SHE is Singapore's first pregnant Member of Parliament (MP). And she may soon be the first political office bearer to go on maternity leave.
Newly elected MP and now Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Education Sim Ann, 36, announced on her Facebook fan page yesterday that she was expecting her third child.
In a note entitled "Something to share with my friends", she said she is due to deliver in late November.
Ms Sim, who used to be a senior director at the National Population and Talent Division, told The New Paper over the phone: "There's a first for everything. If I'm the first pregnant MP, then so be it. I'm pretty sure I won't be the last."
She said she and her husband, Dr Mok Ying Jang, had "always wanted" three kids.
They have a son, 7, and a daughter, 4.
But baby No. 3 took a while in coming because their careers were "intense" by the time their daughter turned 2, she said.
From 2007 to 2009, Ms Sim was based in Shanghai as part of her secondment to International Enterprise Singapore while her husband was in Hong Kong.
Her husband relocated back to Singapore after the recent General Elections.
Ms Sim has just finished her first trimester, and said she feels fine, although she's "a little hungrier" than usual these days.
But was she worried about campaigning while pregnant?
Ms Sim said she had thought it through carefully. She had found out about her pregnancy shortly before the hustings.
"I wanted to make sure my pregnancy was going okay, but at the same time, I had made the commitment to stand as a candidate," she said.
With the assurance of her obstetrician, she went ahead, although she was careful not to over-tire herself.
She said the others in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC People's Action Party team, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Mr Liang Eng Hwa and Mr Christopher de Souza, knew about it.
"The three men were all very gentlemanly, and excited for me," she said.
She intends to work up to the point of delivery, although she expects to be "temporarily out of action" shortly afterwards.
Her Facebook note assured residents that the other GRC members would conduct meet-the-people sessions (MPS) in Bukit Timah on her behalf until she returns to work.
Baby bump
She wrote: "Until the due date, I plan to carry on as per normal with my duties in the constituency - that is, me plus a baby bump."
Mr Liang told The New Paper last evening that the team was "really happy and glad" to hear the news.
"We are a team, so we work together. In her absence, we will be more than happy to cover her MPS duties," he said.
This, however, means there will be some weeks that he will do two MPS sessions but he insisted "it's no problem at all".
Sharing Ms Sim's joy was fellow newly elected MP, Ms Low Yen Ling, 36. She too has two children aged 7 and 4.
Ms Sim and Ms Low have a lot in common, and they both want to ensure that their children have a conducive family environment in spite of their hectic schedules.
"Among the female MPs, we have a support network where we encourage one another," said Ms Low.
"Sim Ann's a very capable lady with proven ability in juggling various roles."
So are the two MP mummies planning anything for their children?
"Play-dates," said Ms Low, laughing.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
