While her son rightfully takes his time, the rest of the family has been elated.
“My in-laws are very excited because my husband Matthew has always been the only son, so they’ve never had a baby girl in the family – that makes our girl the first princess,” Lim said, laughing.
“And my mum is very happy and has been helping me with so much. From buying all my confinement food and groceries to sending my son to school and picking him up, she’s been doing a lot of heavy lifting.”
In an interview with 8days, Lim also revealed how eventful the birth was. Her husband, Matthew Webster, also 39, was in Indonesia for a work trip when she went into labour. Webster had already committed to the trip with the expectation that the baby would arrive about two weeks earlier, but she arrived later than anticipated.
“Thankfully, he managed to take an earlier flight back – his colleagues were very understanding – and came back about three hours before the birth,” Lim told 8days. “Initially, it was my mum accompanying me in the delivery ward, and then they had a tag team moment. Over to you, Matthew.
“He had already arranged for an earlier flight, but after work, he just rushed straight to the airport to see if he could get on any flight back.
“I reassured him that whatever is going to happen will happen, and if he wasn’t around, it would be fine. Just get me like a big gift when the time comes,” she added, laughing.
For now, as she slowly takes in and cherishes the moments she has with both her children, she’s also looking forward to one thing: Washing her hair.
“Yes, I’m observing all the confinement rules,” she said, laughing. “I can’t wait to wash my hair and relieve myself and everyone around me.”
Lim added: “While this new transition has been a lot to deal with, I have a wonderful support system. It’s such a privilege because with the people around me, I can really unwind, even in the midst of everything that’s going on. I still have some pockets of time for myself, even in the midst of pumping or feeding, I can still catch up on a show or just do something I like.”
Now that she’s a mum of two, despite all the challenges, Lim feels a lot more at ease and as if her love has “expanded”.
“Leading up to my second birth, I was feeling anxious. I didn’t know how I would be able to handle the love for two kids, because I really have so much love for my son,” she said. “There was quite a lot of fear, guilt or worry that I wouldn’t be able to handle being a mom of two.
“But now that she’s here, I feel like the love expanded, and it’s so important to just go with the flow sometimes.
“The quote ‘yesterday’s history, tomorrow’s a mystery, and today’s a gift’ really stuck with me. I’m just doing my best every single day.
“And honestly, I think that applies to everyone – whether you’re a parent or not. You’re just doing your best, and that’s all that matters.”