Helping hand for expectant mum bleeding at MRT station
Staff at Tampines station quick in offering aid as blood gushed down her leg
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Ms Siti Rohaniza Muhammad - who is carrying her baby son Muhammad Irfan Nufayl Muhammad Ismail - and her mother Rosnah Itam with Tampines MRT station manager Alan Lim and senior assistant station manager Jahaber Sadick Sahibappa, who were visiting the family at their home in Simei last Thursday after helping a pregnant Ms Siti at the MRT station last month.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Ms Siti Rohaniza Muhammad was at Tampines MRT station on March 13 when blood gushed down her legs.
The 27-year-old immediately knew that she was in danger but her thoughts were for her unborn child.
The expectant mother had been diagnosed with anaemia and placenta previa - a condition where the placenta covers the mother's cervix - and knew from past experience that the bleeding would be hard to stop.
Luckily, she was accompanied by her 63-year-old mother who quickly rushed down the platform to get help from MRT station staff.
"I told my mother I couldn't sit down as I was bleeding. Of course I felt a bit scared and the amount of blood was a bit shocking to me," said Ms Siti, now a happy mother to a healthy baby boy.
"We were really lucky to be on the platform and not on the train. We are so thankful for the staff's help because every second mattered," she added.
Last Thursday, two of the SBS Transit staff who had reassured her, got her a wheelchair and called for the ambulance visited Ms Siti in her Simei home.
It was a much more lighthearted meeting than their previous encounter, with Ms Siti's family putting out curry puffs and drinks to thank the staff who came to their aid.
Still visibly shaken, Ms Siti's mother, Madam Rosnah Itam, spoke only to quietly add some details to her daughter's account during the home visit.
She had carried a hamper along with a handwritten card to Tampines MRT station to thank the station staff after her daughter was safely hospitalised, and noted with pride that Muhammad Irfan Nufayl Muhammad Ismail - her new baby grandson - is her fourth grandchild.
Although he was born prematurely, he is healthy, albeit slightly smaller than other full-term babies.
One of their visitors, Mr Alan Lim, station manager at Tampines MRT station, said Ms Siti had behaved in an extremely calm manner and it was Madam Rosnah whom he had to calm down.
Mr Lim, 63, said: "(Ms Siti) was actually worried about dirtying the station and kept apologising for making a mess. Madam Rosnah was the one panicking."
He added: "We are quite well-trained for such situations so I made sure they were relaxed. About 20 minutes later, I waved them goodbye when the ambulance drove off."
Both he and senior assistant station manager Jahaber Sadick Sahibappa, 40, who went along for the visit, said the incident was the most dramatic moment of their career with SBS Transit.
They had both told their families about the incident on the day, and were glad that they were able to help on a Saturday afternoon when there were many commuters coming and going.
Ms Siti, who works in marketing and communications at the Land Transport Authority, said: "I wanted to let them know that we really appreciated the help. Coming from a transport-related line of work, I know how these small things will motivate transport workers."
