Claudine: Giving birth is a lovely experience

Easy does it. After laboring for six hours, she made five “pushes” and then she heard her baby cry.

“It was a lovely experience,” Claudine Barretto said, recalling how she delivered her and husband Raymart Santiago’s firstborn, Rodrigo Santino, the normal way last July 19, a day before her and Raymart’s birthday. “My OB-Gyne, Dr. Gregorio Pastorfide, told me, ‘I want you to experience childbirth at its loveliest; I want it to be a beautiful experience for you. I don’t want you to be traumatized.’”

Claudine said that Raymart was such a big help from whom she got great moral support.

“We had a six-week lesson in Lamaze. We both studied child-bearing, including how to breathe properly. He was supportive all the way, that’s why I’m really proud of him. He was a great coach. I was active during my pregnancy. Raymart and I often strolled in the mall. A few days before I gave birth, we went pa to Tagaytay. Sabi nila, when you give birth, your husband appreciates you all the more. In my case, it was the reverse. I started appreciating Raymart even more.”

The baby is a namesake of Santino Martin Nievera, son of Martin Nievera and Katrina Ojeda. It’s no coincidence. Raymart’s full first name is Raymond Martin, and Santino is short for Martin.

Raymart can change diapers and prepare the feeding bottle with his eyes closed because he has gone through it with their daughter Sabina. But up to now, he can carry Santino only when he’s swaddled. Otherwise, he can’t; he doesn’t dare.

“It’s scary,” said Raymart. “The baby looks so soft. Ang lambot-lambot!”

“We are very careful with Santino because he has just been circumcised,” said Claudine.

Sabina doesn’t feel insecure or jealous because Claudine and Raymart have prepared her for Santino’s arrival.

Because she’s breastfeeding, Claudine will return to work in September or October yet. By then, Santino shall have been baptized. Claudine and Raymart haven’t set a date for the baptism and are in the process of making a list of the ninongs and ninangs, so far with only four names — Edu Manzano, Robin Padilla, Kris Aquino and Piolo Pascual.

How many more children do they want to have?

Just one.

“We want only three,” the couple agreed. “We now have Sabina and Santino.”

Make way for Miki Hahn

Saw that pretty girl with a pretty face who won P170,000 last Sunday on the GMA 7 game show K, The P1,000,000 Videoke Challenge?

She’s upcoming singer Miki Hahn, Viva Records’ new contract artist who has just come up with her debut album called That Vibe, released two weeks ago, which contains 12 songs, six of them covers — If , I Need You Back, You Won’t See Me Crying, Ugly Girl, When I Think of You (by Leif Garrett) and Kahit Paminsan Minsan Lang. (The remaining six are: Huwag Mo Sanang Sasabihin, Oh Baby, Should I, Here With You, Kahit Sandali  and That Vibe.)

Did you know that it took Miki one year to finish the album, starting when she was a high school senior at St. Paul’s (Pasig)?

‘Every song kasi  was produced by a different producer,’ explained Miki who turned 18 last January. ‘It’s a dream come true for me because from way back, I really wanted to sing and come up with my own album; I just wanted to share my passion for singing with everyone. When I was small, I’d sing songs that I watched and heard in the movies. Singing has always been a part of me.’

One song very memorable to Miki is A Whole New World (sung by Lea Salonga in the animation movie Aladdin). ‘Kasi crush ko si Aladdin when I was a little girl,’ laughed Miki.

Besides singing, Miki’s other passion is clothes, no wonder she decided to take up Fashion and Designing at La Salle International where she’s a freshman. She’s a singing fashionista.

Her father is half-German and her mother is half-Spanish.

‘That makes me an askal,’ joked Miki, youngest of three children (she has two older brothers). ‘Twenty-five percent German,  25 percent Spanish and 50 percent Filipino.’

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