Patricia Nyalwal
‘It’s all new to me…’
While Kenyans were celebrating Jamhuri Day on 12 December, my new baby girl was getting her first-time immunisation, shortly after birth. Before I left hospital she had received what I was told were BCG and IPV vaccinations. I had no idea what that meant, but I knew it was for the better. Today I know BCG is an anti-tuberculosis vaccine, whose full and difficult name is Bacillus Calmette-Guerin. IPV means inactivated, or killed, poliovirus vaccine, an anti-polio dose. This baby business… it’s all new to me.
Soon after I delivered, the nurses called all new mothers to the nursery, and asked them to breastfeed. Some didn’t know while others knew. I put my baby on the breast, and she didn’t have a problem suckling. The nurses came and told me I was doing it correctly, but some mothers had problems because their babies could not suckle. I guess I was just lucky.
On her first day while still in hospital, her body was simply sprayed softly with warm water and wiped. The nurses told me that was equivalent to a full bath. On the second day I was shown how to bathe her but in a sink. I didn’t know how I would bathe her in a baby bath tub.
When I was discharged, a friend who has a three-month-old baby came over to my house and showed me how she bathes her baby. I discovered it was not difficult!
Now that I am home one of my greatest tasks is to protect my baby- Mina Ahela Nyalwal, from infection because I know her immune system is still immature. I stay indoors, and I prefer not to give her to visitors. I would rather let them see her while she is in my arms. I feel it is not appropriate to ask visitors to wash their hands before they hold the baby, as some might take it in bad taste.
Another friend with a three-month-old baby has devised a smart and inoffensive way, of dealing with visitors. When visitors come to her house, she asks her house girl to serve them fruit. They immediately request for water to wash their hands and are shown to the sink! This way, she gets everyone to wash their hands before handling the baby.
Unfortunately, I can’t adopt her tactic as I do not have a house girl at the moment and neither can I afford to serve guests fruit all the time.
My husband Hedwig Nyalwal understands that we need to take care of Mina, and the first thing he does when he comes from work is to freshen up before he holds the baby. Mina knows when her daddy holds her—she stops crying immediately she hears him whistling.
After I was discharged from hospital, I was told to return her after six weeks for more immunisation. I have now learned how immunisation progresses. I will ensure she does not skip a single one.
Besides immunization, I know babies can get infections if you don’t bathe them well. I clean her body carefully everyday, though I have heard many women saying that small babies should not be bathed on a daily basis. For Mina, it’s a daily bath at night and a massage so that she can sleep well.
What I first do is wash her head with baby shampoo. To ensure she doesn’t feel cold. I start with the hair and then wipe it. Next I wipe her face with a ball of cotton wool soaked in warm water. I wipe each eye with a different ball. I remove her nappy and wipe her lower body. Finally I wipe the entire body emphasizing on the skin folds because that is where dirt hides. I dip her in water and wash her gently with soap. I merely freshen her up at this point, as I have already wiped off most of the dirt by the time I immerse her in the water. After bath I massage her with baby oil. She really enjoys it.
The chocking shock
I can’t forget one incident that left me quite shocked. Mina has been sleeping in her baby cot, in the same room with us. My husband wakes up in the middle of the night to check on her.This time round she was in her cot at around nine at night. I always make her sleep on her side and then I put a pillow to prevent her from turning over.
We were seated chatting with my husband when we heard her struggling to breathe. When I looked into the cot I found her chocking and gasping for air. Can you imagine a baby not even a month old choking? It was really shocking! She was chocking and couldn’t cry, but tears filled her eyes. It was the first time I saw tears rolling down her cheeks.
I have read many articles on emergency first aid at home, including on chocking, but when such an incident occurs one’s mind goes blank! You cannot remember the very basic first aid rules you have read or heard about.
Apparently, I had not placed the propping pillow properly to prevent her from turning. I was in panic. My husband picked her up and patted her gently on the back till she could cry again. As we still were not sure everything was alright, we took her to the hospital for reassurance. That incident frightened me, and I watch over Mina much closer than ever before!
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