The Indimuli’s – The voice of babies: a divine gift
If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, I’d walk right up to heaven and bring you home again (author unknown). The pain of loss is indescribable, the aftermath unbearable and though many say that death is not an end if we can live on in our children, sometimes we lose these children and are left to face life without their sweet presence.
Eight months into her pregnancy, Fred and Maureen Indimuli faced each expectant parent’s worst nightmare-a still birth. It was during the helter-skelter of wedding arrangements and parents’ meetings that Maureen developed high blood pressure, causing her baby not to get enough oxygen and noticed. I was pregnant when I started feeling nausea. I wasn’t using any contraception, so I knew I was pregnant.’ Although this new development came as a big shock to Fred, the couple nonetheless resigned themselves to prepare for their newborn.
‘Since I realised that Maureen was pregnant, I’ve had to tie up the loose ends financially,’ says Fred.’I have also made many sacrifices to ensure that Maureen and the baby are comfortable.’ The couple’s first daughter, Nicole, is also preparing for the young one and constantly rubs Maureen’s tummy, talking to her as if she were already born.
Now a stay-at-home mum to avoid the recurrence of pre-eclampsia, Maureen spends her days bonding with her 5 year old daughter and cooking for her husband. ‘Although life is much slower with fewer outings with the girls, I appreciate the time spent at home because I can rest whenever I need to I get so sleepy, I can even sleep while walking!’ she laments. As for Fred, he has had to change his morning shift at Kiss FM to afternoon in order to take care of Maureen. His time at the club has also been curtailed as he rushes home to check on the girls. However, he takes it all in his stride and admits that as a father and husband, his mentor has been his mother.
As far as pregnancy woes are concerned, Maureen cannot stand oily foods and the family has had to contend with ugali and , sukumawiki (kales) a little more than usual. ‘This has been hard but we know it’s just for a short while,’ says Fred.
Maureen also panics every time she does not feel the baby move for a long time. ‘Sometimes I even rub my belly and talk to her, to stimulate her to move. what it is REALLY like Many a time I have felt like going to hospital to check if everything is okay but I always reassure myself that everything is fine,’ explains Maureen.
Fred and Maureen’s families have been very supportive of them and call to find out if Maureen is alright every now and then. Their friends have also been very happy for them, telling Maureen that the birth of this new baby will help her get over the loss of the first one, a notion that is evident whenever Maureen talks about her unborn baby.
‘I want her to grow up to be just like Nicole, who looks like her dad. I know his genes are stronger so I don’t expect her to look like me. I would like her to be a beautiful successful lady one day.’ As for Fred, he hopes that his daughters will grow up to be God-fearing, independent and confident As a wise man once said, any idiot can face a crisis it’s day to day living that wears you out For Maureen, the challenges of pregnancy lie in living each day and she advises mothers-to-be to take pregnancy one day at a time. ‘You cannot carry everything in a day,’ she says. Fred, on the other hand, has had to take everyday challenges like mood swings in stride. ‘I’m used to Maureen’s changing moods. Whenever she doesn’t want to talk to me, I busy myself with everyone else until she gets back to normal.
I don’t think she realises that her moods change.’ However, the love is still as strong as it was when the couple first met ‘Now that we have a daughter and another one coming, our attention has shifted to them but we always find each other afterwards; the love is still there like before.’ And the excitement in Maureen’s voice as she describes the good qualities in Fred confirms that indeed the love is still strong ‘Fred is calm and controlled hope Natalie takes up after him,’ Maureen mutters again. And just as well, Fred hopes Natalie will take up Maureen’s beauty.’
‘I feel beautiful while pregnant, especially when my bump shows because people now get to see that I am pregnant I’m also grateful to have maintained my facial features, other expectant women are not so lucky. However, she hates not being able to hold postures for long. ‘At night, I can’t sleep. I get uncomfortable so I use pillows at the front, at the rear and in– between my legs’.
Despite the challenges, Maureen plans to deliver normally ‘I’ve heard too many dreadful stories about CS. I delivered Nicole normally so I’d like to do the same this time around,’ says a determined Maureen. Then after the baby is born, Fred and Maureen hope to avail more than they did with their first daughter. ‘When Nicole was born we were in our early 20s. We were not able to do or afford much. This time around we hope to do more for Natalie.’
One would think that Fred Indimuli is the talk of every girl who listens to radio and watches TV. Save for his sexy voice normally heard across the airwaves of Kiss FM and neat looks that grace the Grapevine Show that airs on KBC TV, he tries to lead a private life, some even think he’s a snob. ‘I’m usually quiet and try to stay away from the public.’ And why not, with a beautiful wife like Maureen.
END: PG 36 /26-28