The office and its waiting times
Little boy is in a hurry – and is born in the social welfare office
© xreflex / Adobe Stock
Life writes the best stories – cliche? Yes, but reality in Berlin-Neukölln. In the middle of the consultation hours of the social housing assistance, a woman gave birth to a little boy.
On Monday morning, a heavily pregnant woman entered the information desk area of the authority of the social welfare office in Berlin-Neukölln. She asked for a counseling session on housing assistance. Since the mother-to-be complained of nausea, an employee took her to one of the consultation rooms, according to the “Tagesspiegel”.
In the office: Pregnant woman’s amniotic sac bursts
Shortly after ten o’clock the amniotic sac suddenly burst. The news spread through the counseling center like wildfire, and a woman shouted through the office that a child was about to be born. Suddenly things got hectic, says Falko Lieke, City Councilor for Social Affairs in Berlin-Neukölln.
Help followed promptly. Employee Stephanie Leister was having a consultation herself at the time, but rushed to the expectant mother’s house with her client. Muna Alukla, the client who was having a counseling session herself, happened to speak the same language as the pregnant woman. She herself has already asked seven children to the world.
Little boy is born in the social welfare office
While the two women supported the mother-to-be during the birth, the advice center informed the fire brigade. In addition, according to Lieke, the helpers were in contact with the emergency doctor the whole time. When he arrived in office, the little boy’s head was already visible. Of course, it was much too late to go to the hospital. So the emergency doctor took over and the baby was born in the counseling center.
The birth was certainly not comfortable, in the short time available only a soft pad for the mother’s head could be obtained. But despite the difficult circumstances, mother and baby are doing well. It is the third child of the Berliner, which now has a very special birth story. Both were taken to the Urban Hospital in Berlin-Kreuzberg. They were accompanied by the mother’s niece, who, according to the city council, also cut the umbilical cord.
The social welfare office also informed the youth welfare office to ensure the care of the other two children. After the mother and child were taken to the hospital, work continued in the social welfare office. According to Lieke, the atmosphere was very positive and cheerful. The two helpers were also honored with applause.
Tweet about the birth in the office amuses the users
City Councilor Lieke shared the good news via Twitter: “Welcome and all the best for our ‘housing aid baby’! #Neukölln always writes the best stories.” In the comments, the birth is a little jokingly associated with clichés about offices. A user writes: “The Welke predicted that two weeks ago” and shares a tweet from the ZDF Today show, which is about how long you have to wait in Berlin for an appointment at the office. Literally it says: “In the waiting room children are conceived and directly born”. The tweet is from February 10, 2023. Moderator Oliver Welke was not entirely wrong.
Sources used: twitter.com, tagesspiegel.de
This article originally appeared in ELTERN.