Felicia Chin opens up about trying for a baby, admits she felt pressure to have kids

Felicia Chin recently revealed she and her actor husband Jeffrey Xu have been trying for a baby.

The 42-year-old actress caught up with local actor-host Lee Teng, 44, in the second episode of her YouTube series How Are You? uploaded on Nov 1. Both became friends decades ago when they were in Victoria Junior College.

As the two chatted, Lee Teng opened up about one of his latest chapters: Becoming a father to son Ellison who was born in July last year.

When he asked if Felicia wanted children, she chuckled before revealing: "Yes, we're still trying. Hopefully it'll happen within the next one or two years. We're still hoping for it."

She shared that as recently as last year, she had felt the need to have a child due to external pressures.

She explained: "People will ask with good intentions… and they'll say, 'No pressure,' but I already felt the pressure coming onto us."

She added that seeing people around her start families coupled with expectations of what was considered "normal" had added to the sense of urgency.

Lee Teng comforted Felicia by saying that having a child is something that can neither be rushed nor controlled.

She eventually realised that it was not a healthy mindset and after reflecting on why she wants a child, she said: "I hope to have the opportunity, with all I can, to raise and love a baby properly."

Taking a trip down memory lane, Lee Teng also surprised Felicia with a photo of the two of them from their school days, which he had recently uncovered while clearing out his warehouse.

He described Felicia as a "school celebrity" at the time with her strong grades and athleticism in the varsity team, adding that many students romantically pursued her at the time.

When the production crew cheekily asked if he ever had a crush on her back then, Lee Teng replied that he had "good feelings" towards her but stopped short of calling it a crush.

Felicia laughed off the description, saying she never saw herself as a school celebrity, except on Valentine's Day, where she would have a pile of gifts on her desk.

'I just wanted to survive'

She admitted she had been hesitant about inviting Lee Teng onto the show as he reminded her of her 20s, a period of her life that she was not particularly eager to revisit.

Despite appearing to have it all after winning Star Search in 2003 and becoming one of Mediacorp's rising stars, Felicia recalled constantly placing pressure on herself and feeling as though she was not quite meeting expectations.

"I wasn't thinking about becoming famous. I just wanted to survive and do my job well," she said.

"I'm not blaming anyone, but I feel a bit sad for the person I was back then."

The two also shared that Lee Teng, who was already a part-time DJ at Mediacorp at the time, had been the one who encouraged Felicia to apply for Star Search.

He even took a taxi and fetched her to the audition as he was worried she would be unfamiliar with the route to Mediacorp and get lost.

Felicia shared that things began to shift after she turned 30.

Instead of performing for external validation, she found herself paying more attention to the meaning behind her work, hoping that her characters and the stories brought to life would resonate with audiences.

Felicia, who became a Christian in 2015, also credited her faith for helping her navigate fears and uncertainties.

Rather than running away from difficult emotions, she learnt to confront them and entrusted many of her worries to God through prayer.

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