Irene Birungi and Maurice Herbert-Mugisha

‘WHEN my wife gets pregnant so many things change in my life!’ exclaims Maurice Herbert Mugisha. ‘One is that I don’t have enough room in my bed!’ His wife Irene Birungi Mugisha expects to deliver in May 2007.

When Irene is pregnant, Maurice says, her preferences change and life gets a bit more expensive. ‘She will have a different eating habit. My budget has to change because I have to buy extra items according to her needs. Financially our lives change. There are social changes too.’

Ordinarily Irene loves to go dancing and frets over what outfit to wear. For the Mugisha’s, pregnancy changes all that, as the luxuries of night-outs cannot be enjoyed with as much abandon.

The other big news is the familiar subject of intimacy. ‘I have to be careful,’ says Maurice. Although he knows sex during pregnancy is safe unless Irene develops pregnancy complications, Maurice still finds himself acting protective. However, he states with clarity that, ‘We need to do it till the last day.’
,
More news is that Irene’s pregnancies ‘love Maurice’. ‘The advantage I have is that he is there for me, but more importantly I love him and want him closer to me! During my early weeks of pregnancy morning sickness was severe and I could not eat well. I lost my appetite but would crave a burger or ice cream and Maurice would come all the way from his workplace to bring these to me.’

Irene and Maurice are very busy young professionals. Maurice is a news anchor for NTV Uganda, which is a very demanding job. Irene is also in the media sector. ‘I work for Uganda Broadcasting Television, heading the business desk. I also produce two programmes, including business- week which I present. I have been traveling upcountry to file stories and I have not had any problem. During my past pregnancies I was very energetic and vibrant in the third trimester. By the end of the day I feel tired and what disturbs me is occasional lack of sleep. I still drive and when I get home my husband helps me in doing some chores.’

Indeed Maurice takes good care of his wife. Irene occupies his mind wherever he goes. ‘Every minute I have to be alert. I am scared of the thought that she might develop a problem while I am away: Recently they traveled out of Kampala and Irene returned two days earlier than Maurice. ‘Our doctor had advised us not to travel long distances from mid April. We thought that as it was early April we could do some 200 kilometers from Kampala: Irene narrates, ‘When I arrived home I was okay but at night I started feeling stomach pains.

‘I was worried,’ adds Maurice, ‘as I did not know what was happening to her. At the time she got unwell I was not at home; I was still out of Kampala. The doctor said Irene was feeling unwell because she didn’t rest during the trip.

Fortunately there was nothing seriously wrong and after some painkillers and rest Irene recovered. Because of this incident, Maurice gets constantly nervous and checks his phone regularly for messages or missed calls. He says, ‘A missed call from her is very important. I have to return the call even if I find she just wanted to request me to buy her some lunch or drop her pizza … A missed call could mean anything – she may be calling to say, ‘I am in hospital!’ I can’t take anything for granted.

Both Irene and Maurice have agreed they are not having any more kids. ‘This is my third pregnancy and I hope it will be the last one,’ declares Irene. They had already made that decision before Irene discovered she was pregnant with their third child. ‘I got pregnant when my baby was still breastfeeding. I was not on any contraceptive but I was sexually active and I missed my periods: Just a few days before she discovered she had conceived, Irene and Maurice had discussed their family plans and agreed they were done with more babies. Irene remembers how she broke the news. to Maurice. She said, ‘You remember last week when we were talking about not having more babies? Sorry, but I have news-I think I’m pregnant! To which he said, ‘No problem.

Maurice agrees with Irene, saying, ‘This is our “Last kid! After this one, I don’t think I will get to share the bed again with her pregnant. I have always wanted a small family as I was brought up in a big family and I still believe we were very lucky to have gotten everything we wanted in life as we grew up. In this era I wouldn’t want to lie that we will have a big family. Irene is a very busy lady who travels a lot, unlike me. I realise she has good opportunities and getting more babies would just tie her down, so I suggested to her that three kids is a good number. That way, I can stay at home and take care of the kids comfortably when she is away.’

Maurice does not rule out any change of heart in future. He would go by the wishes of Irene if she ever wants another baby. ‘In future if she wants another kid we can think about that but for now we are done!’

‘Life is expensive nowadays unlike during our parents’ days when one could have 10 babies,’ says Irene. ‘Because we want our kids to get the best it’s impossible to have many kids: She believes it is all a question of love. ‘Having a child converts one into a better person. Once you are a mother there are many changes in terms of the way you reason out issues. You get to know what love really is because of your attachment to your baby.

Irene wants Maurice as her birth partner. ‘I hope to have a natural birth like my two previous deliveries; a Caesarean section should be the last option. I think it will be important for Maurice to be around. When I delivered my second baby he was not present. He had to present news on TV that night. My mum who watched the news told me later that Maurice was not himself as he read the news!’

As this is his ‘last chance’ to witness a delivery by his wife, Maurice confirms his acceptance to be Irene’s birth partner. ‘This time round I want to be with her during labour and delivery, this being the last one. I will be happy with whatever sex the newborn will be: Irene is more candid about what she wants. ‘I hope for a boy since I already have a girl with Maurice. She has two kids, a boy and a girl. The first child, a boy, is 10 years old. ‘I had him when I was in campus,’ explains Irene. This was about five years before she met Maurice. In 2005 they got a baby girl, hence her desire to bear a boy for Maurice. ‘But again: adds Irene, ‘if it’s a girl it will be fine too because I know all kids are a blessing from God: They have not taken an ultrasound scan to check the sex of the baby. ‘I prefer surprises,’ laughs Maurice.

PG MAY 07/22-23