Giving birth on her last day of work was the last thing security guard Sindiswa Bukani expected when she stepped off a Metrorail train yesterday afternoon.
The 43-year-old, who is a Metrorail security guard at the Fort Jackson train station, said she had just returned from signing documents for her maternity leave at Metrorail head office in the city centre when she went into labour. She was only due to give birth in mid-June.
“It was sometime after 4pm and we were having one last chat with colleagues before my leave was effective. We were talking about how I need to rest and prepare for the arrival of my child, because I was looking forward to being away from work and kicking my feet up,” Bukani told the Daily Dispatch from her hospital bed yesterday.
“During our conversations I became a little faint and started feeling immense pain and I ignored it, but it kept escalating very quickly.
“I was confused because as far as I knew, I still had another month to go before the baby arrived, but clearly she had other plans.”
Bukani called her eldest daughter, who is 26, while colleagues called an ambulance. Her daughter and paramedics arrived at the station at the same time.
“Paramedics were very swift in helping me deliver in the ambulance at the train station.”
The mother of two described the experience as one of a kind in “so many ways”.
“Firstly I last had a child 26 years ago, so I had already forgotten what it feels like,” she said.
The newborn baby girl, named Lugcobo Bukani, was born weighing 2.5kg at 49cm in length with a head circumference of 33cm. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
Late train stop ends with early birth
The 43-year-old, who is a Metrorail security guard at the Fort Jackson train station, said she had just returned from signing documents for her maternity leave at Metrorail head office in the city centre when she went into labour. She was only due to give birth in mid-June.
“It was sometime after 4pm and we were having one last chat with colleagues before my leave was effective. We were talking about how I need to rest and prepare for the arrival of my child, because I was looking forward to being away from work and kicking my feet up,” Bukani told the Daily Dispatch from her hospital bed yesterday.
“During our conversations I became a little faint and started feeling immense pain and I ignored it, but it kept escalating very quickly.
“I was confused because as far as I knew, I still had another month to go before the baby arrived, but clearly she had other plans.”
Bukani called her eldest daughter, who is 26, while colleagues called an ambulance. Her daughter and paramedics arrived at the station at the same time.
“Paramedics were very swift in helping me deliver in the ambulance at the train station.”
The mother of two described the experience as one of a kind in “so many ways”.
“Firstly I last had a child 26 years ago, so I had already forgotten what it feels like,” she said.
The newborn baby girl, named Lugcobo Bukani, was born weighing 2.5kg at 49cm in length with a head circumference of 33cm. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
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