Here’s a question to ask of all men: Why do you place so much pressure on your woman when you want to conceive a child?
It’s a question that’s been quite popular for some time now, and it’s definitely one that women nowadays should ask their partners for their long-term plans. In those long-term plans, the topic of having children comes naturally, giving the couple some time to think about it and how they will go about the prospect of childrearing.
But before we go into that conversation, let’s get into some context about why we’re opening up another box of worms here.
On September 27, 2024, Filipino host and personality Robi Domingo uploaded a two-part video in celebration of his 35th birthday.
In opening his video, Robi said that he was experiencing “birthday blues”—typical, by the way, that people around him have been telling him that he’s getting older and that it’s time to have some reflections about his life.
He later on expressed that in the next five years, he wants to be a better “house-band” and husband to his wife Maiqui, and that hopefully in the next year, “when the Lord permits it and when her condition permits it – depende sa clearance ng doctors, I hope to introduce you to a baby Robi or baby Maiqui, or why not twins?”
Maiqui Pineda, content creator, and Robi Domingo’s wife, was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis, which is a rare autoimmune disease, back in 2023. The disease causes skin rashes, muscle inflammation, and other skin concerns.
In the past, Pineda revealed that she had felt joint pains, to the point that performing simple, daily tasks have proven to be difficult.
Robi continued on with a message to his future child saying, “I am ready to give all of my love para sa’yo [for you].” He also went on to explain how he and Maiqui already had plans of forming a family, but because of her diagnosis of dermatomyositis, it had to be put on hold.
“Nakakaasa na ako [I was hoping] by this year—actually, by this month—sana meron na akong anak. [I have a child already]. But then, it happened,” said Robi. “It’s hard…Maybe it’s not time yet, but I’m hoping na mangyari ‘yon [that it will happen].” He later added, “But first things first, I want Maiqui’s sickness to be gone so that we could go back to our original plan. That’s my wish for my birthday. It’s not for me anymore.”
While definitely heartfelt, some social media users did not feel comfortable with how selfishly Domingo’s birthday wish was, especially by airing out their private concerns in public.
Some even said it felt like he was placing pressure on his wife to recover from her illness so they could go on with having a child.
In light of the backlash, Maiqui Pineda addressed all of the reactions her husband received through her Instagram stories on September 30, 2024. One question asked her how she felt about Robi’s posts.
She said, “No issues at all. I’ve openly mentioned it here before, but he has a bigger reach, hehe. It’s both our goals, our plans, and our wishes, but we acknowledge the reality of things and have chosen to trust in God’s plans and timings instead. But we are hopeful! Just have to wait a bit and do some work for now ☺️.”
Another Instagram user also told her to not be pressured into getting pregnant, to which she answered, “Don’t worry, there’s really no pressure at all. No one has made me feel that way. But I know it’s what I want, so I’m just doing what I can to hopefully make that happen one day.”
The answer also included a picture of her fur baby, calling it her “baby” for now.
Going back to the question posed in the beginning of this article, we think it’s right that we have to address this question in this kind of light. Why?
Because clearly, things apparently do not change as time passes. Since the beginning of time, men have been constantly been giving women pressure into conceiving, thinking little of how they think or feel.
Let’s take one popular example from world history books. We all know about Henry VIII and his six wives, and his first wife was Catherine of Aragon. She had gone through numerous pregnancies and miscarriages while being his wife, with only one daughter growing into adulthood.
From these miscarriages, Henry had blamed his wife for not being able to have the son he wanted, so he moved on to other women. We all know what happened to the next wives.
Why are we bringing this man up? Because we can still see him in men these days.
Becoming pregnant is no joke, and women take the brunt of all of it—from physical strains, down to mental and emotional pain. It’s not the men that carry the baby for 9 months, nor are they the ones that have to bring the baby into the world.
It’s sounds so easy for men to just tell women that they want to have a family, when there are multiple factors to consider. Now, to place even more pressure on the wife when they are already experiencing medical conditions is the worst thing one could ever do.
We understand that Robi and Maiqui have already talked about these things privately, and we do respect that both have the same goals and wishes to form a family. No matter how unselfish his reasons were for sharing his birthday wishes are for his 35th birthday, it did not sound the same for others.
His wishes were heartfelt, yes, and we do wish for him and Maiqui all the best. But maybe, others were right in saying that he did not have to air these out in public.
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