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It started like any other day. On 7 February 2023, Marelize Perry, from De Aar in the Northern Cape, had to walk about an hour to get to school. By the time she arrived, however, she'd been locked out because she was late and classes had already begun.
She returned home and was startled when her frantic next-door neighbour later arrived at their doorstep, pleading for help as his wife, Megan Pieterse (32), had gone into labour.
Marelize (19), her aunt and cousins rushed over to assess the situation.
“She was in a lot of pain. I was fearful because when I looked at the mother she was already blue, and the baby was still inside of her,” Marelize tells YOU.
“And then she said the baby was about to come. My aunt and cousins said they can’t do this. I said, ‘Okay, I'll go in and help her’.”
Even though she has no medical training, the teen was confident she could help her neighbour "because I told myself she's in a lot of pain, and anything could happen to her and her baby", she says.
She told the first-time mom to lie on the bed while her husband called paramedics, but he was told they couldn’t respond immediately due to an ongoing strike.
Marelize, who has a two-year-old son, Marcello, stayed calm. In 2021, she also helped deliver a cousin when her aunt went into labour at home. Drawing from her experience, she guided her neighbour.
“I told her to push, and I was ready to catch the baby. When the baby came out, I was relieved that she was alive," she says.
Megan named her daughter Kaylin and Marelize was the first to hold the newborn.
"I was a bit emotional because I thought if I didn’t help them, the mother or the baby could've died."
Paramedics arrived within minutes after the delivery and both mom and baby were taken to hospital.
Even though the teen did a good job delivering the baby, she admits she was relieved when the medical professionals took over.
“I didn’t know how to cut the umbilical cord, so I waited for the paramedics to do it,” she says.
She's stunned by the turn of events: she never imagined she'd step in to deliver another baby.
What's more, the babies she delivered are neighbours.
When Marelize's aunt, Amanda Swarts (26), gave birth in April 2021, the teen was at hand to help.
Amanda, who also lives next door, called Marelize’s mother and told her she was in pain. Though she knew she was having contractions, she thought the baby wouldn't arrive for a few more hours so she made herself a bite to eat before calling the ambulance.
Marelize and her mother went next door to check on Amanda, whose waters broke while she was busy cooking.
She wasted no time getting Amanda comfortable on a nearby couch. However, the baby was in a breech position.
“I was very scared when I saw the feet and the legs coming out first. Also, the mother was in so much pain that she wanted to close her legs while the child’s head was still inside," she recalls.
"I told her not to close her legs and to push until the baby comes out.”
The child was delivered safely a few minutes later.
“I felt a bit shaky because it was my first time delivering a baby. I was really relieved and happy that he was alive," she says.
Marelize has become a hero in her hometown and now plans to pursue a career in medicine.
“My dream wasn’t to deliver babies but to become an accountant.
"Now I want to study medicine. I want to study in Bloemfontein or in Cape Town. But first I want to seek opportunities in my community and give back to them.”
