Woman and her friend help neighbour give birth at home

Woman now officially the godmother to the couple's new baby girl

- Vihanya Rakshika

A routine evening at home turned into a life-changing moment on Aug 10 for Ms Latashni Gobi Nathan, when she and her best friend helped her next-door neighbour deliver a baby.

While watching post-National Day celebrations together from the rooftop of their Punggol block at around 6pm, the neighbour, Ms Nur Amalina, 34, told Ms Latashni and her husband that she was having mild contractions.

"Around noon, I was having mild contractions. We talked to the neighbours and asked them to help with taking care of our two daughters if I needed to go to hospital the next day," Ms Amalina, a homemaker, told The Straits Times.

The baby was not due until Aug 17, the 34-year-old added.

"At around 10pm, my contractions got even more intense. I told my husband we had to go. I started panicking, wondering if I had the time to make it to the hospital or not."

Ms Amalina's husband, Mr Dzukri Bachtiar, 40, a field service engineer, said he managed to remain calm.

"I was already prepared on what to do. My parents, who live with us, were on holiday that day, so it was just us. We had contacted my sister, but she could make it only at 11pm.