‘Thank you, giving birth’: Baby boy born during 10-minute cab ride to hospital

SINGAPORE – Taxi driver Benny Yeo’s first hint that his last job on Nov 5 was not going to be a typical Grab booking was a message on the app that said: “Thank you, giving birth”.

Minutes later, he picked up Mr Yutaro Kitahara and his wife, who was already in the throes of childbirth.

Baby boy Yuichiro Kitahara was born during the 10-minute ride from the couple’s home in Bishan to the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

He was the first baby delivered in Mr Yeo’s taxi in his 18 years of professional driving.

The Kitaharas, a Singaporean couple, had called for a taxi after Mrs Kitahara’s water broke at about 11.25pm.

Recounting the incident, Mr Yeo told The Straits Times that Mr Kitahara’s message on the app gave him some pause as he became worried that there might be a mess in his taxi.

But a sense of duty soon kicked in for the veteran driver, who has sent injured children and victims of heart attacks or strokes to the hospital, so he zoomed down to the couple’s address.

“When the sense of duty comes in, quite honestly you don’t care about anything else,” said Mr Yeo, who is in his 60s.

Things happened quickly after that.

One of the first things the couple said after they boarded the taxi was that the baby’s head was out. Shortly after, while driving on the Central Expressway, Mr Yeo heard a “pop” and the baby’s first cries.

Hearing the infant made Mr Yeo “very happy”.

“That was when I knew that the baby was very safe. The mother was also talking to the father, so I knew she was also doing very well. She was very brave,” said Mr Yeo, who has two daughters and four granddaughters.

During the journey, Mr Yeo said he tried to stay calm and focus on the road despite the screams coming from the backseat.

Mr Kitahara, who runs an education business, said both mother and child are “doing very well”, adding that the experience had given them “a story to tell (for) generations to come”. The couple also have a one-year-old child.

Mrs Kitahara, who wanted to be known only by her last name, said it was “scary” to deliver the baby with no medical staff around and that she was worried about dirtying the taxi.

But Mr Kitahara calmed her down and said: “Just let the baby out, I will handle everything else.”

When they reached the hospital, hospital staff cut the umbilical cord in the backseat of the taxi before both mother and son were whisked to a ward.

As for Mr Yeo, he had to send his taxi for cleaning, as the backseat was covered in afterbirth.

While Mr Yeo pointed out he has no regrets taking that booking, he said his “heart nearly dropped” when he saw the mess in the backseat.

But Mr Kitahara had thanked him and was “very kind to pay for deep cleaning of the vehicle”.

The trip’s fare came up to $39, which included a $30 cleaning fee. Mr Kitahara also gave the cabby another $100 for his trouble.

The cabby’s prompt service and professionalism were praised by taxi operator Strides Premier in a Facebook post last Friday.

“The sense of duty is part and parcel of the job. The most important thing is I managed to take both mother and child safely to the hospital,” said Mr Yeo.