'I won't pretend I'm looking forward to motherhood': Rebecca Lim on life changes and possibility of becoming a 'tiger mum'

Local actress Rebecca Lim said that she is "very protective" of her niece Ava, and can't imagine how protective she would be when she becomes a mother.

Speaking to the media in an interview for her new movie Confinement today (Oct 13), the 37-year-old, who is about five months pregnant now, expressed her feelings regarding her impending motherhood.

"I'm more nervous than looking forward. I won't pretend that I'm looking forward to motherhood. I am nervous about being a mother," said Rebecca.

She added that her nervousness stems from the "responsibility" she feels towards a new life and the uncertainties about the changes to her own life.

Rebecca shared: "I think my life will definitely change, but I don't know how. That's something that I cannot control and I'm nervous about that. But it's not just going to be motherhood, it's also continuing my work.

"I feel that motherhood is a very huge thing in my life, but it's also just one part of my life. How do I carry on after that? That's what I am also nervous about because I don't know what is going to happen."

'I don't want to overbuy and then everything is wasted'

On whether she has started to prepare for the arrival of her child, whose gender is a secret for now, Rebecca said that she and her husband Matthew Webster have "zero" preparation now.

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"I only have one cot from one of my friends. We haven't put up the baby room and have not bought anything yet because we're in the midst of moving house, so I want to move house first and then see what we actually need and the space we have.

"I don't want to overbuy and then everything is wasted. So I want to wait until after we move then we start to prepare," she shared.

When asked if she has decided on a birth plan, Rebecca said that she would prefer natural birth but will listen to the doctor's advice ultimately.

'The only unknown now is my baby's character'

In the horror-thriller movie Confinement, Rebecca plays pregnant artist Wang Siling, who grew up in an orphanage without her childhood memories. After winning an award for her artwork, she moves into a big house donated by late artist Mr Yan to the art council.

With the arrival of her baby, confinement nanny Ah Qing (Cynthia Koh) also comes to stay and introduces many traditional confinement rules for Siling to follow.

In addition to taking care of a new life and living under Ah Qing's strict rules, Siling soon realises that the house may contain sinister forces which are linked to her own forgotten past, increasing her fear of losing her sanity.

As for engaging a confinement nanny in real life, she shared that she will be hiring the same person that her sister-in-law had when Ava was born.

"When my sister-in-law gave birth, we lived together, and it was during the circuit breaker period. We spent a lot of time together and I was able to observe the difficulties of a new mother, how the baby would be like and how to communicate with the confinement nanny," she said.

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Rebecca shared that with these "second-hand experiences", her worries and concerns were reduced as she is familiar with the person who would be taking care of her baby.

She added: "The only unknown now is my baby's character."

Rebecca also shared that she intends to do a 40-day confinement to return to her best condition.

'A lot of people said that I may be a tiger mum'

There are some common confinement beliefs, such as not bathing and not going out, and Rebecca said that it would depend on the situation but she would try to follow the practices as closely as possible.

"I am someone who is used to bathing two times a day," she said, adding that maintaining hygiene is important.

On what kind of mother Rebecca thinks she would be, she said: "A lot of people said that I may be a tiger mum, but I don't think I would be a tiger mum in terms of education.

"I really hope that I can instil good moral values, such as being respectful and polite, and hope that the child would be happy. I would hope to have more control on these and teach my child."

Confinement will be released in Singapore theatres on Oct 19.

In addition, don't miss the exclusive opportunity to interact with Rebecca, Cynthia and director Kelvin Tong, who will be sharing behind-the-scenes stories of the movie at GV Suntec on Oct 19. You can get the tickets here.

ALSO READ: 'Almost ready': Rebecca Lim and husband give glimpse of their new home

yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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