EXCLUSIVE: Kayla Rivera on having her first pregnancy: ‘We thank God for blessing us!’

Last seen on stage playing the role of the American pop star Gloria Estefan in the On Your Feet! musical earlier this year, theater actress and singer Kayla Rivera surprised fans last month with the news that she and her husband Miguel Jimenez were expecting their first child.

The couple tied the knot last year and are now looking forward to growing their family starting this coming March. During their recent trip to Canada, Kayla announced the good news to her fans. 

She wrote, “a blessing that is truly some kind of wonderful ❤️ so overjoyed and deeply grateful to share that @miggy.jmz and I have a little one on the way, set to arrive, March 2027 

“God’s plans are truly way better than anything we could ever hope for, as we booked our trip to Calgary, 2 days before finding out that I was pregnant. It’s been such an unexpected blessing, being able to share the news with family and friends in person, and celebrating with everyone, most especially my parents, the soon to be grandma and grandpa, who have been patiently but continuously praying for this moment to come. extra special that they took these photos and joined us for a few too 💖 he/she is already being showered with so much love and we are so so excited to meet you in a few months, our little dreamer 💖✨”

In an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN, the former Star Power finalist said she and her hubby did not exactly plan on getting pregnant.

“My husband, Miguel, and I planned to have a baby ever since we got married in July of 2025, but were patiently waiting for God’s perfect timing for it to happen. It was still a surprise to us because it came at a time that our focus wasn’t so much on having a baby, but more on staying active, healthy and performing well in the projects that we were committed to at the time,” she said. 

Kayla admitted that she and her husband were intially shocked by the news themselves, but also happy and grateful at their new blessing.

“We prayed right away for the baby to keep safe and healthy as it would grow in the coming days, weeks and months. I was personally extra shocked because I found out during the closing weekend of On Your Feet where I was playing the role of Gloria Estefan, which meant I was very active with all of the dancing and lifts done in the show, so I also had a little bit of fear if the baby was keeping safe despite how active I was, that early on in my pregnancy.

“Looking back now, it totally makes sense that I was pregnant the entire run of the show because I was extra emotional about everything happening, both on and off stage haha! But overall we were just so grateful for this answered prayer of ours. 

“We’re also extra excited as he/she will be the first apo sa tuhod on my husband’s side of the family, and the first apo for both of our families,” she shared. 

Having grown up in Canada where her closest family members are still based, Kayla revealed that she also plans to give birth there.

“I’ll be giving birth in Canada as that is where I was born, and where my parents, brother and sister-in-law are based as well. Asides being in the comfort of our home and having my mom at my side in the days and weeks post-delivery, my husband and I are very grateful for the healthcare system in Canada that will cover all pregnancy and delivery related costs. It’s also important to us hat our baby will be both Canadian and Filipino citizens, to provide him/her with more opportunities when it comes to both their future education and work,” she said.

The talented theater star admitted to PUSH ABS-CBN that she and her husband look forward to having more than one kid.

“I definitely always knew I would get married and have kids one day, but it’s a very surreal feeling when it actually happens to you. The years leading up to my pregnancy, my husband and I would always be gigil with babies that we would see in person and online, so it just felt like it was going to be a matter of time until we started a family of our own, hoping for eventually 2 to 3 children. We thank God for blessing us with this opportunity to become parents ourselves, while we are also so thankful for having the best role models in both sets of our parents and grandparents through the years. We hope and pray to follow in their footsteps to be as prayerful, supportive, and unconditionally loving as they’ve been to us ever since we were born,” she explained. 

With her due date set in late March next year, Kayla shared that she will take a short hiatus from joining theater productions for the meantime.

“I’ll be taking a break from musicals for the next few months while I’m pregnant, but I look forward to returning to the theater with a very exciting show, a few months after I give birth. In the meantime, I’ll still be hosting and performing every so often at events, but my focus has been to slow down and prioritize keeping healthy, stress free and doing what I can to prepare for baby’s arrival,” she added.