After announcing her engagement with partner Richard Gutierrez and sharing the happy news that they’re expecting their second child, it’s easy to see that Sarah Lahbati has a lot to look forward to. But the soon-to-be mom of two wants to take life one milestone at a time.
In an interview with theAsianparent Philippines at the Closeup Fresh Attraction Launch, the 23-year-old actress shared that she has put off her wedding plans until after she gives birth.
“I’m not planning my wedding because I’m pregnant. So after this pregnancy, that’s when I’m going to move on to the next chapter. I can’t handle both. I can’t plan this baby and plan a wedding. It’s too much for me,” confided Sarah. “People have to wait and respect my choice.”
How is her second pregnancy different from the first?
As for how this pregnancy differs from her first, she shares she’s more in control of herself.
“I have more knowledge about pregnancy, which is amazing because during the first pregnancy, I was nangangapa (uncertain and struggling),” recalls the mom, who gave birth to her first baby Zion in 2013. “I’m like what’s going on? I would just cry and I wouldn’t know what to do and now I feel like I have more control over myself–my mind, my body–so that’s pretty awesome.”
Does she have pregnancy cravings?
“(Richard) buys me the food that I want,” she quips. “Except Chinese food!”
She also revealed that she can’t leave the house without cranberry or ginger candy as well as biscuits.
“When I have a headache I feel like ginger helps a lot, either ginger candy or ginger tea and then lots of lip balm because during this pregnancy I noticed I’m always dehydrated and my lips are dry,” she shares. “And of course, snacks! When I’m nauseated I always have biscuits that don’t have too much flavor, just to ease my headaches.”
photo: Sarah Lahbati instagram account
Preparing 4-year-old Zion to be a big brother
She’s not worried about how Zion will adjust to having a younger sibling because she knows he’s been prepared for a while now.
“Even before I got pregnant we would always tease each other, how many brothers do you want? How many sisters do you want? Mommy could still make five or six,” she recalls telling her firstborn. “We would always tease each other. He would always be open about him having a sibling so from that it’s like his always been open minded to me possibly being pregnant.”
Continuing, she happily shared, “He’s very excited! Although I make sure I give him a lot of attention because I’ve heard a lot of stories about the firstborn being a bit jealous when the baby arrives or you know…stuff like that. I don’t think Zion will be, but I’m just prepping him and giving him enough love and attention.”
photo: Sarah Lahbati instagram account
Making family time a priority
Though both she and her husband Richard are busy with their showbiz careers, they still manage to make family time a priority.
“Richard’s very supportive. He’s also very busy with work; he’s taping almost every day,” shares Sarah. “When he doesn’t have taping, we spend time together. We spend a lot of time as a family.
As for whether she wants a baby boy or girl, Sarah says it doesn’t matter as long as their little one is healthy.
“Any gender would be fine as long as my baby’s healthy, that’s the most important thing. I feel like people are more excited with the gender,” she says with a laugh.
We can’t wait to meet the newest addition to Sarah and Richard’s growing family!
READ: Richard Gutierrez, Sarah Lahbati expecting 2nd baby