Esther Wahome

This is a legacy edition story. True stories of past pregnancies in yester days (or years), as published in Pregnant Magazine.

It’s an exciting time of her life when her marriage, motherhood and career all meet in a forceful and exhilarating climax- welcoming Baby Number 2.

On 25 September 1997, Esther Wangui Mureithi, popularly known as Esther Wahome, and her husband Godfrey Mureithi were blessed with a baby girl, Mitchell Mumbi. They have since not had another baby, causing both concern and anxiety among friends and relatives.

In an exclusive interview with Babylove Network, the contemporary gospel queen of ‘Kuna Dawa’ fame remarked that her family and many of he close friends have over the years asked why she and Godfrey were not bearing forth another baby. Her mother-in-law would jokingly tell her that instead of buying Mitchell all those dolls she should get her first born a baby brother or sister to play with. Esther’s elder sister once even told her that if she was afraid that another baby would come between her and her career, she would be willing to look after the baby for her. The couple’s friends always ask why they settled for one child. Some close friends would even delve deeper and enquire if all was okay. Everyone has been hoping to unravel the mystery or at least get the real answer!

The answer as she explained to Pregnant is simple. ‘We agreed to have only one child,’ she says. Her music career had started picking up well and she started traveling a lot. Life became very hectic for her and so they decided to settle for one child at that time. It did not occur to her that several years later she would be desperately trying to have another baby. Nine years after Mitchell, Esther is pregnant again and it has opened a brand new chapter in her life.

Now that she is expecting, Esther is attracting a lot of attention from her family, friends and fans. Some people are surprised to see her protruding bump, probably because they have not envisaged the agile artist with her dance moves being in such a state. People turn as she walks by sometimes not sure what they have seen is true. Some have gone to the extent of wanting to touch her bump and in some cases have actually done it to be sure it is not a make believe!

Interestingly, Esther says, some of those who do not know her personal life think she is single. This may be one of the reasons for surprised glances. Could she be pregnant out of wedlock? She adds that even though her husband has mostly been with her during her shows and other events he has always kept a low profile, preferring to lead a quite life. He is not keen on publicity but plays a very central role in supporting her in all ways.

Sometime in 2005 Esther and Godfrey felt they wanted another baby. Their firstborn was then eight years. ‘It was such a strong feeling that we did not care what was ahead,’ said Esther.

When the couple agreed to have another child, they assumed that as it had been easy for her to get pregnant the first time it would happen in the same way. It did not happen. ‘It was all we wanted but the baby was not forthcoming!’ For one year they tried, hoped and prayed about it. At one point they were so anxious that she had to see a doctor to confirm she could still give birth! The doctor assured them that all was fine and they just had to keep on trying and be patient. Weeks turned into months with no sign of a baby. However, they remained hopeful and active. She talked emotively about the gift of life. ‘Pregnant mums should take care of themselves as God is counting on them to take care of the babies in them. They should know that whether married or not the life inside them is a gift from God and that they are honoured to carry that life in them. Women who are pregnant and not married should not feel like outcasts: they are blessed and should be strong for their babies’

The fact that Esther was gunning for a baby eight years after her first did not worry her particularly as her mother was in a similar situation when Esther was born. Esther was born in Nyeri, the last born in a family of eight children. There is a gap of ten years between her and the seventh child. She grew up in Nyeri where she attended a local primary school between 1981 and 1988. She subsequently joined Pangani Girl’s Secondary School in Nairobi until 1992.

In 1993 she was discovered singing in a church by a producer with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation
(KBC), who brought her to Nairobi. She started singing on television and that’s how she attracted recording firms and her music career was born. She has been in the industry for the last decade and she feels she is now an accomplished performing and recording artist. She feels honoured to be recognised not only in Kenya but also internationally. When she was a young girl her father who loved music very much would play different kinds of instruments: guitar, accordion, drums. In the evenings the family would get together and form a family choir. She admired people singing on television but never thought that one day people would do the same for her. In 1994 she released her first album and realised her dream to join professional music. She is particularly excited that her music career came in a divine way. ‘I am an evangelistic artist,’ she said with a smile.

In February this year Esther went down with a severe cold. When she went to hospital she let the doctor know she was working on conceiving a baby. She wanted a pregnancy test done before she could receive any medication as she did not want the medicine she would receive to interfere with the baby if there was one.

That simple request was to result in one of Esther’s most joyful moments. The doctor confirmed she was pregnant. She also learned that the fetus was one and a half months old. She was so excited that she decided to keep the pregnancy test kit. She would scrutinize this kit everyday just to re-confirm that her dream had indeed come true.

From the day she learned that she had conceived, Esther started feeling very pregnant even though her pregnancy was only six weeks old. She was overjoyed but at the same time afraid since she did not know what awaited her. She relied on her husband’s encouragement and is philosophical about his love and support.

She met Godfrey in 1994 through a friend and they courted for two years, eventually wedding on 16 November 1996. They were ready for their first child and she was hoping that she would get pregnant immediately, which she did. By the time she was getting married Esther was already established in the music industry and had released four albums as Esther Wahome. For this reason she decided to retain her father’s name Wahome as her professional name for business purposes as it was her known trademark. However, all her official documents refer to her appropriately as Esther Wangui Mureithi.

Touching her tummy gently, Esther explains her pregnancy experience. ‘The first trimester for this baby came with a lot of discomfort. I always felt tired and there was the morning sickness to face.’ Despite the nausea, she never threw up as is expected except when she had eaten food that was not compatible with her stomach. ‘I always felt tired and sleepy.’

Before going for the pregnancy test she developed a craving for vanilla ice-cream, a flavour she previously disliked. Her cravings were short-lived because a month later she wanted nothing as badly as she longed for traditional fermented porridge. Thereafter, a serving of chips from a nearby fast food joint was her favourite meal. Not to forget lots of ketchup to top it up.

Currently, her main craving is for African dishes like matoke, kienyeji and fermented uji. ‘This is unlike my first pregnancy when I would crave for mangoes and roasted cassava. I would pass by Odeon Cinema where some guys used to roast cassava and just savour the aroma as I walked past: She takes lots of fruits of various kinds, fresh juices, a hot drink of Milo and masala tea. She is very grateful to her househelp who has been with the family since Mitchell was five years. Esther confesses that sometimes she would ask the househelp to cook something for her and end up not eating it. ‘She is very patient with me.’ She is also grateful to her colleagues who have had to put up with her mood swings and for the special treatment she has been receiving from them.

Esther likes taking twenty-minute walks. This she does at least three times a week as she has a tight schedule. During her early months she would go swimming every Saturday. She has stopped swimming as she no longer feels comfortable in a swimming costume. However, she has remained active and has even been performing on stage.

She has been taking part in the ongoing campaign of ‘Vijana Tugutuke’ that is encouraging young people to register as voters in readiness for the 2007 general elections. The campaigns have been staged in most major towns in the country. The weekend after she discovered that she was pregnant Esther was awarded Eve’s Woman of the Year Award for Music and Art. Still in July this year, Esther won the Kisima Music Award for the best contemporary gospel artist. She has also signed up a contract with Citizen TV as a presenter for a Gospel programme ‘Shangilia.’ To crown it all she has completed her ‘Asali’ album while pregnant and hopes to release it by the end of August this year. She has cut down on her travelling, however. She was scheduled for some concerts in the USA in May this year but had to cancel them at the advice of her doctor who explained it was not good for the baby. This was to be her first visit to the USA . but she has no regrets. She has previously travelled to Greece, South Africa, Scotland and England.

Meanwhile, Esther has to worry about the several changes she is experiencing in her physical and emotional self. The changes are sometimes of concern but are worth what awaits her, she concludes. Unlike during her first pregnancy when her skin was flawless, she observes that her skin has become rough. In addition, she has lost her perfect size 10 but hopes to regain this immediately after birth. ‘I normally weigh 58 kilograms but I am now 70 kilograms.’ Her doctor has advised her that this is normal and the weight gain is within acceptable limits.

My Journey’s BEST MOMENTS …
My husband, being nine years older than I, was anxious to get a baby because he felt age was catching up with him. He was therefore extremely elated when the news of my pregnancy came. He cannot wait to hold the baby,’ revealed Esther. Since then her husband has been pampering her more than usual. ‘These have been my journey’s best moments. He treats me like a precious egg,’ she laughs. If she happens to go out of sight, her husband keeps calling her and if she happens to go out of the compound, say to the shop, Godfrey will follow her just to ensure that she is okay.

With a broad smile on her face, Esther says that whenever she wakes up at night to visit the toilet and happens to take longer than expected her husband always comes looking for her.

Godfrey, she says, has been there for her all through just like he was during her first pregnancy. He accompanies her to all her antenatal clinics. When Mitchell was born he was her birth partner and was in the labour ward during delivery.

‘Godfrey will be my birth partner this time too,’ reveals a happy Esther, with obvious anticipation. ‘It will be great to have him present when the baby comes.

My pre-delivery feelings •••
MY biggest scare is labour pain. I know no one can tell how labour will be like. It might not be as painful as one thinks, but that does not make me less nervous. During Mitchell’s birth the doctor had to induce labour. This was the worst time of my pregnancy because I laboured for more than fifteen hours before the baby weighing 3.1 kilograms finally came through.

I hope this time I have a normal delivery without being induced. I am praying that labour will not last longer than four hours. I have not yet shopped for the baby, unlike during my first pregnancy when I shopped at three months and would stare at babies’ outfits and accessories in stores. I have prepared a baby room, even though our baby will sleep in our bedroom for the first six months before being moved to the baby room.

Right now my focus is on labour and delivery. I am experiencing discomfort in the abdomen and the baby keeps kicking at my ribs.

I feel that I might deliver earlier than my expected date of delivery as the doctor has told me that the baby has already turned and that my body is getting ready for delivery. Yet my tummy is not that big – it actually still looks like a pot! Recently a friend who is also pregnant teased me, ‘Get pregnant properly!”

END:PG 03 /26-31