Max CollinsMax Collins and Pancho Magno’s road to marriage seems to have taken a familiar route, albeit being celebrities. From meeting as coworkers and fellow artists on GMA Network in 2011, they became friends, turned into lovers and walked down the aisle to exchange “I do’s” some years later. This isn’t to say there were no bumps or roadblocks along the way to commitment, but as all married couples can attest to—celebrity or not—these only reaffirmed their compatibility and the realization that they are willing to make sacrifices for love.
Born Pancho Angelo Acuña Magno on October 2, 1986, the eldest child of real estate businessman Noel Magno and GMA’s Vice President for Drama Productions, Redgie Magno, grew up as a traditional and conservative Manileño.
Meanwhile, Isabelle Abiera Collins — born August 28, 1992 to a Filipina mother and an American father of Italian and Irish descent — had a liberated upbringing.
“More so because we are both in showbiz, work-wise, it was hard adjusting [to each other]. Hindi ako sanay na may nagsasabi na sana wag mong gawin ito,” Collins admitted in an interview on the GMA program, “Tunay Na Buhay.”
Lucky for them, they were able to reach compromises early on and did not allow their differing backgrounds to affect their deepening relationship.
“As cliché as it may sound, I knew she was the one kasi siya yung talagang mas nakakakilala sa akin, yung totoong ako – more than my family,” Magno recalled in the same interview.
And so from getting together as boyfriend-girlfriend in 2013, Collins and Magno got engaged in 2016 and finally tied the knot on December 11, 2017.
Baby on the way
Shortly after their second wedding anniversary, Collins discovered she was pregnant and waited a few more weeks with Magno to announce they were expecting their first child.
The news was one of the happy ones to start off the new year in show business, with Collins telling The Manila Times Entertainment columnist Lhar Santiago in late January that besides the usual morning sickness of the first trimester, she remains strong and healthy, and given the greenlight by her doctor to work through her due date in July.
Dad-in-waiting Magno could neither be happier.
Then came the global health crisis that is the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Double daunting
The couple, who agreed to hold an online catchup last week, admitted that while welcoming newborns can be daunting for first-time parents, going through the life event in the middle of a pandemic can be all the more frightening.
“Ready na kami. Matagal na naman naming gusto [to have a baby]. Medyo nakakatakot lang because of the virus,” Magno was first to share via Zoom.
Given the circumstances—how the general sentiment is that it is prudent to stay away from hospitals at this time—he and his wife came to the brave decision to deliver the baby at home.
“We are 90-percent sure that we’ll have the baby here,” the mom-to-be declared, though adding that their plan may take a different turn if she tests positive for coronavirus.
It is now part of medical protocols to test pregnant mothers for the infectious disease toward the end of the third trimester to ensure treatment preparedness for both mom and baby.
“Before my due date, that’s the time I’ll take the test and also the only time we can make a decision. Kung Covid positive ako, I can’t have the baby at home kasi kailangan ihiwalay agad yung anak ko from me and kailangan din i-check if the baby is Covid positive,” Collins explained.
Major preps
In the last two months under Enhanced Community Quarantine—and for the rest of Collins’ pregnancy—the parents-to-be are using the downtime to prepare as best they can for Collins home delivery. They want to be as well-informed as possible on the various procedures possible and have been religiously taking online classes on such topics as “Gentle Birthing” and “Home Water Birth,” while supplementing these with available reading and related documentaries.
“I think I’ve been afraid about being pregnant during this pandemic because I don’t have the right resources and often feel like the only way for me to be safe during labor would be to go to the hospital. But because we’ve been doing research, we discovered there are other ways to give birth and I am not as afraid as I was before,” the 27-year-old mom-in-waiting said gratefully.
She also connected with other mothers who have experienced home births, specifically with actress-host Rica Peralejo who delivered her youngest son outside the hospital in June 2019.
“I think dun nanggagaling yung takot,
from the unknown, or the fact that home birth is generally taboo. But when you do your research online, ang daming success stories and good experiences. In my case, wala pa akong narinig na pangit na story from someone I know. Maganda po ang experiences nila, very intimate and relaxed sila sa bahay,” Collins further enthused.
Besides Peralejo, Collins is also taking advice from showbiz friends such as young mothers Rochelle Pangilinan and Iya Villania, and from family members who have kids of their own.
Full support
Magno—who actually practiced as a Registered Nurse at a lying-in clinic before he started acting—fully supports his wife’s decision for a home birth.
“Yun naman yung point eh. Kasi sa hospital mas pressured ka, madaming tao, dito sa bahay, para sa akin, mas private, mas relaxed and mas literal na at home siya. It will be a big help para sa kanya, kaya ako nag-agree sa homebirth,” he explained.
The couple acknowledged, however, tha
t although home birthing maybe the ideal choice given the current circumstances, there is no place for complacency. As such, they have identified a hospital near their residence should any mother and baby suddenly require complex procedures or treatment.
Moreover, since baby boy Magno’s arrival is only two months away—yes, they’re having a boy!—the couple happily revealed they have found a midwife and a doula (someone trained to provide advice, information, and physical and emotional support to a mother before, during and just after childbirth) to facilitate the process.
Bright side
Despite the added fear of Covid-19 in their journey as first-time parents, the couple is filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
“I am still thankful na naging OK yung pagbubuntis ko, naging healthy si baby, kasi we just had a checkup two weeks ago and the baby is very well. We are also thankful for every new day, for the food, shelter and the time we get to spend together [despite everything that’s going on]. There’s still a lot to be thankful for,” Collins shared.
In agreement, Magno related, “Mahirap sabihin pero [if you think about it], it’s a perfect time to have a baby kasi meron kang quality time, kasama mo lang siya the whole time. Kasi kapag may work ako, wala ako sa bahay, si Max lang mag-isa, and I’m sure mahihirapan siya.”
Eager to see his junior, the actor added, “How I wish nandito na siya at kasama na namin ngayon with all this time that we have. But I’m sure may time pa tayo, mukhang tatagal pa.”
To end the interview, Collins took the opportunity to encourage parents like them who are going through the same ordeal.
“Look at the bright side at laging magdasal,” she smiled her beautiful smile. “Everything will be OK.”