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From left: Madam Emy Khimayati, 29, Jerald Sim, 6, Mr Sim Kim Bock, 42, Justin Sim, 2 and Jayden Sim, 3 with a picture of their newest family member.
His baby girl arrived in this world, wailing and kicking, all in five minutes, at the grass patch by the roadside in front of his HDB block at Ang Mo Kio.
The couple were waiting anxiously for a taxi to take them to the hospital, but the baby could not wait any longer.
The father, Mr Sim Kim Bock, 42, an air-con technician, said: "I was in shock. I didn't think it would happen so fast."
His wife, Madam Emy Khimayati, 29, a housewife, felt some pain in her stomach yesterday morning, but they went off after a while, so she didn't think anything more of it. She even told her husband to report to work as usual.
But the moment he reached the office at about 8am, he received a phone call from her, telling him that the pains were back.
Mr Sim then rushed back home to take her to the hospital.
And as they were frantically standing by the roadside and trying to get a taxi, Madam Khimayati's water bag suddenly burst. They tried to call for a taxi at the worst timing - it was morning rush hour.
Mr Sim recalled: "When we were waiting, my wife was telling me that it was very, very painful. Suddenly, she turned to me and said: 'The baby's head is out.' "
Mr Sim helped his wife to lie down on a grassy patch beside the road. A neighbour, who was helping to watch their children while he took his wife to the hospital, also passed them some towels.
Peekaboo
Even though Mr Sim and his wife were shocked, they remained calm throughout the whole ordeal.
He said: "I comforted her, telling her to relax and that there was nothing that we can do now except wait for the baby to come out.
"It happened in less than five minutes. The baby has a very loud cry."
The ambulance arrived in about 10 minutes after Mr Sim called. While waiting for the ambulance, Mr Sim wrapped his wife and daughter in blankets.
Some of their neighbours also went downstairs to comfort Madam Khimayati while she waited for the ambulance.
Mr Sim, who was the first to see his daughter, said: "I told my wife that it was a girl, but she did not believe me at first."
The couple were longing for a daughter as they have three boys, Jerald, Jayden and Justin, aged two to six.
It was only after the ambulance arrived and the umbilical cord was cut before Madam Khimayati saw her little girl.
Madam Khimayati said: "I thought my husband was bluffing me at first. But I am very happy. I couldn't stop smiling when they put the baby in my arms."
Madam Khimayati also said that the delivery of her other three children took about an hour. And yes, they all took place in a hospital.
She said: "This time it was less painful, but it was definitely much more shocking."
They could not determine the sex of the child during the check-ups.
Mr Sim said with a chuckle: "The baby was always 'blocking', so we could not tell if it was a boy or girl."
When The New Paper visited the family at their three-room flat in Ang Mo Kio on tuesday evening, Mr Sim was at home taking care of the three boys.
They were excited to be visiting their mother and new sister at the hospital later at night.
And her name is...
Six-year-old Jerald, the oldest child of the family, already has a name for his sister - Jasmine.
The Primary 1 pupil in Townsville Primary School said proudly: "I am very happy. I am going to help to take care of my sister. I know how to do everything."
The couple met in Indonesia and were married in Singapore four years ago.
Madam Khimayati, who is from East Java, Indonesia, is not a permanent resident and so she does not work.
Mr Sim earns about S$1,700 a month as an air-con technician. He used to have a part-time job as a dishwasher, earning about S$700 a month, but quit recently to help his wife to take care of the children in the evening.
Mr Sim admitted that the children can be quite a handful, but the family is managing the best that they can.
Speaking over the chatter of the three energetic boys, he said: "I am worried about the expenses because the cost of living is so high. But my wife and I always wanted a big family because we love children. "
The couple wanted to have three children initially, but decided to try for a girl after three boys.
Mr Sim said: "We have three boys, so we don't have any clothes for girls. Now that we have a girl, we will buy a few new ones."
"I comforted her, telling her to relax and that there was nothing that we can do now except wait for the baby to come out. It happened in less than five minutes. The baby has a very loud cry."
- Mr Sim Kim Bock in his blood-stained clothes at the KK Women's and Children's Hospital
linheng@sph.com.sg
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