KOTA KINABALU: As a mother of three, Rahima Ara was fairly sure that she knew “what to expect when you are expecting”.

       So, when she was due to give birth for the fourth time, the 39-year-old housewife and her husband made proper arrangements so that they could welcome their newborn without much difficulty.

       But even with meticulous planning and preparation, the couple had not anticipated one problem – a traffic jam.

       Rahima ended up giving birth to their fourth child inside their car after being stuck in traffic while on the way to the Women and Children’s Hospital in Likas here on Wednesday.

       As such, she was grateful for the firemen and others who rushed to help them that day.

       “Thank you so much to the firemen and everyone else who came to our rescue,” she said when met at her residence in Kampung Kobusak in Penampang near here on Friday.

       Rahimah said medical staff had called her the day before, asking her to come to the hospital in order to help correct the baby’s breech position.

       The baby girl was supposed to be due around June 18.

       “On the day of the incident, I suddenly felt pain in my tummy, so I immediately told my husband to send me to the hospital, but our journey was disrupted (due to the traffic snarl).

       “My husband tried honking at other drivers to give way to us, but we couldn’t make it in time to the hospital,” she added.

       But fortunately for them, Sabah Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Farhan Sufyan Borhan chanced upon their car at Jalan Lintas here and stopped to check on them. He was on the way then to his workplace, which was just about 500m away.

       Recounting the incident, he said this was his first personal experience in facing such a situation.

       He added that he was only doing his duty, as firemen are trained to prepare for any eventuality, including emergency childbirths.

       “It is important that we are always aware of the things happening around us and be prepared to help those in need.

       “Such an awareness can bring about a positive impact including saving precious lives,” said Farhan, who visited Rahima’s family on Friday.

       Rahima’s 39-year-old husband is a small business operator. The couple have another daughter, aged 18, and two sons aged nine and 17.

       Farhan also thanked others who stepped in to help the mother and baby that day.

       In an earlier report, he spoke about contacting the fire brigade for help, besides calming the woman and tying off the baby’s umbilical cord.

       The Emergency Medical Rescue Services unit arrived shortly and provided initial treatment before handing over to medics who arrived in an ambulance.