Pregnancy doesn’t stop Claudine from working

If you think pregnant women are grumpy, touchy and a pain in the neck, take one look at Claudine Barretto. Six months into her first pregnancy (by her and husband Raymart Santiago’s child), Claudine has yet to throw a fit or lapse into a scowl.

She has yet to give her co-stars on Walang Kapalit, her new teleserye for ABS-CBN, a headache. Ask Piolo Pascual, her leading man in their new project, loosely based on the ’80s film Hindi Nahahati ang Langit.

"Claudine showed no mood swings," Piolo relates how shooting — partly in Australia, went. "In fact, she’s grown even nicer now that she’s pregnant. She’d order food for everyone."

You could almost hear him say under his breath, "If only all pregnant women are like this."

Yes, if only all pregnant women have husbands who stopped smoking like Raymart did when he learned Claudine was pregnant in mid-November.

"He didn’t tell me he already stopped smoking. I just knew he turned cold turkey," Claudine happily relates.

Raymart has also become more serious with his triathlon training. He’d rather invite friends over to his home instead of spending the night out with them in some unknown place.

Claudine is keeping her side of the bargain. She is back to eating pork and beef because of her unborn baby — a boy, she is 80 percent sure. And she’s adjusted her body clock, too. Bedtime for her and Raymart now comes earlier at 10 p.m.

The newest addition to the family will have Rodrigo as his first name, in keeping with the Santiago tradition of having the males’ names start with the letter R.

Like she did with daughter Sabina, Claudine is making sure her unborn child is exposed to classical music while still in the womb.

"Sabina, is only two years, nine months old, yet she can recite the letters of the alphabet in chronological order," crows the proud mom.

Like all expectant women, Claudine has her share of cravings: green mango and soy sauce. She also goes for duhat, except that it’s not in season right now.

And oh yes, Claudine just adores the adolescent boy in the Vaseline Kuya Germs’ TV ad. "He looks like Raymart," she gushes like an enamored schoolgirl.

She’s just as upbeat about campaigning for sister Marjorie, who will run for Caloocan councilor in this May’s elections.

"My sister is intelligent," Claudine reasons out. "I’m just not used to seeing her in the political frontline."

Pregnancy, it turns out, will not keep Claudine from doing things she loves to do. She’s even flying to Hong Kong with her family this month for a vacation. By then, Claudine would have gone on a temporary leave from showbiz as a prelude to childbirth. Even the healthiest expectant mom needs a break, you know.

D-Day is July 31, but her OB-Gyne tells Claudine that, like all first-timers in the field, she might deliver her baby (at Medical City) two weeks earlier. This means Claudine and Raymart’s first-born just might share his parents’ birthday (July 16).

After her maternity leave, Claudine will buckle down to work in a soap, which starts production in October. And yes, a comeback project with Aga Muhlach in a tele-series will be just great, says Claudine.

Greatest of all, of course, is the landmark event she and Raymart are looking forward to since they got married a year ago. Claudine knows her family will be there beside her on that day. Including Gretchen?

"I wish we can patch things up," replies Claudine. "But," she adds in the same breath, "It’s hard to pin my hopes on that."

With no word as yet from her big sis, Claudine has every reason to feel less upbeat about making it up with La Greta.

Yes, Claudine had better cross the bridge when she gets there. At this point in her life, fussing over a prolonged sisterly feud is the last thing she needs.