Celebrity couple Kate Pang and Andie Chen post video of son's birth online

When Taiwan-born local actress Kate Pang pushed out her son in June, her husband pulled out the video camera.

Now the couple plan to post the video online next month.

Pang said she was besieged with questions after having baby Aden during a homebirth in Taiwan.

To provide answers and encourage drug-free births, local actor Andie Chen, who is married to Pang, decided to release the video he took of Pang delivering their son, Aden.

Pang delivered naturally without an epidural, with the help of Chen and two licenced midwives.

She is happy to share footage of the process, said her husband.

"She experienced childbirth naturally and wouldn't have traded it for the world. (So) she's all for sharing it."

In Taiwan, the services of midwives are free for the couple, as the government foots the bill.

Chen has yet to decide how many episodes the non-profit web series will have, but he hopes it will help people view home births more positively.

One local gynaecologist who declined to be named told The New Paper: "I do not support home births and will not perform it as I feel that labour and delivery is a natural event and (anything can happen).

"If all goes well, all is fine and everyone is happy. However, all it takes is an unexpected twist and the normal pregnancy becomes high-risk."

Without monitoring devices typically found in hospitals, the mother and those attending the birth may not be aware something amiss has occurred, she pointed out.

In the event of an emergency, there may be insufficient time to "run to safety" and deliver the baby safety, she added.

NOT WORRIED

Chen said he and his wife were not worried about emergencies, as they consulted gynaecologists in Singapore and Taipei before Aden's birth.

He was carefully monitored until he arrived, said the proud father.

The couple opted for a home birth because it seemed a good fit with the healthy and organic lifestyle they lead.

The first and second episodes of the online series will focus on Aden's birth and will be uploaded onto Chen and Pang's YouTube channel, the Kandie Network, on Dec 1.

Each episode on the Kandie Network, which is a combination of the couple's names, will be five to seven minutes long.

Chen, 29, intends to keep the series going as a platform for parents to share parenting tips and future episodes will document experiences such as the first time he had to change a diaper.

In the 20-second trailer, which Chen recently released, Pang, 31, is seen moaning in pain as she battled contractions.

Chen said his wife's "worst screams" were edited out of the videos, so what viewers will get to see is a less-intense version of the ordeal.

The couple, who are based in Taiwan because of Chen's work, are in Singapore for two weeks. They are enjoying introducing their firstborn to family and friends here.

Chen said it was fun filming and editing the footage, given his film-making background.

He added: "I want my videos to help first-time parents who are also looking for assurance. When my son was born, it was a really beautiful moment."

This article was first published on Nov 17, 2014.
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