We often hear about postpartum depression, but living through it is something else entirely. For actress and entrepreneur Maja Salvador, motherhood brought a joy she had never known, but also pain and struggle she hadn’t expected.
After giving birth in Canada through a long 30-hour labor, Maja faced a rare and dangerous complication. Her uterus turned inside out, causing massive bleeding. Doctors were able to save her, and she credits that moment to faith and grace. But while her body was healing, her emotions were falling apart.
Maja didn’t know at first that what she was feeling was postpartum depression. It started with mood swings that didn’t make sense.
“It’s like you’re snapping and don’t know why,” she said. Her family and friends told her to slow down and breathe, but the sadness kept creeping in.
Things got harder when she stopped breastfeeding her baby at eight months. It was a painful decision, and losing that close connection with her daughter made her feel even worse. She had started working out and dieting again, but emotionally, she felt stuck.
In the middle of all this, Maja held on to something that had always been in the back of her mind — a dream of building her own brand. With help from her mentor and business partner Rhea Anicoche-Tan, she launched Majeskin, a body care line focused on self-care and healing.
Maja said she had always been full of ideas, but fear stopped her. It wasn’t until she leaned on her support system — her husband, Rambo Nuñez, her friends, and “Mommy” Rhea — that she found the courage to take the first step.
Together, they created products like soothing lotions, scrubs, and washes made with gentle, nourishing ingredients.
Some may see this as just another business venture for Maja, but for her, it was a path to feeling complete once more.
Her path to reclaiming herself included fitness. Three months after giving birth, she returned to the gym to regain strength. Working out alongside sister-in-law Yanee Alvarez, she found encouragement in small wins.
“I cheer for myself now,” she said. “Every mom who keeps going, even when it’s hard, is already winning.”
Over the weekend, her daughter Maria turned a year old. And when Maja speaks about her, her voice softens.
“All I ask God is for more time. A hundred years if He’ll allow it. Because everything I do now — including Majeskin — is for her.”
