After nine months of anticipation, Qi Yuwu and Joanne Peh welcomed the newest addition to their family – a baby girl at noon yesterday.
The SG50 baby whose due date was on August 6, was delivered one day later on August 7 via natural birth at Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
In a written press statement released to the media on Saturday night, Joanne shared that she was in labour for 16 hours with no pain relief, and both she and the baby are recovering well and healthy. The new mum also expressed her appreciation towards family, friends and also strangers for their love, support and extra care and consideration during her pregnancy journey, in her handwritten note.
"I am grateful that my husband and a good friend was by my side, cheering me on, together with the nurses and my gynaecologist at Mount Elizabeth. It is an experience I will never forget," she added.
"Holding my baby girl for the first time is so comforting yet so surreal," wrote Joanne as she wished Singapore a "very Happy 50th Birthday" before she ended her note.
Similarly, Yuwu also penned a handwritten letter to express his feelings as a new dad and his appreciation and respect towards Joanne for opting to do an all-natural delivery.
"As a first-time father, I find it hard to describe this experience in words," he wrote, "I'm proud to witness Joanne going through all this with a smile on her face. As her husband, I respect [her], I'm touched and it pains me [to see what she has to go through]."
It was reported that Joanne started experiencing contractions on Friday night after Yuwu wrapped up his guest appearances to promote 1965 on YES933 and 95.8FM in the evening.
The news of the couple's baby girl was confirmed yesterday by close friend and 1965 producer Daniel Yun. "What you hear is right, but when they're ready they will share," he said in a phone interview.
Celebrity hair stylist David Gan was surprised to learned that Joanne has given birth. During a phone interview with Toggle, he shared that the couple were at his salon to pass him a birthday present on August 6 and that he was originally supposed to be overseas today but had to reschedule his plans after missing his flight.
"They probably thought I was out of town and didn't inform me about the baby's arrival, he said, "I'm so happy for them."
One week ago, during an interview at local movie 1965’s press conference, Yuwu shared that he will accompany Joanne in the delivery ward and they have enlisted the help of a female videographer to film the entire process as a memento.
They have also booked a confinement nanny through their friends’ recommendation as they feel it is good to have an experienced person to help since this is their first child.
Currently based in Singapore to film Channel 8’s The Dream Makers 2, the actor felt particularly “lucky” to be able to spend the last trimester of Joanne’s pregnancy by her side in Singapore as he was able to witness the changes and share in her experiences.
He will be flying to Melbourne in September to film The Dream Makers 2 and after the drama wraps, he is due to fly to China in December for a work project.
On the other hand, it is not known when Joanne, who recently renewed her MediaCorp contract, will resume work after giving birth. In one of her most recent interviews, Joanne shared that she would be more selective with work assignments in order to spend more time with her baby.
Apart from striking a balance between work and family, the actress also expressed her desire to have more autonomy over the jobs she takes on in future. "With every project, there is an opportunity cost in regard to the time spent with my child. [The project] has got to be something that I feel is worthwhile and that inspires or challenges me,” she said.
The new parents previously revealed that they have picked an English name for the baby which they have yet to reveal at press time.
Yuwu and Joanne, who have been friends and colleagues for more than 10 years, started dating in 2013 and tied the knot in a hush-hush wedding ceremony held in Sentosa last September. They have collaborated on several dramas with the latest being 2014’s C.L.I.F. 3 and local film 1965.
1965 is now showing in all cinemas.
This story was updated on August 8, 10.09pm.