Therisa Herholdt (23) was home alone on Tuesday (June 30) at noon when her mother, Annetjie Herholdt (53), left to go to the dentist.
Therisa explains how she felt a single pain in her abdomen an went to the toilet.
Before she knew it, her baby slipped out and she caught the baby in her arms at 12.10pm.
“As soon as I caught her, she started crying and I phoned my mother immediately,” she says.
Therisa gave birth to a healthy baby girl weighing 3kg and measuring 51cm in length.
Annetjie says she heard the crying of the baby on the phone and almost went into panic mode, phoning her close friend of 16 years, Elize Bezuidenhout (47).
Elize was the first one at the house and was greeted by the sight of Therisa sitting on the toilet with the baby wrapped in a towel and the umbilical cord was still attached.
The ambulance and Dersley and Eastvale CPF were called out to the scene to transport Therisa and her baby to hospital.
Lammie van Greunen from the N17 maternity ward also arrived on the scene and cut the cord on both sides.
“The ambulance only arrived and hour-and-a-half later,” says Annetjie.
Two ambulance services arrived at the scene and carefully inspected both mother and child.
Therisa was transported to Far East Rand Hospital where she was treated and cleaned immediately and discharged the following day (July 1).
She was scheduled to have a c-section on July 9, but says the baby had other plans.
“I named her Neveah, which is almost heaven spelt backwards because she is my miracle baby,” says Therisa.
Pastor Ben Loubser from Jesus is Light Church was also at the house and says Neveah is an absolute miracle.
‘The people all worked together like a family to welcome this child into the world,” he says.
Annetjie adds that she wants to thank their prayer group and the Dersley and Eastvale CPF for their continued support.
