Joshua Zamora of the Manoeuvres dance group and his wife, former Sexbomb Dancer member Jopay Paguia, enjoy a big blessing this year in Isabel Alessa Paguia Zamora.

Barely a month old, they consider their daughter “an answered prayer” as he already has two boys from a previous marriage.

“Part of my prayer is for Isabel Alessa to be God-fearing. According to my brother Jason, if you look into Isabel Alessa’s eyes, something’s there that makes her special,” Joshua said. “Jason said she will surely shine above the rest.”

The two have been married for three years now. They started dating in 2005. Then in 2011, Joshua popped the question to Jopay but no engagement happened. The two separated but Joshua realized it’s Jopay he wants to spend his life with.

Being a first-time mom, Jopay is dealing with many things at this point, including the frustration of not giving enough milk to her little girl.

Joshua said: “She tried massage, eating malunggay, and even sacrificed her body by eating a lot just to produce milk for our baby. But it’s just not enough. I feel bad for her because she would often cry and feel depressed about it.”

I told Joshua to tell Jopay not to stress about it. Her baby would rather drink formula milk prepared by a happy mother, than breastmilk from a depressed one.

Now, I have high regards for breastfeeding advocates because society needs all the help it can get on supporting breastfeeding. And, yes, breastmilk is best for babies. But I am also an advocate of mothers loving themselves to protect their mental health and physical wellness. How can a mother function when she is depressed?

I myself breastfed my two children only for four weeks since no milk was coming out after that period. I started giving them formula after that and, thank God, they did not grow up sickly.

Joshua videotaped my message to Jopay.

“Do not feel like a failure if you cannot breastfeed. Every mother has a special gift she will give her child. I know you have exhausted all means to be able to breastfeed and I am sure every breastfeeding advocate appreciates your effort. At the end of the day, you should still be concerned that your sanity is more important to your child and your husband more than anything else.”

Joshua continues to go around the Philippines heading Zumba events. He and Jason plan to have a Manoeuvres 30th anniversary concert this year.