'I forgot I was pregnant': Kayly Loh has '1st lesson in parenthood' while travelling in China

It was a lesson learnt for local actress Kayly Loh and her commercial director husband Jonathan Chong.

In an Instagram post uploaded on June 2, Kayly — who is 38 and currently expecting her first child — recalled their recent trip in Western Sichuan, China, where they were given a "little reminder" that sometimes you just have to let go of your plans and adapt.

"I forgot I was pregnant for our babymoon," said Kayly, before recounting how they drove six hours up a mountain to stay in a hotel with serene views, only to hear bad news.

"When we arrived, the hotel manager took a look at me and said, 'You really shouldn't be here,'" she recounted.

The hotel sat at a 3,800-metre altitude, and while Kayly felt fine, she said the risk of altitude sickness during pregnancy wasn't worth taking.

According to the United States' Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, pregnant travellers should avoid activities at high elevation unless they have trained for and are accustomed to such activities.

This is because cardiopulmonary demands are usually increased during pregnancy, and those not acclimated to high elevation and lower atmospheric oxygen levels might experience new or worsening symptoms of breathlessness and palpitations, it said.

While the couple had to drive six hours back down and stop by a petrol station to have instant noodles for dinner, Kayly said they weren't upset.

"Jon said, 'Maybe this is our first lesson in parenthood — that no matter how much you plan, things won't always go your way. We just have to adapt and figure it out.'"

And he was right, she said.

They settled in a hotel in Mount Emei and still had a good time. "Not the babymoon we planned but probably the babymoon we needed."

Kayly married Jonathan, whom she met through the e-commerce app Carousell, in 2021.

She announced her pregnancy in March this year and later shared that the baby was conceived through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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