Atieno Otieno’s reflections

Away from glamour and her job as a TV presenter, former Miss Malaika talks candidly about her pregnancy and its real-life challenges.

Atieno Otieno had a date with Anne Kigathi and Emma Odaba of Pregnant at a popular Nairobi restaurant, a place she chose simply because she likes their mango juice.

Dressed in a white outfit, a stunning beaded necklace, a matching wrist-band and well-maintained dreadlocks, Atieno looks graceful and pretty.

Atieno talks freely about her pregnancy. It is a subject she loves and points out that even her partner, Cliff Anyimu, says as much.
‘He keeps complaining that all I talk about is the baby.’ She wonders what else would be more important.
‘I think that is what we should be discussing because it’s the matter at hand. He argues that he has never been a father but I tell him I have never been a mother either, so this is a time to learn!’

He went into panic

She admits that her pregnancy wasn’t planned. ‘When I suspected that I might be pregnant, I asked Cliff to buy me a pregnancy kit for a self-test which turned positive. At first we were both happy.’ After the initial celebration, Atieno says the full implications of the pregnancy started registering into her mind and she went into panic. However, she did not cry over it although she wondered whether she should keep the baby. ‘Having an abortion crossed my mind—I guess it crosses every girl’s mind if she hasn’t planned for the baby. But Cliff warned me not to ever try it. I was thinking about an abortion because I wasn’t sure whether Cliff was ready for us.’

Morning sickness

Then morning sickness hit her. ‘I was so lazy and I didn’t feel like doing any activity. Call me naive, but I frankly thought, I was going to have that feeling over the entire nine months of pregnancy. I remember telling Cliff I couldn’t live like that any more. He is the one who enlightened me that morning sickness was only temporary and would disappear by the time I was four months pregnant. It is amazing how much he knew about pregnancy that I did not know as a woman.’

One of Atieno’s greatest challenges was getting the time to visit a gynaecologist to start her antenatal clinic. ‘I was attending a seminar and at the same time I was busy with work. I was available only on Sundays. That was however my day for relaxation and I never felt like leaving the house!’

I moved from one gynaecologist to another

Eventually one evening she decided to call a doctor whom she had been referred to by a friend. ‘I rushed to his clinic. I was however in shock when he asked me to remove all my clothes for the check-up. Since I didn’t like that doctor, I went to another one. When one is pregnant people provide numerous advice! I moved from one gynaecologist to another on the advice of friends who would tell me which one was better than the other.’

At one time Atieno felt her doctor was not giving her enough information. ‘He always said everything was fine.’ Apparently she did not like this! Finally she settled for a doctor she was comfortable with. ‘He is good because he explains to me everything and sometimes even uses diagrams to help me understand better.’

Kidney illness

Another challenge Atieno reflects on was a kidney illness. ‘There was a time I was very sick. I was five months pregnant and I went to a doctor who diagnosed pneumonia. My condition didn’t improve and I went back after a week to the same hospital simply because I felt as they had my documents they knew about my condition better. Upon my second visit, I was seen by another doctor who found out I had a kidney problem.

I refused to be admitted into hospital because I had never slept in hospital before. My blood pressure was very high and I was in great pain. I couldn’t eat, my feet were swollen and breathing was a problem. As I was pregnant the doctor could not recommend an X-ray and so I was sent for an ultrasound scan. I ended up having several ultrasound scans and in the process I learnt of the baby’s sex even though I did not have a preference.’

The doctors informed me I had an infection in my right kidney and was given several doses of antibiotics. Being on drugs was scary especially when I read on the instructions ‘effects on pregnant mothers not yet established’. Atieno has since recovered and is thankful for the doctors’ attention.

Married or living together

When asked whether she is married or living together with her partner, Atieno is quick to answer, ‘No!’ She explains, ‘We don’t live together but we live near each other so we meet every day unless one is out of the town or we have had a fight. I didn’t want to get married because I was pregnant, I have to take my time and make things official. I want to enjoy my wedding when I marry him. Additionally, I wouldn’t want to drag my husband with my pregnancy especially during the honeymoon.’

She laughs and continues, ‘The honeymoon is very important! If I am pregnant on honeymoon it would be boring; I would not be able to adorn myself in a tight fitting outfit for my husband!’

END: PG 06/42