Giving birth to a baby can be a scary and painful experience. So, imagine having to rush from Singapore to Johor to have your child!
A Malaysian woman working in Singapore, Kai Ling Cheng, took to her Facebook account to recall the rush she endured, having to travel to Johor Bahru after her water had broke while in Singapore.
She shared how her water broke 2 weeks early, on March 25 instead of the scheduled April 7. Having woken up to a pool of water, she and her husband hurriedly started their journey towards Johor Bahru.
Arriving at the Woodlands Checkpoint, there was a larger crowd than usual, but thankfully, there were helpful Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers present.
“The doctor told me that I needed to go to the hospital right away if my water broke and fetal movement decreased, and I can still endure the labour pains but I have to go to the Singapore checkpoint which would take a long time (everyone who has taken the bus knows that it is no problem for ordinary people, but for pregnant women who are giving birth?),” she said.
Fortunately, upon realising that she was in labour, the Singaporean ICA officers were quick to help.
“The Singaporean officers were really awesome. Immediately, 3 to 4 of them helped us scan our passports and prepared a wheelchair (my husband and I were shocked at that moment) and they kept asking if we needed to call an ambulance,” she explained, adding that the officers opened a path through the large crowd so that she could quickly pass through the sea of people.
The officers also flagged down an empty bus and told the driver to immediately take Kai Ling and her husband to the Malaysian checkpoint so that they can be on their way to the hospital.
“I really appreciate their help. The bus driver was soo nervous he forgot to collect the bus fare,” she shared.
Though, sadly, she did not receive the same urgency at the Malaysian checkpoint
“I immediately explained the situation to the (Malaysian) officer and they went to find their colleague. They talked for a long time (slowly, I don’t know what they were discussing).”
“Another officer then came over and asked, what’s the matter? I said I was having a baby. The officer didn’t let me go first, and asked me which officers and why I didn’t go looking for them (the officers). What the hell, I have to go so far to scan the passport too,” she added.
Kai Ling also asked if they had a wheelchair she could use, to which the officer simply responded, “don’t have“.
After a painstaking 2 and a half hours, she finally reached the Columbia Asia Hospital – Iskandar Puteri where she later gave birth to a healthy little baby.
We’re so glad that both mother and baby are doing well.
A huge kudos to the Singaporean ICA officers who treated Kai Ling with the best of care, and we genuinely hope that the Malaysian officers will step up their game and exemplify the Singaporean officers, in the face of urgent situations.
We wish Kai Ling and her beautiful new family the best of health and luck!
