Taiwanese star Vivian Hsu gives birth to baby boy after 132-day struggle

Vivian Hsu has been keeping us updated on her pregnancy via social media after months of being bed-ridden, under doctors’ orders, at a hospital in Singapore. Last Thursday she gave birth to her first child by caesarian, a boy weighing 2kg. The parents have named him Dalton Lee because Hsu’s step-children are named Clara and Elisha, and D comes between C and E.
Hsu is famous both for her acting career, and as some would say, for being blessed with eternal youth. The 40-year old played roles in Chinese blockbusters The Accidental Spy (2001) starring Jackie Chan, and The Emperor and the White Snake (2011) starring Jet Li.
She has been enjoying sponge baths and meals in bed since March (she hadn’t taken a bath or shower for nearly five months!). Today Hsu wrote on her Facebook wall: “I heard, after giving birth by caesarian section you should spend 3 to 5 days in hospital in case of a sudden problem, cannot touch the water…”

It isn’t uncommon for mothers to go weeks without bathing during Zuoyuezi, or the month of post-birth confinement, as it is traditionally believed that infections could be spread by washing in cold water. In a lot of cases attitudes haven’t changed, despite Western medical knowledge in China and improvements to the standards of living.
Straits Times reports that although her pregnancy was difficult, she was able to ensure that Dalton reached 32 weeks in gestation before the delivery, so that the baby would not suffer much upon birth. She is expected to return to work in March and fans are wishing her a speedy recovery.

Edit [2:30 p.m.]: The article has been altered to show that this is in fact Hsu’s first, not third, child. Hsu’s husband has two children from a previous marriage.
by Dan Cunningham