Baby no. 2 for Joanne Peh? "Maybe we'll try next year"

That wasn't the only piece of advice new mums and dads can learn from her. On Channel 8 variety programme Baby Steps, which premiered last week, Joanne offers viewers an intimate look at her journey from expectancy to post-pregnancy, while picking up and sharing helpful tips from experts and fellow parents. In yesterday's episode, she even showed never-before-seen footage of her blazing through her painkiller-free birth in the delivery suite, after a whopping 16 hours in labour.

"The birth video was something I chose to share with the audience because I wanted to inspire and motivate mums who want to have a natural birth, but are afraid of what it's going to be like," she told us.

When we asked how she dealt with the physical agony, Joanne said she "just kept staring" at a poster on the wall directly opposite her to take her mind off the pain. She would also imagine herself "standing up on a mountain" watching herself from above to try and "detach" herself from the experience.

Counting helped too. "There's actually a technique to pushing (and counting), which I thought would be useful to share."

Baby Steps airs Tuesdays, 8pm on Channel 8. Watch past episodes on Toggle here, and continue reading as Joanne opens up about life after motherhood, her future work plans and why she hasn’t revealed too many details about her bundle of joy:

Toggle: How is motherhood for you so far?
Joanne: It's very fulfilling! There are good days and bad days - sometimes my daughter would sleep through the day and sometimes she's a little extra fussy, but it's all part of her trying to make sense of the world, and I look forward to the changes every day.

Is she easy to take care of?
Yes, she's a very happy baby. She smiles a lot and is beginning to laugh and make gurgling sounds. Seeing her smile always makes our day.

Who is your daughter more like: mum or dad?
In terms of features, I think she looks more like my husband, but in terms of character, he says she's a bit more like me because she's very happy. She also likes to stretch a lot, which is what I used to do when I was pregnant.

Is there a reason you're keeping her full face and name under wraps?
I want to give her the chance to decide if she wants to participate in social media. As for her name, I don't withhold it from people around me who ask, but I don't see a need to announce it. I tend to have this fear of people knowing too much, especially with kids - I feel more protective over their identities and I'd rather not reveal too much about them.

Can you at least give us her initial, or a nickname?
(Coy smile) We used to call her "Xiao Mian Bao" ("Little Bread") because I loved to eat bread during that time, so we've thought of giving her the nickname "Baguette" but... I don't know. (laughs)

Who looks after her when both you and Yuwu are busy?
I have good friends to help me babysit, and she has a godmother who spoils her rotten! I don't think I'll be one to spoil her - I haven't bought her any toys (most of her toys were passed down from me), but my husband got her a lot of clothes from Australia (Ed's note: Yuwu was recently in Melbourne to film The Dream Makers 2). I just buy her books!

How did you cope while Yuwu was away in Australia?
It was tough, really! Because it so happened that while he was there, our daughter refused to go to bed and was quite difficult for those few days, and I was crying because I was thinking, "Why wouldn't she sleep!? What should I do!?" And Yuwu felt bad because he wasn't around. But it came and it went, so it's not so bad.

Do you think she was being like that because she knew her dad wasn't there?
I don't know, but I guess babies can be very sensitive. Her brain is developing and maybe she was feeling insecure because of the new environment around her.

Is that why you've decided to temporarily relocate to Beijing later this year when Yuwu is there for work?
We're not really moving or relocating there. It's more like, if there's nothing going on for me here then we will go over and spend time with him. I don't want my daughter to not recognise her father, because at a certain age (I think at around eight months), they start recognising faces and being afraid of strangers, and I don't want that to happen with him. We'll see how it goes - after I finish filming Baby Steps, I'll probably head there with her and go back and forth if necessary because there might be work for me in Singapore.

Speaking of which, what's next for you?
I'm still waiting for the right project to come along. I want to be able to spend as much time with my baby as possible, but if a role is convincing then I want to be acting again.

Is there a role you wouldn't take, now that you're a mother?
Anything that's too dangerous or puts my life at risk. I think we value our lives a lot more as parents because we don't want anything to happen to us - we want to be there for our child and watch her grow up!

You've also changed the terms of your contract to film only one drama a year after you gave birth.
The new contract is more about opening doors to try different things and giving me more flexibility to decide, rather than just doing one drama after another. It was okay back then but now, with a baby, it doesn't seem so suitable.

What are your plans for Baby Qi's first Christmas?
I hope it'll be a cold and snowy one. (smiles) (Ed's note: She's trying to hint that they may be spending the holidays in Beijing)