De Aar teen praised for bravery after assisting in home-birth delivery

A Grade 12 learner has been praised for her bravery – after she assisted a pregnant woman in safely delivering her baby.

The 19-year-old from De Aar, Northern Cape, delivered a healthy baby girl earlier this week.

Marelize Perry stepped in to assist her heavily pregnant neighbour when she went into labour – while waiting for an ambulance. This is not the first time that the learner assisted a woman in labour.

In 2021 she assisted her aunt in childbirth.

The learner Perry details her experience. “I told her that she must just keep holding on, before pushing. After that, she told me that she can’t take it anymore. When I lifted her leg, she told me that the baby is on its way. That’s the time that I was catching the baby. I was feeling very emotional because it was a risk that I took on myself. As I said the mother was already blue when the baby was still inside of her.”

Marelize Perry tells her story about assisting in the delivery of a home-birth: 

It’s the second time Marelize Perry has assisted a mother to give birth to her baby. She has been lauded by the community.