On Nov 23 last year, a 29-year-old woman jumped to her death from the 12th floor of a HDB block in Bukit Panjang while holding on to her newborn child.
Koh Suan Ping and her two-month-old daughter Jaelyn Ng were found dead at the foot of Block 443B along Fajar Road. The tragic incident was unexpected — her husband did not notice any medical or psychological condition ailing Koh. She showed no signs of depression during her pregnancy.
State Coroner Marvin Bay has since determined that it was a “deliberate act of suicide”, and highlighted the grim reality of post-partum depression among new mothers — especially working mums, TODAY reports.
“Mdm Koh’s fall from height is a deliberate act of suicide,” said Bay. “Mdm Koh had tragically undertaken her fatal fall, while holding on to Baby Jaelyn, with a clear intent that they would die together,” he added.
Koh, a business manager, had voiced several concerns including her company’s sluggish sales, her inability to produce an adequate supply of breast milk for her child, and the difficulties in looking for a replacement domestic helper.
The new mum was also eager to return to work. Despite her husband’s wishes, she took only two months’ maternity leave.
But in the week before the suicide, a colleague noticed that she had not been her usual self. Bay also mentioned that she had Googled “what to do when there is no way out” five days before she and her daughter fell to their deaths.
Highlighting the opportunity to address the toll of mothers expected to juggle both their careers and their child’s welfare, the State Coroner called for more support for working mums.
“It would be ideal for the workplace to acknowledge the needs of working mothers with new babies, and take steps to ameliorate the additional stress imposed on them by providing better work-life balance, flexible working conditions, and affordable, quality childcare”, he urged.
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