No time off for antenatal appointments cost me my baby
Taking time off for antenatal appointments was the last thing on my mind when I found out I was pregnant. Lack of planning aside, the pregnancy made me quite excited. I had been feeling unwell for some time and underwent both a malaria test and a full ‘bacteria test’. Each came out negative. The doctor then sent me for a pregnancy test, which turned out positive. It was quite a surprise!
I started praying for a baby boy and that he should resemble me because all my other children resemble their father. I did not start attending antenatal clinics immediately because I was a bit busy at work. Moreover, I thought I knew enough regarding pregnancy based on my four previous experiences.
At five weeks, I met a friend of mine who, on learning that I had not begun antenatal clinics, advised me to start immediately. I still held my view that it was not necessary to start that early. Furthermore I had so much office work that I kept postponing my appointments with the doctor. Taking time off for antenatal appointments was too much of a bother, or so I thought.
Generally, the pregnancy was smooth. I did not experience a lot of morning sickness; only mild nausea. A friend introduced me to a certain herb which gave me great appetite. In addition to food, I craved sweets and grasshoppers. The pregnancy also made me feel tired in the evenings – so I would eat, take a shower and then sleep immediately.
My work schedule became rigorous, because it involved a lot of travelling. At five months, I still had not managed to attend my first antenatal clinic visit. At six months, I was still travelling – and it is at this time that somehow all the symptoms of pregnancy disappeared.
I could not understand what was happening to me. I remember telling my husband and my friends that I had suddenly stopped feeling pregnant. They cautioned me not to utter such words. One morning, while in the office, I felt the urge to eat meat which I had disliked while pregnant. I sent a colleague to buy me a meat pie, which I ate with a lot of satisfaction. At lunch break, I ate fish-something that surprised even my colleagues at work. I was in a very cheerful mood on that day; I told my colleagues that I would go see my doctor after work.
That same day, I paid the doctor a visit. After a number of tests, the nurse asked for my husband’s telephone number. Although I did not quite understand why she needed it, I gave it to her. My husband Ronnie Ntambi came shortly, then the doctor dropped the bombshell- he could not trace our baby’s heartbeat.
Our baby was dead! The news devastated us. I cried like a little baby and was angry with myself. How could such a horrible thing happen? The doctor sent me for an ultrasound scan, which revealed I was carrying a boy, just what I had asked God for; but he was dead!
I was immediately admitted to the maternity ward. The following morning at 5.00 a.m, I was induced and was in labour the whole day. What hurt me most was that I was going to deliver a dead baby. At about 4.00 p.m., I asked the doctor to take me for a Caesarean section because the pain was unbearable. However, he told me that I was progressing well. ‘How can I be progressing well yet my baby is dead!’ I wondered. True to the doctor’s word, at 5.45 pm I gave birth.
In order to determine the cause of my baby’s death, further tests were necessary. Doctors administered the tests before my discharge the following day. The results revealed that my blood contained antibodies which worked against my baby’s blood. I could not believe that I had lost my baby boy just because of a simple mistake; not attending antenatal clinic on time. The blood problem would have been detected and rectified.
Though I was weak and sickly, guilt is what consumed me more. I had another big challenge; my breasts were full of milk and my breathing was irregular.
My husband had to go back to the hospital, and get some medicines prescribed for me.
END: PG ISSUE 11 /7