Father thanks Ng Teng Fong hospital team for saving baby after pregnant wife died in accident

A baby girl who was delivered at 26 weeks in an emergency caesarean section after her mother got into an accident last year is now "growing very well and developmentally normal". 

In May 2017, 25-year-old Goh Chieh Ting was killed after being hit by a lorry in Jurong West. Paramedics rushed her to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital's emergency department, where doctors attempted to save her and her child. 

Goh succumbed to her injuries, but Baby Yunice survived. 

On Saturday (Jan 27), Yunice's father, Mr Dave Yuen, thanked the medical team that saved his daughter in a video shown at the opening of the Society for Emergency Medicine in Singapore's 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting. 

"Every movement she (makes), her just looking at you, makes you feel happy," said the 26-year-old. "She brings in the positive vibe at home, not just for me, but for my in-laws, parents and siblings." 

"On behalf of my family, I would like to thank the medical team for giving me a miracle, giving me hope," he added. 

In a statement, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital said: "The team made the swift decision to perform a perimortem caesarean section to increase the mother’s chance of survival, but unfortunately she succumbed to serious injuries.

"A concurrent team took over the pre-term baby and continued to resuscitate the baby, performing manual ventilation continuously, while making the emergency transfer to the National University Hospital (NUH), where she was received by the neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (ICU) team for immediate attention."

It was only after two months in the neo-natal ICU that Mr Yuen was "finally able to carry Baby Yunice - still a pre-term baby - in his arms", the hospital said, adding that Yunice was cared for in the ICU for nearly five months before going home. 

Now eight months old, Yunice is a "very cheerful little girl", said Dr Yvonne Ng, a senior consultant with NUH's neo-natology team, which helped take care of the baby. 

"She'll look at you and give you the biggest smile ever," said Dr Ng. "I'm happy to report that she's growing very well and developmentally normal."