Thirty-eight-year-old Kapamilya actress Rica Peralejo and husband Pastor Joseph Bonifacio have welcomed their second child, whom they named Manu, after a homebirth last Sunday, June 9.
Sharing an image of her newborn to her 774,000 Instagram followers a day after giving birth, the star elaborates, “After 25 hours, this boy is finally out. I cannot wait to tell you all our birth story. Let me just say that it was a miracle to actually do homebirth, vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean), and to remain completely unmedicated all throughout the labor.”
She adds, “So many times I wanted to quit… but somehow strength came to my bones and body. Oh I really cannot wait to share it all with you.”
Rica continues giving gratitude “to all who have been praying with [them] since [they] began this journey,” stating, “From a fearful time to a victorious birth, can you imagine? In those 25 hours his heart rate stayed completely perfect. Never went down. God protected my child through and through. He created AND sustained him. And I believe this is His promise to this child for all the rest of his life.”
Rica and husband Joseph also have another son together – a five-year-old named Philip. The couple announced their second pregnancy last January, also revealing that they have suffered through two different miscarriages due to an autoimmune disorder.
In a separate post, the now-vlogger is spotted crying after holding her new son in her arms, explaining, “How can I not shed tears if it had to take years, 38 weeks of praying God will sustain him, 25 hours of labor before I can finally have this boy?” She promises her followers that she will be sharing more images, “not only of [themselves] but the birthing team [they] carefully chose, and who carried [them] through the different turns of this birth,” concluding, “Truly, if we want something supernatural, we must understand that it cannot be done alone.”