s also able to address her worries and fears of becoming a mom by attending positive parenting workshop and reading parenting books.“I think we all learn from all our past. And now we talk about generational trauma, we talk about all these things. Iba pa ‘yong childhood mo. We’re healing traumas of our ancestors na naipasa sa atin kasi unconscious ‘yong parenting style. Hopefully, with us, we’re hoping to do our best, so we are more mindful on how we parent Deia. So, ‘yan ang talagang kaibahan,” she stated.She continued, “Siguro rin sa naranasan ko, kailangan kong matuto do’n. And kung meron mang mangyari na similar doon, patawarin. Do better again next time. It’s always growth, growth, growth [and] learn from it, learn from it.”Moreover, Iza has also learned to prioritize her health more and to not overwork herself anymore, especially when she contracted COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic in 2020. She has become selfless, at the same time, disclosing that all her decisions in life are now influenced by Deia and that she no longer buys luxury bags and other stuff.Instead, she allots most of her earnings for Deia’s future and current activities. She divulged that at one year old, they already send her to a Montessori once a week and enroll her in swim class. This is because being first time parents, they want to get their family exposed to fun learning activities together with their beloved daughter.Even though both her parents were already gone, she made sure to still introduce them to Deia by displaying their pictures to which the little girl says “Hi!” every morning. With none of them beside her in this chapter of her life, Iza simply offers everything she does to her parents and prays that they would help her.With regard to having baby number 2, Liza told Gretchen that they just lift that decision up to God and would like to just go with the flow at this point of their lives.<div>*Photos credit to missizacalzado IG</div>

Iza Calzado opens up about the challenges and life-changing moments of becoming a mom, as well as the things she has learned in this journey.