Many know Hassan Sunny as one of Singapore’s most accomplished goalkeepers and the current goalkeeper for Singapore Premier League club Albirex Niigata. Off the pitch, the 42-year-old is also an F&B business owner and a father of four.
Hassan and his eldest daughter, Sarah Arissa, recently joined host Rebecca Lim on 8days' chat show DNA, where he opened up about his standout World Cup qualifier performance against Thailand, his passion for cooking, and life at home with his daughters, aged 16, 13, eight and four.
But it was one story in particular that caught Lim – who is due to give birth to her second child next week – completely off guard: Hassan revealing that his youngest daughter was born at home.
Describing the birth of his fourth child as “the most memorable”, Hassan revealed: “My wife had a home birth, and I was the one ‘catching’.”
When Lim joked about whether he used his goalkeeper gloves, Hassan laughed and clarified: “It was unplanned.”
He had already packed a hospital bag when he suddenly heard his wife shouting that the baby was coming. Arissa, who was at home at the time, remembered her mum yelling “so loudly”.
Just as Hassan was about to leave for the hospital, his wife told him: “No, now!”
Recounting the moment, Hassan said he rushed downstairs, topless, to the bathroom, where his wife was already in labour, quickly getting into position to “catch” their baby, whose head was already emerging.
“I was like ‘what am I supposed to do? I’m not a doctor’. [My wife] was standing at the sink, [swaying slightly], and I crouched down wondering what I was supposed to do next,” he said.
“Then the baby just came out like 'ploop', so I scooped [her up] and I sat there, completely stunned. [She] was slimy, and I didn’t have any cloth with me, I was just there [holding her with my] bare hands,” he continued.
Hassan then found himself sitting cross-legged on the bathroom floor, cradling his newborn, his first thought being, “What’s next?”
“What happened was that I took my iPad, went on YouTube, and searched ‘What to do when your baby comes out’,” he laughed.
He then asked one of his daughters to bring a “normal” pair of scissors – a regular pair they found at home – which they washed before using to cut and tie the newborn’s umbilical cord. They also used a metal bowl to hold the placenta.
“We managed to shower, then went to the hospital, taking our own sweet time,” he continued.
At that point, Lim couldn’t help but react in shock, exclaiming, “Still take your own sweet time?”
When they finally arrived at the hospital and saw the gynaecologist, they were promptly scolded.
“The gynae scolded us a bit for safety and hygiene reasons, and the baby was kept in the observation room for about three days,” he said.
While Hassan acknowledged that it makes for a memorable story, he added, “But it’s not something that I’m proud of because of safety reasons, that’s not something I’d encourage others to do.”
His youngest may already be four, but it’s clear Hassan remembers her birth as vividly as ever.
He went on to suggest that the unusual experience might be why she’s especially attached to him.
“I think [it's because] you caught her lah,” Sarah chimed in.
“Yes, probably because I caught her like that right, now she’s really really clingy,” he agreed, adding that the whole experience was “quite scary”.
“Yah, I cannot imagine, my goodness,” echoed Lim, who couldn’t resist cheekily praising Hassan for the “good save” and a job well done.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...
Hassan and his eldest daughter, Sarah Arissa, recently joined host Rebecca Lim on 8days' chat show DNA, where he opened up about his standout World Cup qualifier performance against Thailand, his passion for cooking, and life at home with his daughters, aged 16, 13, eight and four.
But it was one story in particular that caught Lim – who is due to give birth to her second child next week – completely off guard: Hassan revealing that his youngest daughter was born at home.
Describing the birth of his fourth child as “the most memorable”, Hassan revealed: “My wife had a home birth, and I was the one ‘catching’.”
When Lim joked about whether he used his goalkeeper gloves, Hassan laughed and clarified: “It was unplanned.”
He had already packed a hospital bag when he suddenly heard his wife shouting that the baby was coming. Arissa, who was at home at the time, remembered her mum yelling “so loudly”.
Just as Hassan was about to leave for the hospital, his wife told him: “No, now!”
Recounting the moment, Hassan said he rushed downstairs, topless, to the bathroom, where his wife was already in labour, quickly getting into position to “catch” their baby, whose head was already emerging.
“I was like ‘what am I supposed to do? I’m not a doctor’. [My wife] was standing at the sink, [swaying slightly], and I crouched down wondering what I was supposed to do next,” he said.
“Then the baby just came out like 'ploop', so I scooped [her up] and I sat there, completely stunned. [She] was slimy, and I didn’t have any cloth with me, I was just there [holding her with my] bare hands,” he continued.
Hassan then found himself sitting cross-legged on the bathroom floor, cradling his newborn, his first thought being, “What’s next?”
“What happened was that I took my iPad, went on YouTube, and searched ‘What to do when your baby comes out’,” he laughed.
He then asked one of his daughters to bring a “normal” pair of scissors – a regular pair they found at home – which they washed before using to cut and tie the newborn’s umbilical cord. They also used a metal bowl to hold the placenta.
“We managed to shower, then went to the hospital, taking our own sweet time,” he continued.
At that point, Lim couldn’t help but react in shock, exclaiming, “Still take your own sweet time?”
When they finally arrived at the hospital and saw the gynaecologist, they were promptly scolded.
“The gynae scolded us a bit for safety and hygiene reasons, and the baby was kept in the observation room for about three days,” he said.
While Hassan acknowledged that it makes for a memorable story, he added, “But it’s not something that I’m proud of because of safety reasons, that’s not something I’d encourage others to do.”
His youngest may already be four, but it’s clear Hassan remembers her birth as vividly as ever.
He went on to suggest that the unusual experience might be why she’s especially attached to him.
“I think [it's because] you caught her lah,” Sarah chimed in.
“Yes, probably because I caught her like that right, now she’s really really clingy,” he agreed, adding that the whole experience was “quite scary”.
“Yah, I cannot imagine, my goodness,” echoed Lim, who couldn’t resist cheekily praising Hassan for the “good save” and a job well done.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...