While a lot of people may not know it, actress Paula Garces had a baby at a very young age. "When I first got pregnant I was 17 and it was a very scary and stressful time for me," Garces tells MamasLatinas.com in an interview.
"I knew I wanted to have my daughter Skye right away, but being a teenage mom was difficult," she says.
Garces says she even went as far as hiding her pregnancy for a while from her family, her friends and agents. "But thank God when I decided to tell them, my close family and friends supported me," she says.
Still, Garces says there were people who tried to put her down. "I did hear from people that I was ruining my life and my career before it even started by having a baby," she recalls. "I guess I just never let it stop me from dreaming and reaching my goals," she says.
Now five months pregnant with her second child–a baby boy!–Garces wants other young moms to know that they too can dream big and achieve their goals.
"The only advice I can really offer young moms is to make sure they educate themselves and do something – a job, career, trade, etc., – that they are passionate about," she says. "Once you have that, everything else follows."
And as for her second pregnancy, Garces says both she and her husband Antonio Hernandez couldn't be more excited about welcoming their little bundle of joy into the world. "Everyone is very happy because my hubby and I have been trying to have a baby for four years," she says. "So after two miscarriages and four years later, this is our miracle baby," she says.
And unlike most expecting moms, Garces says she's not the least bit worried about shedding those post-pregnancy pounds. "I am not worried about bouncing back and losing baby weight," the Devious Maids star tells us. "The first time I was pregnant I gained 65 pounds and this time around I am more aware and more educated," she says. "I'm on a healthy diet and don't seem to be gaining as much weight, but if I do I'll just have to be disciplined enough to eat healthy, exercise and be patient," she says.
And luckily for Garces, she's been craving tons of healthy foods during her pregnancy. "My cravings have been mostly fresh fruit. In my first month it was all about grapefruit then it was mangos, then strawberries, then green grapes and now it's all about lime, lemons and kiwi," she says. "I am so nauseated all of the time that citrus seems to help."
Not that she's complaining. "All in all, my pregnancy has been great and all I want is a healthy, happy baby!" she says.
