Never underestimate a mum’s instinct, they say.
This Singapore mum followed hers, and it led to a beautiful yet unexpected birth story of giving birth in a car, which she shared on Facebook recently (26 Feb).
While it was not an unassisted birth at home, but in a car, this mum was successful in her attempt. | Photo: Sindhu RK Johnson / Facebook
“I knew I was in trouble”
Sindhu RK Johnson recalls exactly 6 months back prior to the birth of son, James Arjuna McQueen.
It was close to midnight and she had only been doing household chores. Once done, she decided to kiss her beloved dog goodnight before heading to bed.
Sindhu knew she was in trouble after she stood up from the kiss which involved a full squat. “I could feel I ruptured something in me. Contractions started immediately at 12.55am,” the mum of two wrote. She even tried to time her contractions, but to no avail because “it was like rapidly dropping from 10 mins to 5 mins to few mins apart.”
Had to be in a Jeep of all places
Next thing the mum knew, she was in a family car with her husband after waking him up at 1.10am.
Of all cars, it happened to be a Jeep. The high vehicle made it more difficult for Sindhu to climb into as she was already in “choking pain”.
In her attempt to get into the car, the mum broke her water bag and assumed that could have sped up the labour process. The mum said that she knew for a fact that Arjuna, her second child, would be delivered in the car. Even so, she avoided sharing that information with her husband in fear of causing him panic.
Birth of baby Arjuna was on the highway
Sindhu lined the car seat with a shawl and tried her hardest to hold her son in. However, she knew it was not possible due to the intense contraction pains.
But she knew she had to, and tried this time while trusting her instinct. “So for the next [and] the following contraction I just had to trust my gut [and] push [and] there he came, after 2 pushes,” the mum wrote.
Right on the PIE, after Anak Bukit Flyover, to be specific.
Never in a mum’s imagination would she envision her own baby to be born in a car. Not even Sindhu, who wrote that she is known by many to be a risk-taker, often doing things out of the norm.
Photo: Sindhu RK Johnson / Facebook
And now with Arjuna’s arrival that came “too fast too furious” without any assistance, she said he “win already”.
According to Sindhu, Arjuna refers to warrior, which fits him accurately.
He was quite the warrior, being naked under a 24 degree temperature until the family reached the hospital—for an entire 20 minutes, she wrote.
Arjuna was born just one day before his estimated delivery date (EDD).
Family arrived at hospital safely
It took 20 minutes from then for Sindhu and family to arrive at the hospital. The medical professionals were already on standby.
“From midwife to nurses to security officers [and] few others for this VIP…”
According to Sindhu, her husband cut their baby’s umbilical cord at the hospital entrance. “And all was well. Me [and] son are healthy,” the mum assured all in her post.
With lighthearted humour, she ended off her post with a fun fact: “He wasn’t named McQueen because he was born on the highway but because his dad is a fan of Steve McQueen.”
Photo: Sindhu RK Johnson / Facebook
Can’t decide whether to laugh or to cry. But this beautiful birth story definitely takes the cake.