A homeless mother living on the streets of Grassy Park has made a special delivery with the help of the community.
The mom gave birth on the pavement on Wednesday evening and prematurely welcomed a baby boy.
The incident took place around 9pm near Grassy Park High School in Victoria Road, where Lauren Lessule, 51 gave birth at seven and a half months to baby Abdul Rahim Lessule.
Local residents, Micky and her husband Raees Hendricks, both 29, said they were driving home after doing deliveries when they saw Lauren in active labour.
Micky who is eight months pregnant herself, says Lauren is well known in the area as she always sits at Spar where people would buy her bread.
She says she and Lauren would often chat about their pregnancies.
Micky says: “On Wednesday night we drove past her because it was extremely dark but we turned around and found her laying with her legs spread open and up, and she was screaming.
“I did a 30-week prenatal and antenatal course, so I started helping her through the process, telling her to push and people started coming to help.
“The baby came after two pushes with the cord around his neck. He was blue but we managed to remove the cord and then he started crying.”
Micky says she had her two year old’s nasal aspirator in the car and managed to get the mucus out of baby Abdul’s nose.
She contacted her doula Tarryn Winkworth who came to assist with cutting the cord after coming from another birth.
Lauren says she was on her way to a friend’s house when she went into labour.
“I am excited about the baby because it was my dream to have a boy.
“I did not realise that I was going into labour until the pain got stronger.
“I could not wait to hold my son in my arms. He is healthy but just small.”
Lauren is now staying with her father in Seawinds, and also has an eight-year-old daughter who lives with her mother.
The mom says: “I have been living on the streets since I was very young. I want to make a positive change for my children because I don’t want to come to the street again,” the mom says.
Fire & Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse says when emergency services arrived the baby was born already.
He confirms: “They found the mother and baby at a house opposite the school.”
Micky is appealing for any assistance to towards baby essentials to please contact 081 767 1764 or 067 675 9151.
marsha.dean@inl.co.za