Wilbroda…This one is real!

‘Lights, camera and…action!’ the director says. ‘Wait!’ ‘Wilbroda’ shouts. ‘Cut,’ the director voice follows. ‘Okay, what is it?’ he asks. ‘The baby kicked!’ ‘Wilbroda’ exclaims excitedly as she feels her belly. All the others in the cast surround her wanting to feel the baby’s movements in her tummy. After a good laugh, the crew of the popular Papa Shirandula TV series continue with the shoot. 

Except for the visible belly, it’s hard to notice anything different about Jacqueline Nyaminde. A few of her warm/naughty facial expressions, to some extent, make me feel like I am watching Papa Shirandula. But as she orders for a glass of warm milk, an obvious indicator that she has seriously taken to eating healthy, I am shaken back to real life-I am here for the interview.

We hit it straight on. ‘I was one month gone in December, when I discovered I was pregnant,’ she begins. ‘I was excited because my partner, Francis, and I had been talking about having a baby before it happened. Francis was beside himself with joy. He started a count down immediately. The flip side was, ‘This being a totally new thing, I was scared because I wondered whether I’d make a good mother,’ recounts Jacquey, commonly known as ‘Wilbroda’, her cast name on the TV series Papa Shirandula.

The other bit was that it was an emotional time too. Jacquey’s dad had been in and out of hospital for a while before he finally succumbed to illness in November, 2009. ‘If only I had known I was expectant then, I would have shared the news with him. I am sure he’d have been thrilled,’ she mutters pensively and quickly realigns herself to her jovial self. The actress’ mum has been ecstatic. Jacquey says, immediately she got the news her mum told Jacquey that she would be giving birth to Amin-her late father’s name. And on went the great expectation.

‘My first trimester was the worst,’ recollects Jacquey. ‘I had a lot of nausea. I hated food because I couldn’t keep it down,’ she reveals. To add on to her troubles, everything smelt bad and she was persistently tired. ‘My friends would come over to force me to eat, some wearing strong perfume. I would have them sit at the balcony where there is a lot of fresh air, while I would be left in the sitting room-and we would converse in this style. I just couldn’t stand their fragrances!’ Her partner was not spared either. He had to use bar soap for his bath, just like her.

‘I craved pizza and fries but only for a short time. Now I love Ethiopian food. I am continually dragging Francis to an Ethiopian restaurant. My love for chicken and fish has faded. I don’t like onions either,’ she says Jacquey says she has never been closer to her mother. Her quest for knowledge on motherhood has endeared her to other older women as well. ‘My love for children has increased. I want to spend more time with my nieces and nephews. I am now definitely more patient. Previously, a baby’s cry would hardly move me. Now I want to find out why whichever child is crying. This has seen me knock on my neighbour’s door three times now to find out why their baby was crying. My neighbours, aware of my current state, quickly reassure that everything is okay and that the baby is being attended to,’ she adds, flashing the familiar distinct grin that often graces Papa Shirandula.

As for the physical: ‘Well, my clothes don’t fit anymore. I have added 13 kgs since, and I can see and feel that my face is a bit puffy. My friends promptly consoled that my new physique is normal. So I am okay with that,’ she articulates. She notes that she is generally more fatigued. She gets worn out by activities that she could perform effortlessly. Madam ‘Wilbroda’ now gets more edgy and is sensitive about petty issues (in real life). She states that Francis would surely face the music if he failed to notice that she had done her nails or that her legs were a little more swollen. She confesses that she craves a lot of attention. Thankfully, her friends and family have been keen on showering her

What about work and pregnancy? Due to the nature of her work as a presenter at Radio Citizen (from 5am to 10am) and being ‘Wilbroda’ in Papa Shirandula, she says she has to leave her pregnancy shortcomings at the doors of the studios and put on the happy and energetic her. ‘Every time I remember the life I am carrying, my performance gets a bigger kick,’ she adds beaming. Do her fans really know? Since in the popular Papa Shirandula show her character, Wilbroda, is expectant, many think that she is only pregnant on set. ‘When they see me on the street, they exclaim, ‘You mean it is true? Can I touch? At which point I say, “It is true, but you can’t touch!”

Jitters

‘The labour pains are my number one fear and hearing crazy stories about how people went through it for unbelievable hours only makes it worse!’ she remarks. Nonetheless, she says that she would rather have a normal delivery as long as she and the baby end up in good health. ‘Seeing that I have such a demanding job, sometimes I wonder how I will manage to wake up at night to attend to my baby’s crying and still report to work in the wee hours of the morning,’ sighs the actress. It is also her deep prayer that she gives birth to a perfectly healthy baby; and that she will be there to hold, feed and care for the baby as she should.

Dreams:
‘I want my child to be the best he or she can be and God fearing. I have a bubbly personality. No matter how serious a situation is, I manage to crack a joke. This makes all situations much easier to handle. I want my child to take up after me on that.’

So far ‘it is not as bad as people say it is,’ she says reflectively. She still has much more to learn, especially on motherhood; now she gobbles any literature on being a mother.

Some insight:
‘Be aware of your body, read lots of literature and don’t believe everything that you have been told. Be open with your doctor and ask even the silliest of questions,’ she enlightens. ‘Don’t expect to be a perfect mum, because everyone makes mistakes but can choose to learn in the process.’

‘Enjoy every moment-be it exciting or difficult. They all contribute to your memories. Eat healthy food to stay energized and strong and drink lots of water-at least the recommended eight glasses a day.’ Jacquey is due this World cup season, and Francis, an ardent football fan, wants to settle for a South African name. Jacquey says she is okay with that as long as Amin, her Late father’s name, features therein.

END: PG 33 /26-28