Sylvia Owori
Sylvia is not just a fashion designer; she is an entrepreneur with various business interests…..and the publisher of African Woman magazine. She talks to Babylove Network about her career, pregnancy and love life.
THIS is my first pregnancy, It is a very different experience from anything else I have gone through. I am used to always being in charge and in control of everything, but pregnancy has put me on the spot and I feel like am no longer in control. As a woman, however, I acknowledge that it is a process I have to go through.
A year ago I felt like I was ready to have a baby and made that my next big task. I have a busy schedule and am always on the road, so last year I started to slow down a little bit. I thought if I wanted to get a child before it was too late I needed to make time.
I found out I was pregnant when I was already 8 weeks along, though I was still not too sure because I sometimes miss my periods. When it was confirmed that I was pregnant, I was extremely excited. I believe it is God who decides these things.
Naturally, I told my partner, Per Munk Nielsen, with whom I have had a relationship for the past 10 years. I met him in London while I studied fashion. He has been very supportive, especially in the business ventures I have been involved in. Per is Danish and living in the UK, though he is soon moving back to Denmark. We have been engaged for five years and the wedding bells will ring one day!
Per and I did not celebrate right away because with pregnancy anything can happen. We decided not to start celebrating until the doctors confirmed everything was fine. I did not publish it or tell everybody that I was pregnant until I felt that it was safe to do so, at about 16 weeks. I also started my antenatal clinics at this time.
When I went for a scan I could actually see the baby; the face, all the features that are developing, the fingers and hands, how the baby was moving in my stomach. It was simply overwhelming. Seeing the baby really hit home that I was pregnant; that there was another human being inside me.
I began craving for roasted maize, raw mangoes with lots of salt and other weird things-like grasshoppers roasted on fire and tuna sandwiches-things I never ate before but now I eat everyday. Cravings hit me anywhere-even on the streets when I see someone eating something. If my food is not served promptly I feel angry, I lose my temper and scream. People think it’s not such a big deal but for me at that time I have to have it there and then.
The other problem is getting dressed in the morning; it takes me 40 minutes trying to figure out what I should wear. I feel like everything makes me look awful. I keep changing and I am never comfortable. I feel it’s a different me!
I would prefer that my fiancé is not there during the delivery but again, I am a pregnant woman and I do not know how I will feel tomorrow if he is not there.
I do not mind the mode of delivery; it will all depend on how I am feeling .at the time. If the doctor feels that I have energy to push I will have a natural birth. I do not mind either sex, I will be happy if it’s a boy or a girl, it will not change how I feel about the baby. I will be going to check the sex before I deliver because I want to start doing up the nursery. I have done half the shopping but I do not want to buy stuff that is pink or blue, until I know whether it’s a boy or girl. At this point I have not thought of a name; that will come once I know the sex of the baby.
I would like to get back into shape because I hate my body right now. I am big! I am usually between size 10-12 but now I feel like a giant and I am still growing. I want to get back to how I was before, hopefully I can do it. At the moment I exercise and swim a lot while at home, so that will help. Some women say they cannot lose so much weight. After giving birth I will go back to my normal exercise routine to get back my shape; I would like to show that it is possible.
Women should not rush into pregnancy; they should get pregnant when they feel it’s the right time for them. And to those who are trying to get children and it’s not happening, I say you must keep trying and not give up.
My journey’s Best Moments During this pregnancy I have been thinking more seriously about life; I feel I am more responsible and more focused as an individual. I want to be more organised in all the things that I do, and choose very carefully the projects that I undertake-usually I have a thousand and one projects going on at the same time. This pregnancy has changed me.
My Worst! From the very beginning I have been feeling moody, sickly, drowsy, and stuffy. I feel like everything bad is happening to me and to my body.
I suffered morning sickness but I did not throw up. I was drowsy, my mouth was sour and I would feel like spitting all the time. I could not understand why I would wake up feeling so weak yet I had had several hours of sleep. I took to disliking some individuals, both male and female. I would meet them and not want to speak to them. I did not want them anywhere near me and I would tell them to their face, ‘please go away’, something I have never done before. As a pregnant woman that is the way I feel, not what I want. I don’t know if it’s the hormones at work!
I have fainted twice before. The doctor tells me that it is normal during this period because there are two of us and we have to share nutrients and body fluids. Now that I know about it, I lie down and relax whenever I feel dizzy because I know it’s coming. I experienced that spell when I was in a plane travelling to the USA. I went to the toilet and sat there because I did not want people to see what I was going through. I stayed in the toilet for 10 minutes and then I felt well enough to go back to my seat. That experience frightened me so I don’t know if in the coming months I will fly again.
END: PG 07 /24-26