When she awoke at about 7am on the morning of Dec. 6, 30-year-old Siti Nur Shafiatul, who was nearing the end of her pregnancy, felt the tell-tale sign of contractions.
After asking her husband to ferry their two boys to school, she booked a car via Grab to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), reported The Straits Times.
The mother reckoned she'd be able to hold on till she reached the hospital, just as she did so with her second child about 18 months back.
Her third child was supposed to be due on Dec. 13, 2023, she told Shin Min Daily News.
One traffic junction away
She'd struggled to head downstairs when the private-hire car arrived at 9am to pick her up from her Choa Chu Kang home, the woman told ST.
The driver provided a comforting presence, kept a watchful eye on her, and tried to calm her down throughout the 40-minute ride, she recounted.
Siti recounted to Shin Min that they encountered numerous red lights along the way, and the journey took longer than usual because it was peak hour.
They were near the hospital when the woman knew that the time had come.
"I’m sorry, the baby is coming out," she called out to the driver.
Not sure what to do, the frantic woman held on to the handlebars of the doors.
The baby came out immediately after her water bag burst.
"I didn’t expect the baby to come so fast. Because with my second child, I managed to take the Grab (car) and gave birth in the hospital. So I thought maybe this one would also be the same," she told ST.
She was almost right, as the car had only been one traffic junction away from the hospital in the Novena area.
"When we reached the hospital, the baby was already in my hands, and the umbilical cord was already hanging out."
Upon arrival at KKH, the driver wasted no time getting out of the car and looking for help.
Siti's husband was said to have let out a shocked "huh" when informed that she gave birth in the car.
The hospital staff approached the car to cover the baby and cut the cord, while the mother was brought to the labour room and didn't get to thank the driver, according to ST.
Gave driver good rating
That night, the woman took to Facebook to express her gratitude to the driver for helping her keep calm and transporting her safely to the hospital.
She tagged Grab and implored the public to help identify the "uncle" so that she could "thank him properly".
Two days later, she posted an update saying that she'd found him and contacted him personally.
The woman had tipped the driver S$20 via the Grab app, in addition to the trip's S$30 fare.
She also gave him a good rating and wrote a message.
“Grab already contacted me and told me that they will pass this message along and acknowledge this uncle’s efforts," she told ST.
As of Dec. 7, the mother has been discharged while her newborn son has been transferred to a special care nursery.
“We are glad that mum and baby are well and want to commend our driver-partner for his kind assistance and for remaining calm throughout the journey," a representative from Grab told ST.
Mothership has reached out to Grab for comment.
Top images via Siti Nur Shafiatul/Facebook and Unsplash