Chapter 4: Gentle unfolding…
Continued from Issue 36
The Final Chapter
Tony proposes to me again at my mother’s house before his parents, my mum, our best friends. It is unbelievable!
At the clinic the doctor introduced me to, I get tested again, and my CD4 count and viral load are done before I start the medication. Taking regular medication in pregnancy is not a cup of tea. I have to take three tablets twice daily – two of them are so big I have to break them into pieces before swallowing. Then there are days, especially in the morning, that I have a feeling that the tablets stuck in my throat. It will be another five months before the baby’s arrival. Other than the discomfort of the ante-retroviral drugs, all else goes on smoothly. I get my CD4 and viral load test again a week before the baby is born. The tests are good, very good, my CD4 count has actually doubled which, means my body is able to fight infections as good as any healthy person.
On Thursday, 8th October, I check into my hospital room. After a lengthy talk with my doctor, I have finally decided that I will have the baby by Caesarean, and will not breastfeed at all. The doctor checks me in and issues instructions to the nurse before leaving. I can’t eat anything between now and the operation tomorrow morning. Tony is with me. He stays for most of the night and leaves after midnight when I feel sleepy.
My baby is born on 9th October, 2009. We had chosen this day because he would share a birthday with his father. I opted for spinal anaesthesia (only the lower part of the body is sedated) because I wanted to see my baby when he comes into this world. Those stories about babies being exchanged or stolen in hospitals are scary. I can’t explain what it is, but I cry and cry when I eventually see him. We leave the hospital after three days.
The weeks following my son’s birth are the most anxious in my life. We have a month’s dose of ante-retroviral drugs for my little boy. Sometimes I would get emotional watching him innocently take the syrup twice every day. The worst moment comes when I have to take him for his test. We had an appointment with the paediatrician who received the baby when it was born. He examines him, and says he is doing very well. He then writes the lab request and refers us to a lab in a private hospital, insisting they have the most accurate results.
When we reach the lab, the attendant asks how old the baby is. ‘Six weeks,’ I say. ‘Then it is going to be difficult to draw the amount of blood we need for the test,’ he says.
The agony starts with the prickings to find a vein – three times and still no success. At this point, I am literally in tears. Tony was not even in the room. I don’t know how he managed to sneak out. Finally, the lab attendant suggests that we wait another six weeks when the baby was old enough to have his blood drawn. I call the doctor and explain to him what had happened. He assures me that all was fine and that the baby was in good health. The six weeks waiting period were very difficult for me.
When Wayne finally tested HIV negative at three months, I felt so much relief. He is a big boy now and has moved very fast in his milestones. He was able to walk unaided at 11 months. I don’t know how to explain what I feel for my husband. He is the best a husband that could ever be. Our different HIV statuses have never been an issue to the relationship. I have to take the drugs for the rest of my life.
The End
END: BL37/36