Pre-school teacher gives birth in Grab car en route to hospital
A trip in a Grab car took an unexpected turn when a woman gave birth on the way to the hospital.
Pre-school teacher Nur Syazwani Muhammad Rosdi, 25, experienced strong contractions on last Wednesday evening, and she and her husband booked a Grab ride to take them to Thomson Medical Centre.
The couple, who live in the Canberra area, were 10 minutes into their journey when Ms Syazwani's water broke.
She wrote in a Facebook post on Friday: "I tried to control my body, the contractions and every other pain that (came) along. Then, my body decided to go into active labour. I decided to throw my dignity out of the car window... My body was telling me to push the baby out. I did."
When Ms Syazwani told her husband, Mr Kamarulnizam Kiman, that the baby was crowning, he initially panicked as he tried to make sense of the situation. While the couple already have two children, it was the first time he faced the prospect of their child being born in a car.
Mr Kamarulnizam, who is also 25 and a public servant, told The Straits Times: "I just wanted to reach the hospital."
With time running out, he helped his wife deliver their baby girl in the car.
"I was holding my daughter in one hand and my wife's placenta in the other hand," said Mr Kamarulnizam.
The entire delivery process took 10 minutes, which was "very fast" compared with the couple's first two kids.
Ms Syazwani wrote in her post that she is grateful to the Grab driver, Mr Chia Shang Heng, for being understanding, kind and tolerant.
"We apologise for the mess made to your car, the business lost from not having a clean car to drive and the terrible drama scene you had to deal with while driving. Thank you once again for being our heroic driver."
Besides the Grab fare of $15 and a tip of $8, which was the maximum amount they could give on the app, the couple paid him $220 in compensation.
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