Couple recount near-death birth of baby in Grab car: 'Could've been the worst day of our lives'
Wong Man Shun
The Straits Times
Nov 18, 2025
As a postnatal nurse of nine years, Madam Afifah Rizqin is no stranger to childbirth. But little did she expect she would deliver her own baby, much less in the back of a Grab car on a fateful November morning.
At 4.40am on Nov 6, about a week before her expected due date, Madam Rizqin, 30, who was 41 weeks pregnant with her second child, instinctively felt it was time to give birth.
She had been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, sometimes called practice contractions, in the days before, but was now experiencing contraction pains similar to the ones she felt during her first child's delivery.
Some time after 5am, she and her husband, Mr Syazwan, decided to book a Grab ride from their flat in Ang Mo Kio to the hospital as the contractions had become more regular and painful.
The couple initially planned to drop off their three-year-old daughter at her grandmother's house, but eventually decided to head straight to the hospital as Madam Rizqin felt the "urge to deliver" in the HDB lift lobby, said Mr Syazwan, 32.
Their ride arrived at around 5.20am, and they were barely on the CTE en route to KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) when they realised their baby was crowning and so, very close to being born.
"Thank God it was our second child. If it was the first, I would have panicked and known nothing about giving birth," said Mr Syazwan.
"My wife was in panic mode. Instead of pushing, she told me to pull my baby's head. I remained calm and told her to push instead."
In just two pushes, out popped their baby girl in the back seat of the car.
Madam Rizqin said: "I have some experience with babies and mothers. I was quite comfortable with delivering my own baby, if there were no complications or issues."
But their newborn was neither crying nor moving upon delivery, and was a little blue in the face.
Fearful for their baby's life, Madam Rizqin's nursing instincts kicked in. She noticed the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck and swiftly released it before performing chest compressions on her.
To their relief, the infant began crying softly.
Upon reaching KKH about half an hour later, the driver honked a few times to alert the hospital staff.
Mr Syazwan said it was like a scene straight out of a film: "In the movies, the characters usually get out of the car and shout, 'Get the doctor now!'"
He, too, ran out of the Grab car, shouting: "My wife just gave birth in the car. Help!"
KKH's staff responded, tending to mother and child, both of whom are healthy, said Mr Syazwan.
The couple's first daughter, who witnessed the events with them in the car, was worried and scared, but has since shaken off the experience, said Mr Syazwan.
Now, she "always wants to carry her newborn sister", Madam Rizqin added.
Looking back, Mr Syazwan said: "It could have been either the worst or best day of our lives. We were crying. We were afraid of losing our baby."
The couple are thankful that their Grab driver "zoomed" safely from their home to the hospital.
Mr Syazwan added: "My wife and I are really grateful the driver did not cancel on us. He was quite worried about his car."
After the incident, the couple texted the Grab driver to thank him for his help. They also covered the cost of getting his car cleaned.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, Grab said: "Our warmest congratulations to Syazwan and Rizqin on the newest addition to their family! We are delighted to hear that both mother and child are doing well."
Grab also commended the driver for his calm and professional conduct during the ride, and for getting the family to the hospital safely and promptly.
Madam Rizqin said the person she was most grateful to throughout this episode was her husband.
She said: "I am beyond thankful my husband stayed calm and collected. Most husbands would have fainted or panicked, and that would have caused more challenges to deliver in the Grab car."
When asked what they have named their little one who was born on a highway, Mr Syazwan quipped: "No fancy names like CTE or Siti E."
There have been at least six babies born in Grab cars in Singapore since 2017.
