A pregnant Malaysian woman working in Singapore who was initially preparing to return home in Johor Bahru for her delivery unexpectedly had her amniotic fluid break early. Thus, she had to change her plans to take a train to a bus across the causeway.
Fortunately, with the help of the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) officers at Woodlands checkpoint, she arrived at the hospital in Johor Bahru for delivery in about 2 hours and 30 minutes, and both the mother and baby were safe.
Facebook user “Kai Ling Cheng” shared this unforgettable experience on her Facebook and RED pages, thanking the officers at Woodlands for their help and praising them for being “very efficient.”
In her reply to comments from netizens on RED, she revealed that she did her check-ups at a hospital in Johor Bahru, so she could not give birth in Singapore.
Water Breaks On The Way
She originally planned to return to her home in Johor Bahru by train on the evening of the 25th of March, but her amniotic fluid broke early in the morning at 7 o’clock.
As she and her husband headed home, she immediately informed her doctor.
“I was nervous all the way, and halfway through, I felt a big pool of water coming through. I thought it would leak out, so I wore a panty liner to absorb it, and it did not leak until 9:30 when we arrived at the hospital.”
When they arrived at Woodlands checkpoint, the personnel learned that her amniotic fluid had broken and immediately called three or four colleagues to help scan their passports and prepare a wheelchair.
They repeatedly asked if they needed to call an ambulance, making the couple “feel like honoured guests.”
The personnel pushed the wheelchair to the bus stop downstairs, where they saw a crowd of people.
Three or four other personnel helped clear the way and even stopped an empty bus halfway to take them across the causeway quickly.
“I am grateful for their help. The bus driver was so nervous that he didn’t have time to collect the fare,” she said.
Special Care At JB Checkpoint
Although the checkpoint at Sultan Iskandar Building in Johor Bahru was also overcrowded, the personnel did not provide exceptional care for the pregnant woman in labour.
They were slow to process their documents and even asked for a letter of proof, and did not provide a wheelchair.
She had to nervously walk “a long way” to scan their passports and then “walk down a very long and nervous road to take the bus.”
Kai Ling was dilated to two fingers when they arrived at the hospital safely, before giving birth to her baby at 4:21 pm.
“I immediately collapsed after giving birth. I am lucky that my gift came to us safely.”
In addition to thanking the checkpoint personnel at Woodlands in her post, she also expressed her gratitude to the bus driver in the comments section.
“Thank you for your bus and the thoughtful bus driver. He feared I couldn’t get off the bus and stopped by the stairs.”
Her post received more than 1,800 likes, and netizens congratulated her on giving birth to a baby.
Some netizens said they would return home for childbirth a few days before their due date after learning from her experience.
Others pointed out that the checkpoint personnel in Johor Bahru must review their handling of emergencies and consider them more carefully.
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Cover image via FB/ Kai Ling Cheng
