What Motherhood Taught Lovi Poe

A year into being a mom, Lovi Poe talks first-time jitters, a life across two continents, and why she no longer believes she has to choose between her dreams and her daughter

Lovi Poe has mastered the art of multitasking. With her family—husband Monty Blencowe and one-year-old daughter Sloane—based in Los Angeles, the actress, producer, and entrepreneur has been flying back and forth between California and Manila for film and TV shoots, production duties, and business commitments.

“I’m doing my best to still have that old version of me in combination with who I am today,” she shares with Modern Parenting. “My life in LA, yes, I’m with my family, but I work on the side.”

When Instincts Kick In

In October 2025, Lovi’s followers caught their first glimpse of her newest role – being a mother. Her announcement read: “The moment I met you, instinct took over. Welcome to the world, my love.”

A year later, how has that instinct held up against reality?

“It’s funny because people will give you books, or you’ll scroll through endless reels about what’s to come,” she muses. “No one can really prepare you. But with just a snap of a finger, it just kicks in.”

Still, the transition wasn’t without its early anxieties. Recalling the immediate blur of recovery in the hospital room, Lovi admits that the second the medication wore off, panic set in over the simplest yet most daunting task: feeding her newborn.

“I thought, ‘How am I supposed to do this? Am I supposed to feed her? Can you please call the nurse? I need guidance. Am I producing milk?’ You know, I had so many questions,” she recalls.

Through the steep learning curve, one grounding principle emerged. “My moments with my daughter are my top priority,” Lovi emphasizes. “I really put my phone down, and I make sure that I’m not just existing in the moment—I’m truly living it.”

Navigating the Maze of Motherhood

Like many first-time parents, Lovi quickly realized that juggling career demands with infant care is an intricate dance. Between creating brushes for a makeup brand, producing films, acting on screen, and managing call times, unpredictability became the standard routineRoutineA predictable daily rhythm for waking, meals, school, play, and sleep. Routines give children a sense of security, reduce power struggles, and make busy mornings smoother, while some flexibility keeps.

“It’s very different when someone warns you and says, ‘Oh, this is how brutal it can be,’ until you actually experience it,” she says candidly. “That whole experience is such an eye-opener. You suddenly realize what parents go through—what women go through, especially in that first year. The schedule is quite intense.”

She counts her mother, former actress Rowena Moran as part of the villageThe VillageThe village refers to the broader support network, extended family, friends, community, that shares in a child's upbringing alongside parents themselves. Deeply embedded in Filipino culture, the village reflects how she leans on, flying out to Los Angeles to look after baby Sloane whenever work demands pull both her and Monty away for a time.

At home, Monty proves to be an equally steadfast partner.

“Monty is a great leader,” Lovi beams. “I’m really grateful that he plays that role so naturally. I do my best to nourish the love and the soul of the family. We each have our parts to play, and it’s wonderful that we get to merge both worlds for our daughter.”

Redefining ‘Love Your Body’

Long celebrated for having one of the most enviable physiques in Philippine entertainment, Lovi announced her pregnancy last year through an apparel campaign centered around the mantra “Love Your Body.”

Postpartum, that phrase took on a whole new depth.

“Loving your body has always been something I advocate for in terms of confidence and being the best version of yourself,” she reflects. “Now, it carries an entirely different layer, because I just brought this beautiful human being to life. Our bodies deserve to be celebrated in a way that honors the extraordinary things they do. I knew that intellectually before, but feeling it firsthand changes everything.”

The shift reached her relationship with her own mom, too. Seeing her shortly after delivery, Lovi admitted she cried.

“I looked at her and said, ‘I’m so sorry.’ Not because I was a terrible daughter or because of the pain of labor, but because you can’t truly empathize with what a mother goes through until you stand in those exact shoes.”

While working in front of the camera brings inevitable pressure to “bounce back,” Lovi is intentional about giving herself grace. She waited months before gradually easing back into regular workouts and stepping onto set.

“You brought life into this world—there’s nothing greater than that,” she insists. “I think if there’s anyone that needs to be more kind to herself, it should be us, really, and who’s going through it.”

Dreams, with Sloane along for the ride

Stepping into motherhood didn’t mean shelving her personal dreams. If anything, it clarified them.

“I haven’t let go of the actress Lovi or the ambitious Lovi, ” she asserts “I’ve just added in my plate is having my family as one of my priorities.” 

“I used to think you had to choose between being career-driven and being a mother—that you couldn’t have both. Thankfully, women who walked this path before me proved that you can.”

And the past year proves it. Lovi moved to Star Magic, wrapped three films and a series set to air, and launched a new line of makeup brushes with RSG Cosmetics. In September, she traveled to the Venice Film Festival for the screening of Lav Diaz’s Makikiraan Po (Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors), co-produced by her company, C’est Lovi Productions.

For Lovi, staying driven is a gift she hopes to pass down to Sloane.

“I want my daughter to live in a world where I want to be able to tell her that, you know, instead of saying that ‘I sacrificed my career for you’, I want to say that I was able to continue my dreams and my goals with you by my side.”

Marriage as a Partnership: Room to Breathe

Maintaining harmony at home requires practical communication and carve-outs for rest. Whenever she needs to recharge, Monty or people close to her steps up, giving her space to go on morning runs, savor a bowl of hot sinigang, or unwind with her favorite K-dramas.

“I’m blessed with a husband who understands me, champions my growth, and is an incredible father,” she notes. “Marriage means not making everything about ‘me, me, me.’ It’s about teamwork so you can build a home where everyone has room to breathe.”

When it comes to raising Sloane, blending their Filipino and British roots is paramount—and Monty has been surprisingly vocal about one detail in particular.

“He put his foot down and insisted, ‘Our daughter needs to learn how to speak Tagalog,’” Lovi shares with a laugh. “He’ll sit with her to watch Tagalog shows or practice vocabulary together. It’s very cute.”

Be Proud of How Far You’ve Come

While there were those who took a year off from work to concentrate on their family, Lovi was looking forward to working again. “I couldn’t wait to get back on camera and just start acting again, doing what I love. This is who I am and what I’ve grown to become. It’s just nice to be able to become a mother, become a parent, and be the same version that you were before you even gave birth.”

While she and Monty continue to protect Sloane’s privacy by keeping her off social media, Lovi remains grateful to the public and fans who have respected their boundaries.

Her advice to moms in their own postpartum season is refreshingly simple.

“Every day is different. We have more smooth days and days that can be quite challenging. Cherish and live the moment, be present, but also learn from these experiences,” she says. “Be proud of yourself for how far you’ve come. Just take it one step at a time.”

Room to Become

For Lovi, the first year of motherhood has also been a lesson in accepting help. Between Los Angeles and Manila, her support system has become a lifeline: her mother flying in when work calls, Monty stepping in when she needs space, and the small pockets of time she protects for herself — a morning run, a quiet lunch, an episode of a K-drama, a bowl of sinigang. 

“In order to fill someone else’s cup, you have to fill yours first,’ she says. “Having your own space and having your own time is very vital for any human being.”

It is a reminder she hopes other mothers will hear, too. Behind the sparkle in a mother’s eyes, Lovi believes, is often a partner, a family, or a community that gives her room to remain herself. Motherhood has not made her smaller; it has taught her to ask for more room — not less.

And as she raises Sloane between Filipino warmth, British roots, and a life across two continents, Lovi is not trying to script a perfect childhood. She simply hopes to give her daughter the same freedom she has given herself; to be brave, kind, respectful, and unafraid to go after what she wants.

Because if this year has taught Lovi anything, it is that becoming a mother did not close a chapter. It opened a bigger one.

Words ALEXA VILLANO and NICOLE LIMLENGCO
Photography KIM MONTES assisted by ABIGAEL DALIDA
Sittings Editor MARGA TUPAZ
Make-Up GERY PENASO
Hairstyling RJ DELA CRUZ
Styling PATRICIA CONRADO assisted by KATHRINA VAPOR and VICKY SUSAYA
Shoot Coordination TONI MENDOZA

Shot on location at RAFFLES RESIDENCES MAKATI
Special Thanks to LOVE CAPULONG and STAR MAGIC

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