Hong Kong – For fitness influencer and yoga instructor Lam Chin-yu, better known as Coffee, the birth of her second child came after a long and emotional wait—one that completely changed how she views early motherhood. In a heartfelt social media post on Thursday, the mother of two opened up about learning to slow down and cherish every tiny detail of her infant daughter, a lesson she says she missed the first time around.
Coffee, 34, and her husband, Chi-wing, are parents to seven-year-old son, Tak-yin (affectionately called Yan Yan), and a nine-month-old baby girl named Rea, born in early November last year. The family of four recently enjoyed an outing, and on Thursday, Coffee shared a series of photographs on Instagram depicting their day out.
In the accompanying caption, she reflected candidly on the contrasting experiences of raising her two children. “When the first child came, it was too fast and too sudden,” she wrote. “I realized I never truly stopped to enjoy every moment of my son’s growth.”
With her second pregnancy, Coffee said she finally learned to pause. “I waited, and waited, and waited again, and then I waited some more. So this time, for my second child, I finally knew how to just stop, look at her round little eyes, look at her cute yellowish armpits, look at her collagen-filled cheeks, look at her little fish mouth, look at her chubby, segment-like body—and then her sharp but fatty little bottom, and those thick, strong little thighs.”
“Every day I look at her and I just sigh,” she continued. “Wow, this is the gift we waited a full seven years for.”
Coffee acknowledged that her son now often declares he loves the baby more than his mother, but she takes it in stride. “I will generously forgive him, because the other party is you [the baby],” she wrote, adding a lighthearted tone to her reflection.
The post resonated with many followers, drawing thousands of likes and comments from parents who shared similar experiences of struggling to balance the demands of a first child with the desire to be fully present. Coffee, a well-known figure in Hong Kong’s wellness and parenting community, has often shared snippets of her family life online, blending fitness tips with relatable parenting anecdotes.
Broader Impact
Coffee’s candid admission touches on a universal parenting challenge: the pressure to “do it all” while missing the small, fleeting moments. Child development experts note that many first-time parents experience a sense of “lost time” as they navigate sleepless nights, feeding schedules, and the steep learning curve of newborn care.
“The second child often allows parents to relax because they know what to expect,” said Dr. Karen Leung, a Hong Kong-based family psychologist. “That familiarity lets them focus more on bonding and less on worrying. This shift is healthy for both parent and child.”
For Coffee, the lesson appears to be one of gratitude. Her post serves as a reminder to many that while parenting can feel overwhelming, the smallest observations—a baby’s toes, a silly face, or a chubby leg—can become the most treasured memories.
As her daughter approaches her first birthday later this year, Coffee said she is still learning to live in the moment, one “round little eye” at a time.
