Indian Woman in UAE Gives Birth to Child at Hospital's Doorstep: Report

In an unusual incident, an Indian woman in the UAE has given birth at the doorstep of a hospital in Sharjah after she suffered a silent labour pain, a media report said on Friday.

Hailing from Chennai, Praveen Banu, whose age was not revealed, was due to deliver her second child on August 16 but did not heed much when she suffered labour pain prior to the due date, the Gulf News reported.

However, by 9.30 am on August 4 when Banu sat for breakfast, she started experiencing pain every five minutes and it gradually intensified, the report said.

"The closest hospital was Burjeel which was 10 minutes away. So my husband Zakeer Azharudhin drove me down to the emergency of this hospital. But on the way, I could actually feel the baby coming out. It was barely 15 minutes after the labour pain had started," the report quoted Banu as saying.

By the time the car reached a traffic signal, the baby was halfway out and as soon as the couple reached the gate of the hospital, they alerted the security and two nurses rushed out, the report said.

Narrating the unusual incident, Dr Hala Al Taie, the general physician on duty, said since there was no time for any formalities two nurses cordoned off the area near the entrance.

"There was no time for any formalities and two nurses cordoned off the area as there were cars passing by while two others assisted the mother.....since the baby was already out I just severed the umbilical cord, wrapped the baby girl and assisted the mother," she said.

The baby, weighing 2.65 kg, has been placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to be checked or any possible contamination, she said.

"Later the mother was admitted to the hospital for two days as she required stitches. She has now been discharged," she said.

Al Taie said she has never seen such a medical case in her career.

"In all my years as a doctor I have never seen a case like this. The mother hardly had any labour pain and the baby was already halfway out at the traffic signal. This is one story I will tell my children and grandchildren. Fortunately for the mother, this hospital was close by and she was able to get all the assistance she required," she said.