Who would know, a simple Sunday afternoon turned into an unforgettable moment for a group of strangers who came together to welcome a new life into the world.
Bhavani recalls that it was her husband who FIRST noticed a woman getting off a motorcycle and sitting by the roadside. Concerned, they approached her along with another woman in her 50s and quickly realised she was in active labour.
Without hesitation, they called for medical assistance. While waiting for the ambulance, they received step-by-step instructions from a medical officer on how to help the woman through her delivery.
Bhavani, who had no medical training, joined the other women in becoming an emergency midwife. Her husband and an e-hailing driver rushed to gather cloths and umbrellas from passing motorists. In total, seven strangers stood together in the pouring rain, united in their mission to help a mother in need.
As the mother began pushing, the rain intensified, and traffic started to build up. “I held out my hands to receive the baby because the mother was lying on the tarmac, and there wasn’t enough cloth to place beneath her,” Bhavani recalled. Moments later, a healthy baby boy was born.
Indeed, the moment was tense nature’s urgency gave them no time to think about anything but the life about to enter the world.
While members of the public shielded the mother’s modesty with cloth and umbrellas, Bhavani worked to keep her conscious until the ambulance arrived. In the absence of proper tools, they tied the umbilical cord with a shoelace to prevent excessive bleeding. Big thanks to the food delivery guy who had the quick think!
Both mother and child were later taken to Sultan Ismail Hospital, where they are now reported to be in good health.
In the days that followed, Syarifah and Bhavani created a WhatsApp group with those who were present, hoping to maintain the bond formed under such extraordinary circumstances.
Speaking on the experience, Bhavani admitted it was unlike anything she had ever faced, but the instinct to help overpowered any fear. Yet, she also recalled a sobering reality, when her husband and the e-hailing driver called out for help from others, many chose not to step forward.
“In a world where we are constantly rushing, sometimes we forget that it takes only a little of our time to help someone in need,” she said.
The courage, compassion, and humanity shown by Bhavani, Syarifah, and the others who braved the rain that day are a reminder that in moments of kindness can make all the difference.