Iza Calzado’s baby girl makes socmed debut
MANILA, Philippines — Iza Calzado finally introduced her baby girl, Deia Amihan, to the public, as she turned three months old last April 26.
The actress and her techpreneur-husband Ben Wintle jointly shared on their social media adorable photos showing their firstborn’s face for the first time. They wrote: “Our little seedling is growing fast. As you turn 3 months old today, we set the intention of nurturing you so that you reach your fullest potential.”
Needless to say, Iza’s daughter has one of the most unique names among celebrity babies. She shared the inspiration behind her baby’s two names.
“Deia is actually a place in Mallorca (an island in Spain),” Iza told The STAR and select press on the sidelines of edamama.ph’s New Mama Expo 2023 recently held at SM Megamall.
“And we were there before I announced (I was pregnant). I posted on Instagram and said, ‘Deia, you are so stunning,’ (referring to) the place. And then a friend of mine made a comment, ‘Oh, you know, if I had a baby girl, I always wanted to name her Deia,’ which made me look up what it meant.”
She discovered that Deia originated from a Latin and Ancient Greek term that means goddess or joy. “And that resonated with me because, of course, she was already bringing me so much joy at that moment. I was like, ‘Be a goddess.’ Everyone’s a goddess or a god, like in their own right. We all have that in us.”
It was harder, however, to select a second name. Initially, she wanted Tala. “I said, ‘Oh maybe Tala,’ because the very first name that I wanted for my child is something close to me, like meaningful.
“Tala was the first role I played as a baby, as in Ora Engkantada levels, Channel 13. Hindi na alam ng mga kabataan yan. Janice de Belen was my mom. But then I said, Deia Tala, parang bitin.”
Iza then thought of Amihan, which fans would know is her iconic character in the GMA series Encantadia.
“That role really is such a gift for me. And Amihan the character is a good leader. She was very empowered. She made a lot of sacrifices, some of which I don’t think I’ll be able to do in my own life,” she said.
“My child and I, I feel like we’ve battled a lot already. So, I always felt she was a warrior. So I wanted something really strong for a second name.”
Amihan became even more personal and connected to her over the pandemic. When she was battling COVID in 2020, she realized how much her role made an impact.
“When I was sick with COVID, I got a lot of comments like, ‘Kaya mong labanan yan kasi ikaw si Amihan.’ To be specific, when I thought I was gonna be brought to the ICU, there was one nurse who was about to take my blood test and I asked that nurse, ‘Mamamatay na ba ako?’ And then sabi niya, ‘Hindi ka mamamatay. Lalaban ka kasi ikaw si Sanggre Amihan,’” she shared.
“So, for me, God blessed me with this life and another life, which is my child, so I’m passing on that good energy to her… Hopefully, she always remembers me as her producer. And she was born during amihan season by the way!”
Meanwhile, showbiz work will have to take the backseat for the first-time mom.
She was eyed to join a DonBelle project but had to forgo due to mommy duties. More recently, she received two film scripts “and we are reviewing them if they’re worth leaving Deia Amihan for,” said her manager Noel Ferrer.
During the edamama.ph event, the actress, who was last seen on screen playing the Pinay superhero Darna, shared, “It’s hard to say when (showbiz comeback). Because actually before, I said, ‘Oh, in three months I’ll be back on set.’ But I was wrong.
“I didn’t know what I was saying then because I can’t even leave my baby for more than three or four hours at the moment. So, I’ll take it one day at a time.
“I’ll know when to say it’s time for me to go back. (I’ll know if) this project is really, you know, worth the time. And I’m coming from a very privileged perspective… I mean, it’s hard, right? Because it seems a lot of people have to go back to work right away. And this is part of my work.”
But given the erratic hours on set, she’d rather focus on Deia as much as she can — at least, for now. “I’m very lucky and I do not take that lightly. I am so grateful that I get to spend time with my child as she grows more animated each day and stronger each day.”
Nevertheless, Iza admitted she missed being on a set.
“But ang tagal ko din naman, almost 20 years akong laging nasa set. So my set is different now, I’m doing a workshop now. And I have a great teacher. Her name si Deia Amihan,” she said.
“She’s the best teacher so far. Because (all of this) is new to me. It’s a workshop. I think motherhood is a great workshop.”
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