Baby Zuri’s twin…A year later
My second step has just begun. July 31, 2008, this is the epitome of cold. I never realised just how cold Kenyatta National Hospital was until today. Mum always tells me to dress warmly when coming here, but who knew? Well, it’s been slightly over a year now, and I’m back in the Maternity Ward. The blue curtains are not any brighter, in fact, I’m almost sure they are closer to a weird white—grey colour now. The walls are same as always; tired faded cream. A few more years and they may show the dark patches of all the heads that have leaned on it over time. As I look around this room, I spot Isaac, my brother-in-law. He is as calm as always. I never know what goes on through his mind and how he manages to keep it together under circumstances such as these.
As I look down, I remember the somewhat light load in my arms, Zuri. She’s one year now and looks like an angel, I like to think of her as my angel, in truth though she’s my niece.
She has learnt how to walk now but unfortunately, I missed it because of school. I guess those are some of the disadvantages of being away at campus. She has on a pink trouser with a matching pink sweater and white shoes. Her father just cut off most of her hair so it is rather short. He cut it in the name of neatness, but I think he was just bored. My sister and I went to bed one evening, leaving her with a head full of hair, which was gone the next morning. Shock would not be the best word to use for my reaction when I saw her, perturbed maybe, but not shocked.
Well, back to the present day. We’re here to meet her new brother. My sister won’t tell me if it’s a boy or girl, but I am sure it’s a boy. I took it upon myself to investigate the sex of the child this time. As much as they always say each pregnancy is unique, there are certain elements that stand out.
I am glad I did this research, it shed a lot of light on my knowledge, if I say so myself. The need for research began when for the umpteenth time my sister refused to divulge the sex of the child. With Zuri I understood—nervousness about motherhood, scared of buying pink clothes for a boy, along with several other reasons. But with this pregnancy, it was just plain maliciousness. I mean, she knows the child’s sex, why torture the aunt who will change the diapers? So my research started about five months ago.
My first discovery was in an article I read in the newspaper, I am not sure which newspaper it was but the article gave the different ways of determining the sex of a child during pregnancy without going for an ultra sound. The most captivating way was the inclination of the pregnancy. With girls, the pregnancy is round and high up while with boys, it is sharper and is carried slightly lower. There was my first sign.
I could remember that with Zuri, my sister Tracy had a rounder and higher pregnancy than the current one. So I decided to examine her behaviour for other signs that may support my theory.
I was not planning on getting it wrong this time, and so I would eliminate any signs similar to her pregnancy with Zuri.
After the article, I started to notice a lot of other things. One thing was her skin colour. She was lighter than before and seeing how her complexion darkened with Zuri, that was the second tell tale sign that this must be a boy. Another was the bout of energy she seemed to have. She once walked from Vision Plaza on Mombasa Road to Capital Centre, not a distance for the faint hearted, and as far as I’m concerned, not for pregnant ladies either.
I can’t wait to meet him now that I’m sure it’s a boy. As I see Tracy-my sister, and the little angel being rolled into the ward, I get very excited. One because I finally get to meet the little person and two because Zuri is suddenly feeling a lot heavier, putting her down would be a blessing. As I walk behind my brother-in-law toward Tracy’s bed, a nurse walks up to me and stops me. ‘I’m sorry dear but you cannot go in with the child,’ she says. I’m stumped, especially because her reason for Zuri not going in is that she could catch a disease. Is this not a hospital? I decide to sit outside and wait for Isaac to come out so we can exchange the load and I can meet finally meet my nephew.
As I sit outside, I realise it has gotten colder. The chill is disturbing. I am afraid that Zuri might actually catch a worse disease out here than inside there. ‘Good thing we’re in hospital,’ I think to myself. As I’m thinking this, a totally different nurse from the one that condemned me to the cold comes up to me. She is wearing a well starched white dress that is in great contrast to the surrounding. Her dark blue sleeveless cardigan makes her look professional. She has a very motherly face; I could almost stare at her as she looks almost like my mother. I smile at her and wait to hear what she has to say.
‘What are you doing outside in the cold with a small child?’ she asks. I explain to her what the other nurse told me and she looks at me wide-eyed, in shock. She helps me up and asks me where my sister’s bed is. As I have no idea, I simply tell her my sister’s name. ‘You should not be outside in the cold. She is just a baby like the rest of them,’ she mutters as she leads me back inside and into my sister’s room. As I approached the bed, I saw the cutest little angel lying down next to my sister.
Right there and then, I knew it was a boy. He was much taller than Zuri was when she was born, a little darker though. His ears are a few shades darker portraying the colour he would be when he grows older. He has little white freckles on his nose just like Zuri had and the green leso covering him, makes me realise just how small he is. I mean, how often do you wrap a leso several times around yourself? It was amazing. The nurse I came in with inquires about Zuri’s age and Tracy tells her that she’s a year old. ‘They will grow up like twins,’ she says, adding: ‘At the beginning, it is quite the hustle, but with time, you get used to it.’ She smiles and walks away.
My sister seems to be smiling at me, but I’m not too sure. My mind was already in turmoil. ‘They’ll be like twins?’ ‘They will be a hustle?’ So yet again, this is just the beginning.
END:BL35a/32-33