For most of her life, Maja Salvador has performed on center stage — a force of nature in every teleserye, dance concert and red carpet. But nothing prepared her for the life-altering role she stepped into last year: becoming a mother. And when baby Maria arrived after a harrowing 30-hour labor and an almost tragic childbirth complication, the curtain rose on an entirely new act in Maja’s life — one filled with raw emotion, physical pain, and unexpected vulnerability.

“That wasn’t me — but I couldn’t control it,” she said.

Maja speaks openly now about her postpartum experience, describing it not just as a physical recovery, but an emotional reckoning. She recalls how her once-steady patience was replaced with sudden bursts of irritability. “Parang pumipitik ka (It feels like you’re flicking) and you ask yourself, ‘Sino ’yon? (who’s that)’ Because I knew it wasn’t me,” she shared. “Buti na lang (fortunately) I had my husband, my family — my support system — who just reminded me to breathe.”

She experienced postpartum depression quietly at first, unsure of how to even label the changes she was feeling. It wasn’t until breastfeeding challenges arose — with her supply dropping eight months in as she began to work out and diet again — that the emotional weight intensified. “Na-depress din ako na hindi ko na siya ma-breastfeed (I’m also depressed that I can’t see breastfeed her anymore),” she confessed, tears welling as she shared how painful that disconnection felt.

Trauma that changed her perspective

Her empathy for fellow mothers deepened, especially upon learning about a tragic incident in Bulacan involving a mother and her children. Maja admitted she couldn’t even bring herself to watch the news coverage. “Hindi ko kaya (I can’t take it). Just reading it broke my heart,” she said, visibly shaken. “I thought of Maria. I hugged her tighter. I prayed even harder.”

Her journey through postpartum recovery wasn’t just emotional — it was also a battle for her life. After delivering Maria, Maja suffered a rare and dangerous complication: uterine inversion, a condition where the uterus turns inside out. Three OB-GYNs had to attempt manual repositioning as she bled profusely and her blood pressure dropped. At one point, surgery seemed inevitable.

“I couldn’t do anything anymore. I had no strength left,” Maja recalled. “So, I just prayed. Hail Mary, over and over. And then, miraculously, one OB was able to fix it. I owe that moment to prayer and grace.”

Majesty in a bottle

From that darkness came something luminous — not just the joy of her daughter’s presence, but the rediscovery of herself. And for Maja, that rediscovery manifested in creation. Together with Rhea Anicoche-Tan, president and chief executive officer of Beautéderm, Maja launched her own self-care brand Majeskin.

The project had been a dream long before motherhood, but fear and doubt always kept her from starting. “Ang dami kong (I have lots of) ideas, but I never did it. I was scared. But with Rambo, my friends, my Manang Rei… ‘eto na siya (It’s here). We made it happen.”

On her own terms

Just three months after giving birth, Maja was back at the gym — not out of vanity, but out of self-love. Joined by her sister-in-law Yanee Alvarez (a mom of four herself), Maja found not just a workout buddy, but a lifeline.

“I cheer for myself now,” she said. “Because every mom who gets up, keeps going, and still finds joy in little things — she’s already winning.”

She adds, “All I ask God is for more time. A hundred years if He’ll allow it,” she whispers. “Because now, everything I do — including Majeskin — is for her.”

From the near loss of her life to the creation of a new one, Maja’s story is no longer just about stardom — it’s about survival, sisterhood and self-empowerment. And like the queen she is, she’s rising — scarred, strengthened and shining.