Poop or not- Here I come

After 10 months of marital bliss, Peter and Esther saw it fit to make room for one more member of their family. This was when baby Jane was conceived. But like all pregnancies, Esther’s pregnancy had quite a few hurdles to overcome, and she would need all her strength, determination and courage, qualities she possessed at the time.

With a smile on her face she recalls her pregnancy, highlighting that she liked seeing her belly growing and she loved those kicks! In fact, she generally loved the way her baby would respond to the food she ate, and even admitted that she would take a lot of lemon tea, so that she could enjoy more of her baby’s movements! She described her pregnancy through all the nine months as ‘normal’ with all the nausea, cravings and unpredictable moods.

The culmination of this experience obviously was her due date, and by the time she was taken to hospital she had contractions that were far apart and had only dilated 2cm. Having being admitted late into the night, she stayed there for the next 24 hours after which she had dilated only 5cm. Her frustration was growing because the pain was almost unbearable yet her contractions were so far apart. Her motivation was her husband Peter, who would massage her lower back as soon as the pain began. They also prayed together continuously for a healthy baby. Later on, she realized that she felt wet, and went to the bathroom to confirm her fears. Sure enough, there was a yellowish discharge. She quickly consulted with the doctor and nurses who upon tests, verified the yellowish discharge was as a result of meconium (baby stool).

They rushed a, now worried and in pain Esther into the emergency room. whose contractions were getting more intense. At the theater. they had to insert a catheter to avoid urine mess, which only added to her discomfort. They injected her with an epidural anaesthetic to reduce her pain and proceeded to do the Caesarean operation.

The Aftermath
“I first saw Peter’s ears!” she said gleefully, ‘And out came a ‘poop’ covered baby! Unlike most mothers who want to see their new borns immediately after birth. Esther did not want to see baby Jane for some hours. She felt disconnected to her baby and was enveloped by a feeling of sadness. She asked her husband why she had to go through so much pain to see her baby. She remembered waking up early to take walks at the hospital wards as exercise to ensure that she had a normal delivery. Yet in spite of all this. she ended up going through a C-section. Her husband, family and friends became her motivation to pull through; they were elated upon seeing that she had delivered a healthy baby girl.

Making it through the rain
The next morning saw the return of more trauma as the excruciating pain made a come back. She could not move or leave her bed due to the pain ‘. caused .by her Caesarean operation. She could not feel her legs which were still very cold and numb. She felt depressed that she had lost control over her own body. The nurses came and brought her baby for feeding, an activity which proved difficult since her breasts did not produce milk immediately.

Being a first time mother, it was also “‘. not automatic for her to know how to position her baby to suckle. The baby had to temporarily be fed with a bottle; while a persistent Esther kept trying until she succeeded in suckling the baby. Her breasts were not spared either from the agony as, soon, her nipples were cracked and the baby’s suckling only caused more pain to her.

Post-delivery  
After being admitted for three days, Esther was released and went home with her healthy baby girl. However, she had persistent bleeding coupled with migraines, which made her life relentlessly difficult. The crying tantrums of her baby within the first few weeks caused her distress. It was only in the third week that her baby got much quieter and happy. Her advice to other women is not to take life for granted and that God determines how everyone’s pregnancy experience will be. She looks forward to having her second baby, when the time is right.

END: PG 28 /24