Nervous Kedah dad successfully delivers own baby with help from emergency hotline

PETALING JAYA, Sept 23 — It’s not every day that a dad gets to deliver his own baby.

Truth be told, many fathers would be happy to sit on the sidelines and give moral support.

But Facebook user Fahmi Jamil from Alor Setar, Kedah, plunged into the deep end two weeks ago when his wife went into labour while they were still at home.

Fahmi described his unforgettable experience delivering his own baby in a long and detailed post on Facebook two days ago, describing what it was like during those anxious moments.

He explained that he and his wife, Noor Kamila Abdullah, were expecting their second bundle of joy on September 24.

However, during a routine check-up at their maternity clinic two weeks before the due date, the doctor told Fahmi and Kamila to be on “standby” as the baby’s was already engaged.

“As the due date got closer, I was getting more and more nervous, I couldn’t sit quietly, the nerves were even greater than how I felt before getting married,” wrote Fahmi.

“The mother is giving birth, but the dad is overreacting.”

A few days later, on the night of September 14, Kamila woke up in the middle of the night, around 2am, saying that she was experiencing painful contractions, but went about her normal affairs including preparing food for her first daughter Qilah.

“Only around 5.15am she woke me up and said that she felt she was going into labour.”

Fahmi quickly got out of bed and asked Kamila if he could have a quick shower and pray first, to which she agreed, as they both prayed together hoping for a smooth pregnancy.

As they arrived at the Patient Assessment Centre (PAC), there were a few other couples waiting to give birth too, but after an hour, Kamila was able to meet with the doctor, but the couple later went out for breakfast as she preferred to rest at home and was only dilating at 2cm.

Around 1am, Kamila said that she needed to go to the hospital as the pain was unbearable but before they could leave, the baby decided to make an early appearance!

Fahmi was extremely nervous and reluctant to have the baby at home, but Kamila said that she was in pain and could not get into the car, and asked him to call an ambulance.

He dialled 999 and gave them the necessary details, but seeing his wife in pain, he called them again in a panic, and they patched him through to hospital staff to guide him through what he had to do before the ambulance arrived.

“The hospital staff was a man, he was very professional and calmed me down, before gently telling me what to do, so I took a deep breath and followed his instructions,” wrote Fahmi.

Not long after, their neighbour Cik Zah came over, after hearing the commotion, but was too scared to help, and instead tried to help and calm Kamila.

“The baby’s head started to come out slowly, I was so nervous and anxious, but my wife is very strong, she didn’t sweat or talk much, she just listened and followed the advice.”

After a lot of sweat and struggle, a healthy baby girl popped out into Fahmi’s hands, as her first cry cut the anxiety from the room.

“As I held her in my hands, it’s almost like I was awakened, I didn’t know if it was real or I was dreaming,” wrote Fahmi.

“I was worried that the baby wouldn’t stop crying, but the hospital staff said that it was a good sign, and he asked me to get a towel to wrap the baby, wipe her eyes, nose and mouth, and to also get a string to tie up the umbilical cord.”

Soon after the ambulance had arrived, and Fahmi was relieved as the professionals would now take over and care for his wife and newborn, who they named Fatihah.

Fahmi explained that couples who are expecting need to be prepared at all times, because even though his wife works in the hospital and they were there in the morning, anything can happen.

“You need to know everything about your wife, never leave her alone at home when the due date is near, and always make sure your phone is charged and with you, to make emergency calls,” wrote Fahmi.

He added that, if possible, try to avoid giving birth at home and do it at the hospital with the experts instead, but if circumstances don’t allow for it, always stay calm and follow the advice of the emergency hotline operatives.

He also mentioned that one should not panic if the ambulance seems to be taking very long, because they are doing everything they can, as fast as they can, to get the right people to come and help.

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