Double Joy for Isnani

KUALA LUMPUR: The joy of having Merdeka babies.

A mother in Perlis, who was born during the Merdeka silver jubilee celebration, has given birth to a baby girl on the country’s 50th anniversary yesterday.

Isnani Ismail, 25, gave birth to the baby girl at 12.45pm in the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital in Kangar. Isnani, who has a four-year-old son, was born at 12.15pm on Aug 31, 1982.

“I’m happy to be born on this special day but I never thought my second child would be born on the same day,” said the factory worker from Taman Gasing, Jejawi.

She and her factory worker husband, Wan Ismareza Ismail, 26, have yet to name their bundle of joy.

Her baby is one of seven Merdeka babies born at the hospital.

In Klang, Indian national S. Pandirani, 26, delivered her 3.05kg baby girl at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah hospital at 8.55am.

Her Malaysian husband, N. Navendhran, 27, said he was hoping their baby would be born on Merdeka Day as it would be a meaningful day.

“The doctors gave the due date as Sept 3 but when she started having contractions, I just hoped the baby would be born after midnight. Looks like my prayers have been answered,” he said.

The first child born at the hospital yesterday was to Faizah Idris who delivered at 12.22am. The clerk gave birth to a 3kg baby girl.

S. Krishnaveny, 27, gave birth to her second child at 3.47am. The housewife from Kuala Selangor said she was only due on Sept 10.

In Johor Baru, a couple who have been childless for 13 years will always remember the nation’s 50th birthday as they were blessed with a baby girl yesterday morning.

Their joy was also shared by the Tunku Azizah Fertility Foundation (TAAF) which made it possible for Kamal Arifin, 42, and Norliza Mohd Shah, 40, to become parents as their daughter was the first child conceived through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and born on Merdeka under the programme.

Kamal, a clerk, and housewife Norliza have named the 2.8kg baby Nuraryana Azizah Amira. She was born at 9.43am at the Women’s Hospital and Fertility Centre in Taman Johor in Johor Baru.

Until late afternoon yesterday, Johor Baru’s Sultanah Aminah Hospital reported that 36 Merdeka babies were delivered while four births were recorded at the Puteri Specialist Hospital.

In Kota Baru, twin baby boys were among the 28 babies born after the stroke of midnight.

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