Woman and friend help Punggol neighbour give birth at home

A routine evening at home turned into a life-changing moment on Aug 10 for Ms Latashni Gobi Nathan, when she and her best friend helped her next-door neighbour deliver a baby.

While watching post-National Day celebrations together from the rooftop of their Punggol Housing Board block at around 6pm, the neighbour, Ms Nur Amalina, 34, told Ms Latashni and her husband that she was having mild contractions.

"Around noon, I was having mild contractions. We talked to the neighbours and asked them to help with taking care of our two daughters if I needed to go to hospital the next day," Ms Amalina, a homemaker, told The Straits Times.

The baby was not due until Aug 17, the 34-year-old added.

"At around 10pm, my contractions got even more intense. I told my husband we had to go. I started panicking, wondering if I had the time to make it to the hospital or not."

Ms Amalina's husband Dzukri Bachtiar, 40, a field service engineer, said he managed to remain calm.

"I was already prepared on what to do. My parents, who live with us, were on holiday that day, so it was just us. We had contacted my sister, but she could make it only at 11pm.

"When our (elder daughter) woke up during the contractions, we sought our neighbours' help."

Ms Latashni, 35, a senior assistant manager for communications, said she was having dinner at home with her husband and her friend Sangeetha when Mr Dzukri suddenly called the couple for help at about 10.15pm.

"I ran over (to their flat) and saw (Ms Amalina) kneeling near the entrance, having painful contractions," she said.

Ms Latashni stepped in to help her neighbour, together with Ms Sangeetha.

Within minutes, Ms Amalina's water bag burst, and the baby girl arrived soon after, at around 10.30pm, with Mr Dzukri helping to pull the newborn out safely.

Said Ms Latashni: "It felt like an hour, but it was just 15 minutes."

Mr Dzukri had called for an ambulance when his wife began experiencing painful contractions.

After Ms Amalina gave birth, Ms Latashni called again, and was informed that paramedics were already at the block and on their way to the flat.

"We were shocked for a moment, but then everything just happened so quickly - the baby started crying, the paramedics arrived, and (Amalina) was holding her child," said Ms Latashni.

She and Ms Sangeetha helped to comfort the couple's older daughter and to clean up their flat, while the younger daughter was asleep.

The paramedics helped cut the baby's umbilical cord, and left after checking that both mother and baby were fine, according to Ms Latashni.

She recounted the incident in an Instagram post on Aug 15, where she said that she and Ms Sangeetha "found ourselves in the most remarkable, life-changing moment we have ever experienced".

She described the experience as "the universe's biggest blessing" and said it forged an unbreakable bond between her family and her neighbours.

Ms Latashni said that she and her husband have always been close to Ms Amalina and her family, as they share a corner with only two units on their floor.

"For the past two years, we've cleaned and decorated our corridors together, and even planned to change our gates at the same time," she said.

"They trusted us without question - and this incident really took the relationship to the next level."

She added that the experience has made her reflect on the importance of neighbourly ties.

"In Singapore we're always in a rush, or don't want to communicate. But if you think of the big picture, the meaning of life is to have people around you. This showed me how important it is to just be a bit more friendly and kind - you never know what blessings you'll receive."

Reflecting on the incident, Mr Dzukri said: "It is rare to find this 'kampung spirit' in neighbours nowadays."

Adding to the joy, Ms Latashni has since been named godmother to the baby girl.

"The sweetest part? I'm now officially godma to this little princess," she wrote in the Instagram post.