Heat over baby names

When it appeared that Rita could give birth to a baby girl, she suggested the name Palm. However, David had a different idea. According to him, their firstborn is precious and thus be wanted her to be named Precious. Before they got married, they had agreed on having three children and David was very particular about baby names. He had a diary where he had written the names he would like to have for their kids. He therefore felt that Rita was wrong in choosing the name Palm. ‘To her, Precious was a boy’s name’, he says.

David did not give much consideration to Rita’s preferred baby name. He wanted to have it his way. This got Rita worked up and it did not take long before David noticed that she was unhappy. David says, ‘She revealed to me that she was not happy about my plan to have the baby named Precious.’

David was stuck between his love for his wife and his love for the name. After deep thought, however, he loved his wife more and decided to change his mind. ‘I decided to stick with what she wanted because I had nothing to lose,’ he narrates. As a compromise, they reached a harmonious decision that if they got a girl they would name her Palm and if it was a boy, Precious. After all, Rita was convinced that Precious was a boy’s name!

Despite their brief clash about names, David and Rita’s relationship remained close. He says that his wife was getting prettier by the day. ‘When my wife told me that she was pregnant I tried to imagine her with a large bump and was keen to watch her tummy swell. When I began seeing some physical changes in her, my excitement increased.’ David appreciates the that Rita underwent. Even before Rita was pregnant he was poised with pregnancy information because of his profession.

He explains, ‘I understand that pregnancy makes women change particularly because I am a biology teacher. I have had to understand her and bear with her. I knew she might at times become sluggish. Although it was normal for us to have sexual intercourse when she was pregnant, I appreciated the fact that sometimes she would be unwilling.’

David’s support to his pregnant wife is reflected in many ways. It was particularly outstanding when he took Rita to her first antenatal clinic. ‘She was the happiest and a heroine among other women at Mengo hospital because the rest of the women were alone.’ Her radiant smile was evident on her face and the doctors congratulated him for being with her. ‘I enjoyed being there with her though it was tiresome because we had to wait on the long queue. At some point Rita told me it was okay if I wanted to leave, because I looked more tired than she was!

END: PG 11/ 18