'Important to have each other's back': Taufik Batisah's wife Sheena opens up about miscarriage & 6 rounds of IVF

Singapore singer Taufik Batisah’s wife and manager Sheena Akbal has opened up about undergoing six rounds of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and suffering a miscarriage.

Sheena opened up about her journey in trying to conceive on the debut episode of the local podcast Couch Conversations, which she co-hosts with her friend, financial services director Nur Amirra.

"When are you having children?"

Sheena recounted how a middle-aged stranger at a wedding she and Taufik had recently attended touched her stomach and asked when she was planning to have children.

"This is not the first time it's happened as well," she said.

Such questions can be painful, she explained, as they bring back memories of her repeated attempts to conceive.

"I've gone through IVF six times," Sheena revealed, adding that she had also once suffered a miscarriage.

"The pain and the agony and the emotional rollercoaster creates a little space in your mind that's not good. When things like these happens, it takes you back to this space."

She acknowledged, however, that she understands why people ask.

As Taufik is a public figure and the couple regularly posts videos together, she believes their audience feels a natural sense of familiarity with them.

"So I can't really fault them — I think that's their way of being friendly," she said.

Her IVF journey

"IVF is a very lonely journey," Sheena said, noting that while one's partner can be with them through every step of the way, they cannot fully understand what the body is going through.

She described the process as "abrasive" — one that changes your body, affects your emotions, and involves procedures that are far from comfortable or natural, and is seen as a last resort.

Her co-host also shared her own IVF experience, admitting that she had begun to question whether she was the problem.

Sheena understood the feeling well, noting that society often ties a woman's identity to motherhood.

"When it comes to this, it is very important as a couple to not blame each other... And don't ever ever feel that it is your fault because it takes two hands to clap."

And sometimes, it's nobody's fault and it's just what happens.

Previous plans

She added: "Before we got married, we spoke about kids. At our wedding, [Taufik] said he wanted three. I said two. Now, we have zero. But it's ok."

"I think not being able to have a child means no one will carry our legacy," she said. "All those milestones you have when you have a child... A child naturally comes next but we will never get there in that sense... the gender reveal, the positive pregnancy test..."

She spoke about the disbelief she and Taufik felt when she had her very first positive pregnancy test, and how the first thing she did was tell her parents and grandparents.

She talked about how her grandmother, being 88, finds her greatest joy in having children around — but that is something Sheena has not been able to give her.

"That saddens me a lot, because she will never be able to hold my child," she said, tearing up.

She also admitted that watching videos of fathers with their children on Instagram or TikTok hits her the hardest. "I feel so bad sometimes that I cannot produce a child for my husband," she said.

"[Taufik's] been there from day one, every single appointment, even if it's just drawing blood," she said, adding that he would always rearrange his schedule to be by her side.

"After all that, I have nothing to show for it... That's the part that kills me."

Four years into their marriage and the latter two years trying to conceive naturally, the couple decided to turn to IVF.

Initial checks showed nothing of concern, and their doctor suggested taking more vitamins.

"We became supplement junkies," Sheena quipped, sharing that she and Taufik would take their pills together every night. (19:57)

Despite everything, Sheena says she has found a sense of acceptance.

"Now we have accepted whatever has been given to us, mashallah (as God wills). Although we don't have kids, we have been blessed with so many other things, alhamdulillah (praise be to God)."

"I'm really proud of my wife"

In the second episode of the podcast, Sheena and Amirra brought their husbands on to discuss their perspectives on IVF.

Taufik spoke about always putting his wife's well-being first.

"I'm really, really proud of my wife for what she has gone through," he said. "Going through [IVF] six times — mashallah, you're such a trooper."

He also stressed the importance of honest communication between couples — sharing vulnerabilities, having difficult conversations, and showing up for one another.

"It is important for us to have each other's back," he said.

Sheena echoed his sentiments, saying that "the key thing is to not forget that we are a unit. We are not against each other. That is what will make a good marriage, I think."

Top photos from Couch Conversations/YouTube and @taufikbatisah/Instagram