PETALING JAYA, Sept 3 — A Malaysian husband bravely acted as a midwife for his labouring spouse after they got caught in a traffic jam while en route to the hospital.
Hasrul Wahab shared the experience on his Facebook, describing the event as “unforgettable.”
He said that his wife started going into labour on the morning of August 28 and while things were initially calm, the contractions quickly intensified when evening came.
“After Maghrib, we sent our two kids over to my mum’s house. I asked my wife if we could perform our Isyak prayers first and she said yes.
“When we were done, we sprinted to the car and set off for the hospital because the contractions were becoming more frequent.
“At the time, the map on my phone didn’t show any traffic jams,” Hasrul wrote.
The couple was in for a shock when they approached the toll booth on the Shah Alam Expressway (Kesas) and found bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Hasrul said that was when the “drama” began as his wife progressed into the next stage of labour.
“It was at the time that my wife said the baby was ready to come out. I felt blur for a moment and I didn’t know what to do.
“It turns out that the Road Transport Department (JPJ) had set up an ‘Op Bersepadu’ roadblock and I had to stop at the side of the road.
“I got out of the vehicle and the JPJ officer asked for my licence. I told him my wife was about to give birth in the car and chaos ensued.”
MasyaAllah.. Pengalaman yang xdpt dilupakan. Alkisahnya wife dari pagi semalam bagitau dah mula ada contraction, so...
Posted by Hasrul Wahab on Friday, August 28, 2020
The officers phoned for an ambulance but Hasrul was forced to become an impromptu midwife when he opened the car door and found that his spouse was already giving birth.
“I became a midwife and it took less than two minutes, faster than cooking a packet of instant noodles.
“Alhamdulillah, the baby came out and started crying immediately.”
The JPJ officers then decided to escort the couple and their newborn baby to the hospital as the ambulance took too long to arrive at the scene.
Travelling with the convoy allowed Hasrul and his family to bypass the traffic snarl on the highway and reach the hospital safely.
He added that he was grateful for the assistance of the officials and was amused that his baby was able to have a “VVIP” welcome into the world.
