Singapore celebrates its 48th birthday on Aug 9, and to tie in with this,The Straits Times Picture Desk has put together 48 Singaporean Seconds, an audio-visual tribute to Singaporeans who have made this little red dot their home.

We are releasing their stories and videos in the next few weeks.

In the ninth instalment of our series, we talk to nutritionist Tay Mei Lin.

Tay Mei Lin, 34, nutritionist

Every Chinese New Year, Ms Tay Mei Lin, 34, a nutritionist, and her husband Aram Pan, 37, a photographer, would face a barrage of questions from relatives and friends.

The couple, who got married in September 2005, had been trying for a kid for years - but to no avail.

"When are you going to give birth? Don't you two have enough of each other already?" Ms Tay recalls the questions. "But they don't realise that it's not that we don't want children. It's that we couldn't."

The couple consulted medical specialists, underwent countless tests and even tried Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). They found out that the chances of them conceiving a child was only about 17 per cent.

They eventually decided to let nature take its course, although their hearts ached each time they saw their friends hanging out with their own children. She asked herself: "Why couldn't I do it? Why could they do it so easily?"

Through the years, both secretly hoped for a son and had a name in mind. They did not share it with each other until one day, they both uttered the name at the same time.

After seven long years of trying for a kid, their dream finally came true on July 8 this year: Their son, David, was born.

- Photos and videos by The Straits Times Picture Desk