Actress Janet Hsieh reveals why she shared her miscarriage details
Taiwanese actress Janet Hsieh, who is pregnant again, says she opened up about her loss last year to help ease the pressure on women
Before the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and US model-host Chrissy Teigen recently went public with their pregnancy losses, Taiwanese actress-host Janet Hsieh had talked about her miscarriage in graphic detail in August last year.
The 40-year-old told Taiwanese media outlet ETtoday she discovered in May last year that her foetus had no heartbeat 10 weeks into her second pregnancy, and that it had stopped developing at eight weeks.
Hsieh did not want the foetus removed by surgery or medication and wanted to see if her body could discharge it naturally.
While shooting a variety show two weeks later, Hsieh started bleeding profusely but endured the pain until her lunch break as she did not want to disrupt filming.
She then went to the toilet to pass the dead foetus out. However, she had to pull it out by hand when it got stuck, and she then flushed it away as tears streamed down her face.
Speaking to The New Paper recently, she said she opened up about her experience because women face so much pressure, blame, guilt and stigma after losing a baby.
Hsieh, who has a three-year-old son with her husband, British-Chinese actor George Young, said: "Somebody (on ETtoday) asked if I was trying to have another baby, and I just answered very naturally. The reaction of everyone was shock - that I would just share (the story) in such a laissez-faire (manner).
"I received a lot of follow-up questions after the miscarriage... they would say things like 'Maybe you can take better care of your body next time' or 'Maybe you can take Chinese medicine.'
"And I realised through all (of them) that a lot of pressure was put on the woman and (it) made me feel like I was the problem or I did something wrong.
"But I was completely healthy. I didn't feel like I was doing anything wrong, nobody in my immediate family or circle thought there was anything I could have done better."
Hsieh was speaking to regional media from Taiwan to promote her new Taiwanese romantic comedy series Adventure Of The Ring, which premieres on Dec 13 at 9pm on HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601/Singtel TV Ch 420) and HBO Go.
It stars Chris Wang and Allison Lin as a couple who misplace their engagement ring, which ends up travelling through the hands of other lovebirds.
Hsieh plays Rossy, a radio DJ-cum-love guru who also serves as the show's narrator.
She said the response she got from opening up about her miscarriage was supportive.
"The response was a mixture of 'thank you', 'I also went through these emotions' and 'I went through this experience, but I never felt comfortable talking about it', while others were like, 'I had no idea how common (miscarriages) were'.
"It also made people trying to get pregnant aware of what could happen... I wanted people to be more open about it."
Hsieh is expecting again and is due next month.
Anxiety still plagues her.
"I am excited (about this pregnancy) but also wary that I might miscarry. There is always a cloud over the excitement.
"Mentally, I am prepared for anything and any outcome, but you still have those little panic moments."
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