October 08, 2023, 05:09 PM
Mediacorp actor Desmond Tan and his wife are expecting their first child together.
The father-to-be told Mothership that the announcement came after his wife, who is currently four months pregnant, got the green light from her gynaecologist that "everything was safe to share".
Prior to making the news public, their loved ones were in the know.
"It's wonderful to see how people are happy for you," he gushed. "And it's amazing to see the happiness [for yourself]. Some of them had tears in their eyes when we told them."
The announcement came also because Tan wants to be able to get ready for the baby as soon as possible.
He laughed:
"I need to let people start coming into my house to start doing the decor [for the nursery], and I need to start purchasing stuff like the bed and diaper station.
Logistically, I need to announce that [we're having a baby] so that I can start openly buying stuff. It's so hard to hide because I can't be buying so much just for others, right?"
"Pretty okay" first trimester
With all the stories about how turbulent mums-to-be's first trimesters can get, Tan opined that they "had it pretty okay" although it "wasn't easy".
The missus had body aches, felt heartburn towards the end of the day, among other symptoms.
He saw his wife's daily cravings as a good thing, as he'd "wake up every morning excited to know what she felt like having on that day".
With a baby on the way, the couple has had to make some lifestyle adjustments as well.
Tan shared:
"Because of the nature of my job, I can't really plan a holiday in advance. For the past many years, what would happen is if I had a two-week break, we'd decide if we want to travel, buy a ticket and just fly off the next week.
With a kid [on the way, the way we make] plans will be slightly changed."
The pair cancelled a trip they were intending to make in her first trimester, just to be safe.
"I think our lifestyle will remain the same apart from the vacations," he stated matter-of-factly. "I mean, I've heard about the sleepless nights, but you will never be ready for that. You can only experience and learn as you go along."
Daddy's girl
And while Tan has been called a "discipline master" among his circles of friends and within the family— "the one who ensures that everything goes according to the rules" — he expects that he won't be able to maintain this when his daughter is born.
He chuckled, "I think the little one will be a daddy's girl, right? I imagine myself to be a loving dad because I love kids. I'll provide as much as possible, and I hope I can stand firm when it comes to discipline, but I can predict that I'll cave in."
Already, the actor has started buying things for his little one. When he was in Paris for fashion week, it took quite a bit of convincing from his missus and friend for him to control the amount of clothes he was buying for his daughter.
Plans for more children might change
Tan and his wife, who used to want to have three kids, are now rethinking their plans after she got pregnant.
Hearing stories from friends, who cautioned about the sacrifices they will have to make after becoming parents, has led them to want to "play it safe and see how things turn out".
"Maybe, we'll love our daughter so much that we only want to have one," he said. "Or maybe we'll decide to have another one, or stick with the original plan and have three. We'll see."
Top photos from Desmond Tan's Instagram
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