Bringing Up Shanice

Charlene’s Baby Diary

Charlene Wangare talked to Rebecca Njoki and gave an account of how she is bringing up her gal, Shanice Wanjiru.

‘Shanice was born on 2 December, 2006. It turned out to be a very difficult day for me. I was in labour for 17 straight hours before the doctors induced me. Afterwards, I bled a lot. The doctors had to inject me twice to stop the bleeding.

I also had an episiotomy, which made sitting difficult for two days. However, I was happy for having delivered Shanice safely. Furthermore, the stitches healed easily within three weeks.

Work and breastfeeding
I breastfed Shanice exclusively for two months. After my maternal leave was over, I had to go back to work. I therefore had her fed on formula milk during the day.

Scared of bath time!
I was scared of bathing Shanice. I had to be strong-willed to get myself to bathe her. I was extremely cautious, especially during the first several days when she still had the stump of her umbilical cord.

Waking up — thrice at night
Shanice never had a problem with sleeping even though she loved breastfeeding at night. I would wake up at least three times during the night to feed her. This meant that she would catch up with her sleep during the day.

Teething — I rubbed her gums
Teething is a very painful and frustrating experience. I helped Shanice through it by rubbing her gums and by giving her a carrot to rub herself with — it worked!

Shanice’s eating habits
She is a very selective eater. I always make sure to include what she prefers in her diet. For instance, she loves having a meal of spaghetti, soup and chicken. She also loves porridge, milk and weetabix.

Regaining my shape
It was hard for me to lose weight after birth because I loved eating junk food. I gained a lot of weight and had to take measures to regain my shape. I stopped eating junk food and most importantly, started jogging in the morning. I did sit-ups and ate small portions of nutritious foods.

Helping my baby grow into good personality
I would like Shanice to be a lawyer when she grows up. Consequently, I am making all arrangements necessary to groom her into one.

I will teach her to respect others. I will not be too strict with her, but I will administer discipline where necessary. I will also train her on the importance of education.

One important lesson I would like her to learn is never to forget that she is important. She should also never take things for granted. Thus, I will constantly talk to her in order to help her grow into a responsible person.

I have been buying baby magazines and we look at the pictures together. Surprisingly, she does not tear up the pages as many a child would do.

I have also bought a board where she scribbles with mark pens. On the other hand. I consider nutrition as integral to her growth hence I make sure that she eats healthily.

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