No ordinary lady.

They say to prevent puffiness and swelling in pregnancy, drink lots of water – I drunk water like my life depended on it but still managed to look extremely pumped.
I know ladies who give birth on their due dates like clock work, me? it just doesn't happen. A week after my due date, am still twiddling my fingers.
I read about celebrities who claim they lost baby fat by breast feeding – I’m exclusively breastfeeding, constantly hungry but can’t seem to shed off the pounds as fast. I have been told to stay away from porridge, drink lots of water, eat fruits and I will be on my way to a slimmer me. Let’s wait and see, it’s a month already and I still look fresh out of hospital.

Talking about fresh out of hospital, I have met moms with 2 day old babies and their tummies are as flat as ironing boards, wonder how they do it, me? Well lets just say Mich is still convinced there is another baby in there. I have heard about the tradition of  belly wrapping, where moms wrap their waists up to get things back into position. That’s all cool, but does it work better for some than others?

I have come to accept the fact that I ain’t no ordinary lady.

The art of breast feeding

I curiously scanned Amani’s mouth when she yawned, just in case I’d missed to see the teeth that magically appeared at feeding time. I could have sworn there were teeth in there somewhere – but all I saw was her cute pink toothless gums. In the first week my nipples were extremely sore, things got steadily worse when I begun to sense what felt like sand paper when she suckled. She yawned again and there it was - a pink little tongue, I wondered how that thing could do so much damage. Like the bible says, the tongue is a small part of the body but it makes great boasts – it’s tiny but my! The things it can do. Breastfeeding became complicated. I stuck with it nevertheless; this is the most expensive, nutritious food Amani could ever eat, quite apart from the fact that we need to bond, she builds antibodies, it strengthens her stomach walls and helps my uterus contract.


Week one
We are first timers, am trying to recall the feeding tactics and all she knows is to suck and suck she does with all her might. The muscles in a baby’s mouth should never be taken for granted. There were times I imagined she could dangle from my breast just with the suction pressure inside that tiny mouth. It was absolute survival and I was sore.

Week two
We are getting a hang of things, milk production has increased and she is feeding longer. She knows where the food comes from and latches on with a firm grip when it comes anywhere near her mouth. Just like a frog slurping a fly, she does it swiftly and holds on for a few seconds before she starts to suckle as if to ascertain it’s all hers and no one is messing with it. She keeps her eyes shut and slowly opens one eye to check that the coast is clear then she relaxes and feeds away. The soreness is slowly fading.

Week three
We are both pros, she stimulates the milk letdown with her lips and moistens the nipple with her saliva, so that by the time she begins to suckle, its easy going for both of us. I’m not sore anymore.

Week four
What do you know?!, she is a month old already.
It’s interesting how God meticulously calculated this art to the very last detail. Human beings are awesome creatures.

I hope I haven’t grossed you out with all these details, IT’S LIFE! And that is all I will say.

Presenting Amani

The scale tipped one fine day when Sam and I went in for an ultra sound scan. Out of the blue the radiologist blurted out “it’s a boy!” We were surprised that she took it upon herself to tell us – we hadn’t asked and we didn’t pursue it any further.
Meanwhile Mich continuously prayed for a little brother. We joined the band wagon and believed with him. When this little person finally made their debut, I had the doctor and the other medical staff roaring with laughter. As soon as I heard the first sound of the baby’s cry, I was thrilled! My heart went “feregeshe”- I was all jelly inside. I said “wow, that boy has a real strong cry”, Dr. Asa then asked, “How do boys sound?” before showing baby to me and what do you know?! “IT’S A GIRL!!”
A pleasant surprise! Absolutely the bestest thing that has happened to me this year. Now I must confess that I’m such a tom boy in my ways, I don’t know how to be all girly girly but I will try.

Amani means strength in Runyankole/Runyoro/Rutoro (but I have since found out it means so many other things in different languages - all good though, so no problem) those of you who know my journey will surely agree that God has been my strength. Holding Amani in my arms is a true miracle.
She arrived more than a week after her EDD – July 22nd 2010 at exactly 11:03 am. She is lovely, sleeps a lot, feeds a lot and is very cooperative.

Mich is thrilled to have a little sister. He dots on her and is a great help. However he keeps checking to see if he still holds a special place in our hearts. I have been getting questions like “Mummy if Amani and I were twins would you love us the same?”
“Mummy, if you had 73 children would you love them all?”
“If you get a new baby, do you throw away the old one?”
I have to be alert at all times because the questions come in different ways but we continue to assure him that we love him just as much.

Still here

4am on the 14 of July (my official due date) and for some reason I can’t sleep. I kept tossing and turning and then lying very still wondering if that was a contraction. I gave up on pretending to sleep, made a cup of tea and surfed the net. The internet seems to understand me better than my doctor who needs to attend some communication classes.


So, it has been 2 weeks since my cerclage was removed and the show just hasn’t begun. There have been previews (mild contractions) but no real action. I’m short of saying am anxious. So I go to see Dr. Alex and all he asks is when we should schedule the c-section. Is there any good reason I need to go under the knife just yet? He doesn’t say. I want to know if I have started dilating but no, he won’t even do a physical exam, just checks if my pressure is good and touches my belly to gauge how far down baby has come. When I try to probe him further, he smiles and gives me this look of “I know what I am about and I have done what I need to do, now scurry along”. At the end of it all, he says if I haven’t started labor by the 21st, it’s a c-section for sure. This is when I run to my creator and ask Him to make my body function the way it should. He knows my physiology better than any doctor or scan machine can, so I ask Him to make things work.

The days have been long; I hear the clock ticking away – seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to be full term, grateful that God has helped my body hold up to the end but eish!!! It’s hard not to be antsy. I’m continuously soaking my mind in Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. And the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Just when I’m getting to the point of rest, I receive calls from my concerned friends wondering if I forgot to let them know the big news. I’m tempted to set up voice mail-

“Hello, thanks for calling. Uh, no I haven’t given birth yet, don’t worry I will let you know when baby comes. Otherwise am good, just remember, don’t call me – I will call you”.

Checking on me is all good. I love the genuine respectful calls, the problem is people who sound more anxious and tired of me being pregnant than I am. The ones who from the time I was 7 months kept asking how come I hadn’t given birth yet – Not helpful at all.

It was nice to open my mail this morning and find this message.

"You can do this - I know it
Hey, you. Yep, you. The one feeling a little weary.
Carrying that load. Fighting this battle.
You're amazing, you know that? It's true.
And you can do this with Him. I know it. I feel it. Keep going.


It feels like your strength is small. But it's not. It's BIG.
World changing big.
Make-it-over-that-mountain big.
Big enough to do what you need to do.


Because your strength is as big as the GOD in you.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13


He sees you, loves you, will carry you through... and I'm cheering for you too."

UNSTITCHED

I saw Dr. Alex on Monday. He invited me in, asked me to lie down and as I shut my eyelids tight-tight, occasionally peeping to see what was going on, ready for the worst pain of my life, he said he was done.
That’s it? The stitches are out? OK!

He asked me to report back in 2 weeks incase labor hadn’t kicked in.

Like I said before, I was not sure what to expect. Would I go into labor the minute the stitches were removed? As soon as I walked out the door? In the car? Would we have to dash right back as soon as we got home?

Well, none of the above ensued. I’m still here, walking around like before. The stomach contractions (Braxton Hicks) are on and off. For a while there I was anxious, listening and feeling for anything unusual.
I have decided to relax, am certain that if real labor sets in I will know for sure. The baby is dropping steadily, I look like I swallowed the world cup ball – speaking of which, pole Ghana! You did your best but football is like that – madness!

In other news, Mich presented me with the most beautiful assortment of flowers this morning.

In case of any news I will keep you posted, now back to the studio.

The death of a praying mantis

Today a praying mantis died. It got into a fight with a butterfly, the butterfly over powered it and killed it. There was sadness in Mich’s heart; today will be imprinted in his memory for a long time. He found the mantis a few days ago and kept it in a tin on the shelf. He checked on it every other day and exclaimed how the little creature was growing. Just how the butterfly came into contact with the mantis is still a mystery but that is the story and we will stick to it.


Mich buried the praying mantis and took the butterfly captive into his tin.
This is the grave.

The tomb stone is a little fragile so we can’t keep it out there but this is what is written; I will decode it for those of you …

"praying mantis and Mich
matis died on sunday 27th June 2010
Butterfly killed it"
One is easily tempted to brush off his acts as childish, but I’m reminded to tread carefully, play along. It is an opportunity to understand him better, see his reactions to situations and gauge his temperament and interests. On the other hand without reading too seriously into things, just have fun.

I had to stop him from lighting a fire to protect the grave site.

Not yet

I went for my scheduled appointment last Monday ready to have the stitches removed but Dr. Alex decided against it. He said I should give it 2 more weeks. He thinks baby is still small and not quite ready to see the world. I was disappointed. I really wanted the stitches out so that I could go on my way without worrying about what would happen if labor started and they were still in. I thought I would have a better chance of a natural delivery if the baby was small plus I didn’t think I would have the baby immediately anyway. But the doctor knows better and now, I’m good with it. I prayed about it, I know God will work things out beautifully.


Sitting home makes the hours tick by really slow, but it is nice to sleep in. My bags are packed and I’m looking forward to this new chapter in our lives. This period allows me time to pray over the baby, over the delivery, and life thereafter, for quick healing, for energy, for good health and so on.

Mich stays a few more hours at school to get some help with his writing. Apparently writing makes him really miserable. When I spoke with his teacher she said, he is quick to grasp what is taught, happily answers questions, but the writing sessions are torture. She was pleasantly surprised that he passed his exams so well. This weighed me down for a while but after I prayed about it, the burden was lifted. I have to keep in mind that he is an individual with strengths and weaknesses. (Even though I can’t recall having choices when I was a kid; we all did everything without ifs, ands or buts). He is easily excited by outdoor activities, he will catch insects and name the parts, plant seeds and watch them grow but please don’t ask him to draw or write sentences. If everything at school was play and orals he would be top of the class, unfortunately life is not a straight line. He has to embrace everything before he can narrow down and he has a long way to go. Tuesday was sports day at school and he won a medal for coming 3rd in the 3 legged race. I am really proud of him.

In the mean time I enjoy my birthday today and thank God, another year is here and I am excited about what He has in store for me.