To all of you friends, family and other interested readers who share this blog, THANK YOU for all your prayers , positive thoughts and energy, and well wishes for me during my pregnancy here in East Timor, and for the birth of baby Liddle.  I do believe God heard all the prayers, and Simon Walter Liddle was born just as he was meant to be born.

In a nutshell, his birth was speedy, safe, and perfect, with the right people here at the right time.

The stats:

Born Feb.  15, 2010 about 1a.m. Timor time

3kg/6 lb 10 oz (big by Timor standards)

Full head of brown hair

Born at home in Lospalos with Daddy catching and Clinic Immanuel nurse Delfin assisting.

(and for you birth junkies in Duluth: about 4 and a half hours labor, with just an hour of hard active and about 15 minuts second stage. Born in the caul with a nuchal arm)

WHat Was It Like Having A Baby in East Timor?

Well…it was very peaceful. Very quiet as it was nighttime, except for me whispering an assortment of affirmations to myself to cope with labor. The electricity went out as usual at midnite, but I never noticed because I wanted candles for light anyway and already had them burning.  Though we live in one of the mosth undeveloped countries in asia, we don’t live in a grass hut with a dirt floor. We are fortunate to have a bathroom attached to our bedroom.  And, all the squating I did during my pregnancy and labor while using squat toilets was certainly helpful preparing me for birh.  And, our tanki was full, so there was plenty of water for all our needs after teh birth, though we have no running waterh most hours of the day and nite. (after 6 months, I find my new normal quite comfortable)

As with Hannah’s birth, I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have had the people attend me for Simon’s birth here in Lospalos that I trust the most.  I work with Delfin every day, an he is a very skilled and intelligent nurse.  His bedside manner is also excellent.  Tom called him as the baby was coming faster than it would take to get to the hospital at that point, and he arrived in, literally, a minute (he lives across the street at the clinic). Pastor Duarte and his wife Mery arrived minutes later, and held baby Simon, brought hot water for a bath, and talked with Hannah while Delfin, Tom and I took care of cord cutting, placenta, and baby exam details. When Simon and I were cleaned up and resting, Pastor Duarte said a prayer for us.  This is our community, and we are so blessed.