Another Chance (Part one)

Please note down this number and talk to that lady. She has an interesting story,’ my editor instructs me and places on my desk a tiny card on which the contacts are scribbled. So one cloudy morning, I set out to visit this lady in pursuit of her tale. She lives in a modest estate in Nairobi and when I arrive, a fierce looking dog barks upon seeing me and I squirm in fright. ‘Don’t be afraid, that’s our neighbour’s dog. We depend on him for security,’ my host mentions, smiling reassuringly. Her warm welcome makes me forget my fear. Ignoring the persistent yelps, we go up the stairs and once in her house, I meet Donel (3 years) and Marlia (7 months)—two kids who have definitely brought joy to their parents. Their road has not been smooth though—as I soon find out.

Meet Joseline Mugodo, a mother, wife and a survivor through one of life’s most difficult ordeals. Having been married and blessed with one child, Joseline and her husband, Robert Mbarani, decided it was time to make an addition to the family. January last year, she noticed her periods had become irregular followed by familiar strange feelings.

‘I was moody, the food I previously ate comfortably now had a queer smell and my skin developed some rashes,’ she recounts. It was then that she went for a pregnancy test which turned out positive.

‘I found my pregnancy difficult since I had to commute daily to and from Thika, where I worked. Because of this strain, I was frequently in and out of hospital for pain killers and to ensure the baby was fine,’ she notes. Robert and Donel were not spared from her new moods. ‘Donel couldn’t comprehend why mummy had become very harsh and would not entertain his jokes or play with him,’ she recalls darting glances at Donel.

The two have obviously developed a strong bond as Donel listens intently at our conversation, while looking at his mother as though he could relate to the story she was narrating.

Aside from these mishaps, she did not develop any complications and her doctor confirmed that her EDD would be 16 October. However, as her EDD approached, Joseline had a sick feeling in her stomach that she would not live to see her baby. Whenever she went to her gynaecologist and he talked about a CS, she would tell him, ‘Daktari, I don’t think I’ll make it.’ As she went to hospital, though she was not in pain, she couldn’t shake off her fears. The feeling only became stronger. ‘I knew that I would not wake up from the anaesthesia,’ she says, evidently still getting the chills when she thinks about it.

Her first delivery was through CS and she remembers waking up during the operation. One of her doctors noted that their patient was awake and thus they hurried on with the bandaging to alleviate her suffering. The tube in her mouth also made it difficult for her to breathe. But by grace, she survived it. Because of her earlier dramatic CS, Joseline felt that a second CS might be worse. Donel, her first born was 4.3kg, and the doctor advised that if her forth coming baby was above 3-5 kg, then Joseline would have to go for another CS. As fate would have it Marlia, her daughter, was 3.75kg, leading to this young mother’s predicament.

She shared her bad feeling with her husband who insisted that everything would be fine. However, not even his comforting words could shake away Joseline’s feeling. Contrary to the expected EDD, Robert took her to hospital on 27 September following her gynaecologist’s instructions. Upon arrival, she was booked in immediately. ‘I was advised to eat from 6am till midnight. Thereafter, I was expected to sleep and not ingest anything until after the CS,’ she notes.

She was due for the operation at about 8am. Again her biggest fear was losing Donel, whom she had become deeply attached to, thanks to more than two years of relation.

As she went to theatre, she thought, ‘If I die now, what will happen to him?’ This she narrated all the while glancing at him, making sure he did not fall and hurt himself in his play.

The surgery took 45 minutes, after which a healthy baby girl was delivered. All was going well until Joseline started bleeding excessively and the doctors tried frantically to stop it. Moreover, they realised that she had fibroids which they could not remove because of her profuse bleeding.

The doctors applied pressure and the bleeding subsided. Afterwards, Joseline was wheeled to the recovery room where she was to stay.

Contrary to their expectations that they had successfully curbed the bleeding, Joseline woke up feeling wet. ‘I could hear people talking all around me but I could not make out what they were talking about,’ she recollects. ‘I just felt wet especially my clothes, and neck region,’ she adds equivocally as though reliving the moment.

Shortly afterwards, a nurse came to see how she was doing and Joseline promptly replied that she felt very wet. The nurse not quite understanding what she meant, uncovered Joseline and saw that the bleeding had started again. This time, it was dripping to the ground. Immediately, the doctor was called in and they inserted a catheter, to drain her urine. One female doctor consulted with Joseline telling her,

‘I know that what I will do is painful but at this rate, it is the only way to stop the bleeding and save you,’ she warned.

They folded her legs towards her, and one female doctor inserted her hands and started pulling out blood clots. ‘You can imagine I already had a fresh wound from my cut and someone was pulling out blood clots from my uterus!’ she added in exasperation at her then desperate situation. Joseline undoubtedly felt excruciating pain and even yelled at the top of her lungs to reinforce her emotions. She was ‘ weak but she yelled repeatedly, ‘You’re hurting me, you’re hurting me!’ all to no avail since the doctor was focused on the life-saving procedure. In between the pain she would ask the doctor the only question she had in her mind, ‘Is it a boy or a girl?’ and the doctor would tell her not to worry for she would soon meet her baby.

(To be continued in Issue 33)

END:BL32/20-21