Winnie Kathurima Imanyara – The fire in my belly

A married woman, with three grown boys—Winnie Imanyara is a classic example of someone just bustling with life. She recounts her pregnancy experiences to Linda Karimi and with such zeal.

What you hear about girls settling down at just 15 years, back in the day, is not fiction. Winnie met tier hubby and friend when she was 13 years old. Two years down the line, Winnie was heavy with child. And unplanned it was but she remained calm and bold.

‘I was never unwell,’ Winnie reminisces. She remained a power house—indulging in all the activities she adored. But as for hockey, she saw the sticks reaching her belly on their way for the ball, and haboured images of tailing while in pursuit of the ball. She bowed out. Swimming was what went on unhampered. Her fellow students – she was now in high school, her parents, her head-teacher and even the school matron extended support; each in their own special manner. It was a different experience.

Come January of her final high school year, the labour pains attacked: which she recounts bracing and using them to usher out her beloved She spent the entire first term with him—feeding, cleaning, soothing, playing, bonding and warding off the slightest of infections. When the baby could finally sit up, and saw to it that he was in good hands (her mothers), she packed her bags and went back to school that second term—with a bang. She was persuaded that she was not in school because it was an era. but for her dear son’s well being. She doesn’t remember having time for empty chit-chat, and studied like her breath depended on education. The fruits of her final exams tallied her efforts and she thereafter joined college without wasting time.

Five years later, she began feeling an unusual climate within her body. True to her suspicions, another baby was on the way. ‘I became big. healthier and stronger than the previous me!’

She says her appetite had grown in heaps and bounds. And her husband being a food scientist, made sure his charity begun right at home, by prescribing the precise diet which served to power her. She says it made her second pregnancy as easy as the first. No morning sickness, no oedema, no mood-swings; just bouts of energy. Though she attests to getting slower and lazier as days got by.

So when the familiar fires finally engulfed, she writhed and rocked with positive expectation until she met her second beloved son, who remained fixated at the beautiful lady that was his mother.

Nurturing the second baby was much easier as she was now more mature, socially and financially independent. She was grateful to tend to her baby everyday! And it was the usual suckling, cleaning, soothing, chuckling, weaning, helping to toddle, and shouts mingled with tears when he finally tottered from the bedroom to the sitting room by himself!

After eighteen months of attending to ruddy boys, the recognizable interesting climate checked in again. Sure enough, the two boys were going to have another sibling. Unlike her previous experiences, where she had wad off time to be on some maternity leave arrangement. Winnie worked 10 straight hours a day through her pregnancy. Her job called for nothing short. She however found sanity by making her colleagues and her boss aware of her condition, who responded positively by trying to make sure that she was not bursting at the seams. That done, she kept on a positive attitude, reminding herself that she would not be pregnant forever She was 22 then.

Craving ‘my husband’

‘Cold fruits, straight from the fridge, ice cream, popcorn and my husband,’ she says avidly as though the craving had recurred for a moment. ‘When he was away on duty, I’d MISS him so much as to do interesting things like wearing his T-shirts.’ she chuckles.

Milk for the boys

‘The milk was just never enough. The boys would suckle and suckle but I would still remain edgy and raw nerved, if that was not complimented by formula milk. So the recommended ‘six months of exclusive breastfeeding’ could not be realized.’ Winnie remembers.

A hubby and a friend

‘Since we met. he has always known more than I do.’ Winnie fondly says. Other than keeping a hawk’s eye

over her diet, he was also her best friend. Relatives or none, when Winnie was going through her few uncertainties of pregnancy and child-bearing, he knew that Winnie and the babies were his sole responsibility and acted the part. Given a second chance to pick the best husband in the world. ‘I would still pick him.’ Winnie quickly states.

Free-flow maternity wear

Winnie says, maternity dresses in her day were more comfortable, certainly more respectful and easy to wear. On the flip side, she points out that they were tailor made in one free-flow design, accented by a ribbon or lace, just below the bustline. The fabric was mostly bright in colour, doused with a sometimes generous amount of flowers.

And since there were no second hand clothes, they had to make do with the available. ‘I have kept my favourite maternity dress for my first pregnant daughter-in-law.’ she muses. She says modem wear Is stylishly more liberal, which flatters the woman’s self appeal, but can be a bit too revealing, making a lady look less modest.

Love yourself

‘Pregnancy is a unique life time experience and a reward from God. Not a crime despite the circumstances anyone is in.’ Winnie comforts.

She says whether your baby is planned or not. a pregnant mother should concentrate on the truth that God has honored her with the custody of His special one. She goes on to say, ‘It is your time to stand out as a superwoman.’ And her definition of a ’superwoman’ is; A woman who knows how to amicably share her weights with those around her. allowing them to pamper her through the special God-given nine months. No pregnancy is like the other. Take time to note the changes, enjoy the experience. It can be hard at times but this is for a while only. Take care of your body, love yourself and your baby will feel the love,’ Winnie encourages.

No more ‘baby fire’

Winnie Kathurima-lmanyara is surely no longer having ‘baby fire’ in her belly. The fire in there is now economic-development oriented. She is the Torch Bearer of the United Nations’ Third Millennium Development Goal (MDG no.3) that is about promoting gender equality and women empowerment Tins stems from Winnie’s passion for the woman to understand her potential and to use it rise into the actuality of her dream.

In the same vein, Winnie has founded Global Coaching Centre (GCC). that mentors both women and men who see the strength in working with both genders in pursuit of personal development. Her recently published book, ‘And Vet I Arise’ is laden with testimonies of the same.

The Kenyan corporate challenges are not missing out on razes of her fire. Winnie is the Change and Strategy Director of Housing Finance, the leading mortgage and savings bank in this region.

Winnie’s first son runs his own media company. The second has just graduated from The Animation School in Cape Town, while the youngest is majoring in economics and psychology at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa. She says no more about them, insisting that this is ‘Girls time.

‘The boys will speak for themselves in another forum,’ she laughs.

END:PG29/14-17