Kota Kinabalu: The woman who was forced to give birth by the roadside due to traffic congestion along Jalan Lintas-Kolombong, recently, is back home with her newborn girl.
“I want to thank the firefighters and everyone who came to help me and my daughter,” Rahima Ara, 39, said after giving birth to a healthy 2.59kg baby girl on Thursday.
Rahima and her family also thanked everyone who prayed for their health and safety after the incident went viral on social media.
The anxious moment, she added, occurred when her husband’s vehicle became stuck in traffic.
“My baby was scheduled to be born on June 18,” she said, adding her daughter who has yet to be named was also in an upside down position.
“I was called to the Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital for a dialysis procedure even a day before that,” she said when met at her home in Kg Kobusak.
Rahima said after taking a shower on the day of the incident, she felt pain in her abdomen and immediately requested her husband to take her to the hospital.
However, she said the journey was “disrupted” due to traffic congestion.
“My husband began honking his car horn to request that the path be cleared, and several vehicles obliged, but time was against us,” she said.
Meanwhile, Sabah Fire and Rescue Deputy Director Farhan Sufyan Borhan, who saw the pair in distress on his way to work at the State Fire and Rescue Headquarters, just 500 metres away, was one of the persons who stepped forward to help during the incident.
Farhan said this was his first encounter with a situation like this.
Firefighters, on the other hand, are taught to be ready for anything, according to him.
“We must know the meaning of caring for and assisting those in need. This awareness has the potential to have a positive influence and save lives,” he said.
Farhan also thanked members of the public who stepped forward to assist during the incident.
