The unofficial “midwife” from Heinz Park, who has brought four babies into the world, was forced to deliver his own child too after the baby arrived 10 days early.
Tashreeq Perry, 25, made headlines after it was revealed that he’d been playing midwife in his community during a number of emergency births.
Coincidently, his wife Mishka Perry became his latest patient on Monday night, and to top it all off, his baby girl now shares a birthday with her two-year-old brother Yalmaz.
Tashreeq taught himself to “catch” babies after he assisted with the delivery of his baby brother in 2018.
He says he is now ready to get a job in the labour ward.
“I know I’m good at this, I do it with ease and all the babies I delivered before were healthy on arrival at the hospital after the home birth.”
Tashreeq’s baby daughter, named Tashriqah, was due on 15 April but made an early appearance while the family were celebrating their son’s birthday with a small party.
Tashreeq says: “Mishka started getting pains, but we didn’t think it was contractions.
“It was just before 11pm when she asked to go inside to the main house (the couple live in a Wendy house) and within ten minutes her water broke.
“I quickly had to step in and deliver the baby. The head was already crowning and I did what I had to do, and delivered a healthy baby with my surgical gloves and a plastic packet for the afterbirth.”
He says there were no complications and Mishka and the baby were taken to the Mitchells Plain MOU for a check-up and they were discharged six hours later.
A thrilled Mishka says: “I never imagined I would give birth at home, but Tashreeq made me feel safe and the experience was much better than giving birth in hospital.
“I now want him to do the same for all the babies that will follow,” she laughs.
Meanwhile, Tashreeq is studying kliphard to finish his high school, which he is doing with the help of Rashaad Sambada, the chief executive at the Skills Academy, who has arranged for him to receive two bursaries valued at R25 000.
After this, he will apply at a university to do a course in paramedics.