Having a baby for the first time is already a nerve-racking affair and it becomes an even bigger undertaking if you are also making preparations to move into a new home. Yet local singer and mummy-to-be Tay Kewei is taking it all in her stride. The yummy mummy is due late in September 2017 and she shares with Mummyfique how her pregnancy has been going and everything else that she has been up to since.
Congratulations on your pregnancy! Can you share a bit about more about your journey towards pregnancy?
My husband (local singer Alfred Sim) and I dated for about 10 years before we finally got married! Since we’re nearing our mid-30s, we intended to try for a baby after a year of marriage. We tried to conceive for about a year, during which I went for the necessary medical checkups and also took Chinese herbs and medication.
Finding out about our pregnancy on the first day of Chinese New Year came as a pleasant surprise. We had actually just returned from an adventure in Yogyakarta to make it for reunion dinner. As my period was late, I decided to take the pregnancy test the next morning and little did I expect to see a positive result. I then shared the news with Alfred as soon as I could, which happened to be in the car, just before we started visiting our relatives for Chinese New Year.
Is being pregnant what you thought it would be like?
I’ve heard so many stories of nausea and physical discomfort, but fortunately, they didn’t happen to me! In fact, I have zero morning sickness or nausea. I have no specific food cravings either, although I grew really greedy and really enjoyed food more than usual. Surprisingly, I also developed a sweet tooth!
I have really been blessed during this pregnancy. Most people who see me comment that I have a pregnancy glow and look radiant, and I’m really happy to hear that. It hasn’t been absolutely smooth as I’ve had some sleeping issues where I wake up randomly at night randomly, and I’m definitely feeling the weight of my belly, but it hasn’t been anything that I haven’t been able to handle. My feet and ankles do occasionally get swollen, but it goes away when I swim.
I’ve done lots of reading and researching, but conversations with other mummies are very enlightening too. The mummies around me have shared tips on breastfeeding and latching, as well as passed me hand-me-downs, something that I’m grateful for.
What has it been like for Alfred ever since you got pregnant?
He’s been lucky! I don’t have many problems so he hasn’t had to handle any strange request from me. He has however been massaging my legs and helping me to apply oil on my belly to prevent stretch marks
So what have you been up to since getting pregnant?
We received the keys to our new flat so we’ve been spending a lot of time building our new home – the entire journey is documented on our web series, Married and Then. I’ve also been singing quite a bit. Alfred and I did a five language cover of Beauty and The Beast earlier this year, and we released a new duet in conjunction with the Channel 8 drama, When Duty Calls, in August. I’m been working as per usual throughout my pregnancy, performing for the Home Team Show at Singapore Indoor Stadium, opening of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, and collaborating with the Philharmonic Winds and with Nanyang Polytechnic Chinese Orchestra. However, as I approached my third trimester I have had less strength to sing from my stomach, and acid reflux problems have caused some trouble to my throat!
It can’t be easy to manage both preparing for new home and expecting a new addition to the family at the same time. How have you been managing?
It’s definitely been busy, but I enjoy it thoroughly. I guess it’s because I’m quite the workaholic, so I can’t just relax or rest every day without doing anything. Everyone has been telling me to sleep as much as I can now before the baby pops though! I think we couldn’t have timed it better and I actually think this works out great for us, having the house be ready just before I pop.
I am also making it a point to keep active and I’m keeping up with swimming and yoga as much as possible as I feel it relieves the body from unnecessary tension.
How did starting a show to document your home and pregnancy journey come about?
We actually didn’t do much planning for it and just jumped into it after we thought of the idea. As crazy as it sounds everything seemed to fall into place and it made sense to do it.
Right after discovering I found out I was pregnant at the end of January, we learnt that the keys to our home would be arriving soon in March, and had to start doing things like kickstart our home loan and look for an interior designer. It then dawned on us that we might be able to move into our new home before I gave birth, so we did everything we could to make it happen, even though it meant managing two huge projects at the same time. We then thought that it would be fun to document our journey and that’s how Married and Then happened.
How are you all feeling now that you are about to be a parent for the first time?
Right now, parenting skills are really not on my radar yet! It’s all about eating right, getting the right things ready when it arrives. When the baby comes, it’s going be about survival – making sure he or she eats right, sleeps right, how to bathe it, comfort it. I’m taking it one step at a time.
Both Alfred and I actually each had our own preferences for the gender but we didn’t share it with each other until after we found out about the gender of our baby. For now, we’re keeping it under wraps and will definitely reveal the gender in due time.
I don’t think I have any deep thoughts or worries, though I do wonder how our lives will change after this. My only wish is for my baby to be happy, healthy and lovable. I probably want to have at least two kids. Ideally, the more the better as I feel that with more kids, you won’t have put so many expectations on them individually and they will be able to lead their lives as they would like a bit more.
Follow Kewei on her pregnancy and home journey on her YouTube series and her Instagram account (@keweitay)
