Hi, Bagong Nanay!
Kumusta? October na, napakabilis ng panahon. Birth month ko na, at syempre, more than ever, I celebrate that I’m still here.
I asked the Bagong Nanay Community to take a moment to reflect on who they were bago sila naging Bagong Nanay. Life before motherhood ba. Minsan kasi, nakakalimutan na natin na ang dami pala nating mga nagawa at na-achieve bago tayo naging nanay, especially pag nalulunod na tayo sa daily chores at nauumay sa pag-aalaga ng bata.
Nakakatuwa ang sagot ng mga nanay, at meron ding mga nagpadala ng kanilang mga photos. Read on, and share us a part of your story too!
Moms respond to “Sino ka bago ka naging nanay?”
Banking
“I used to lead a group of officers and staff in an international bank handling operations and customer service for eight years and before that used to work in a TV network. It was my lifelong dream to be a journalist.” Love Cosio
Recruitment
“Before I became an AUsome Mom, I was in the field of recruitment, offshore recruitment to be exact I supported APAC & US clients for industries like banking, finance, insurance, IT & healthcare. This was pre-pandemic and every after work, I always chose to walk instead of riding a jeepney or Angkas to Park Square Glorietta where I’d take a van going home. Walking is therapeutic for me, it’s like my 10-minute me-time every day where I just clear my thoughts.
I stopped working for a while to focus on my AUsome son. It was really challenging, but it was worth it. Recently, I’m back in the industry, starting again, but, it honestly feels good.” Pearl Marie Cordura
Adventure-seekers turned mamas
“HR professional, but being a stay-at-home mom is my favorite. Adventurer. Mountains, oceans, cliff jumps, island hopping. All those things.” Riyalyn Grace Pasimio
Health care
“I was a public hospital nurse on weekdays and an outdoor adventurer on weekends!” Ara Yeung
Freediver
“Marketing girl/freediver/lakwachera turned into SAHM. Loving this new role to be honest!” Gayle Dhillon
Livestreamer
“I used to stream games online! I play to decompress.” Patrice Gonzales
HR Manager
“I used to dream of becoming an HR Manager back in 2013. I told myself that one day, that’s the position I wanted. Little did I know, God granted that dream in 2018—something I never expected. I was always traveling for work, and I truly loved my job. One of the most touching moments was when the CEO himself told me that if I ever wanted to come back, the company doors would always be open for me. I was one of their pioneer employees, and he said I had greatly contributed to the company’s beginnings. Today, I’m so proud because that company has now grown into one of the leading courier services nationwide.” Charmeyn
“Grabe yung passion ko noon. Now that I’m a mom, I had to slow down. My child is teaching me to not rush life and enjoy the little things.”
Gelli Mae Tan
Mission work
“I used to be a full-time lay missionary, along with my husband. After getting married, we served together on mission in East Timor for 5 years – that’s where our first two kids were born. I have always loved writing / communicating, and wanted to take up writing in college but took what was supposedly a pre-Med course instead (for the love of my parents).
So I studied PT in college, took and passed the boards, but practiced PT only for a few months before answering His call to go fulltime in the mission field. Fast forward to the present, and now my work (and advocacies) are very focused on communication. God always has a way of making things work out for us, noh? Tina Santiago Rodriguez
“I remember that I was going almost block by block, business to business when I was a fresh grad. I was offering graphic design services with limited work experience and only a college portfolio. As in ginapang ko magkapangalan lang ako sa larangang ito, lalo na sa Baguio. It did came, yung chance na makilala. Na pag kailangan ng graphic artist sa Baguio, ako yung nirerefer. Grabe yung passion ko noon. Also built my own business after a few years and did so many rakets here and there. Now that I’m a mom, I had to slow down. My quick paced and di mapakali self had to chill. My child is teaching me to not rush life and enjoy the little things. She became my pahinga.” Gelli Mae Tan
From staging events to staying home
Corporate communications and events management
I was a corp comm girlie doing events and writing. Now a SAHM and loving every bit of it! Maiky Berenguer-Verayo
“A corporate and events girlie for almost 10 years but being a SAHM is so worth it.” Judy Ann Danielle Abad-Roa
Ikaw, Bagong Nanay? What’s your story?
Me, when I was 29, I used to be a workaholic comms girlie, yung tipong unang dumadating sa office tapos huling uuwi. Mahilig kami tumambay after work hours sa Sheridan, rant sa work at lovelife. I love mounting events, brainstorming, making things happen, and traveling to our partner communities. Siargao? Thrice a year ata ako nandun. I’ve been to a lot of place in Philippines, minsan kakalapag lang, aalis na. Ngayon, as a mom of two, ni hindi makapag-CR ng matiwasay! Hahaha.
Bagong Nanay 