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It is a month and a week since Citizen TV’s eloquent news anchor ,Janet Mbugua delivered baby Ethan.
A month later Janet reveals giving birth through Cesarean Section,her husband being present and the woes and worries of first-time motherhood.
“The Sunday 25th of October, my husband and I checked into Aga Khan Hospital at around 6 p.m. My
Gynaecologist had scheduled my Cesarean Section (C- section) for the following day at 6 a.m. As my baby was breach a week to my due date, we made the decision to deliver our baby via C-section.
That night, my husband and I were, as expected, excited and anxious. Would the surgery go on without any complications? Would the baby be delivered safely? Would my wound heal well? At around 7.00 p.m a nurse
came in to check my baby’s vitals as well as mine, and prep us for what to expect the next day. I also ordered enough dinner to get me through to the next day because from midnight, I had to fast and would only be able to eat post surgery. Trust me, I chowed like it was my last meal on earth! We got an early night in as we awaited the biggest day of our lives!
5 a.m, October 26th, I was up and bursting at the seams
with a plethora of emotions! I showered as my husband
had a cup of coffee. As expected, I was starving, but the ‘not-eating-until-post-surgery’ rule had to stand.
We said a little prayer, and at 6 a.m, the nurses came to wheel me to theatre. The doors opened up, I was met by my Gynaecologist, placed on the operating table and introduced to the rest of my ‘surgical team’, who, I
observed and even teased them about, were all male! My husband had gone to wear scrubs so that he could join me during surgery.
C-sections are carried out in various ways depending on the extent of the complications that the expectant woman has. Mine was pretty straightforward. I was numbed from the waist down using regional anaesthesia (an epidural) and
was awake throughout my procedure, chatting away with my husband and the nurses and doctors. I really enjoyed my experience! At exactly 6.44 a.m, my Gynaecologist
lifted my son up after safely delivering him and pronounced, ‘here is your son!’ to my husband and I.
Naturally, I burst out crying with joy, but had to wait for him to be quickly whisked away to the paediatrician on
the other side of the theatre, where my husband watched as baby Ethan’s vitals were checked before he brought
him over to me. Yes, baby Ethan Huru Ndichu was finally here!
It was moment that made time stand still; here was this beautiful being that had been growing inside me, preparing to come into the world. I kissed him, crying, but wasn’t able to hold him because I still had to be stitched up.
It would be hours, post-surgery recovery, before I could hold Ethan in my arms for the first time and begin to learn how to breastfeed, which is a complex exercise on its own (but that’s for another post!). It didn’t sink in that I was now a mother… to be honest, it only sunk in a few
weeks after his birth!
There I was, cradling this precious little being, innocent,whole, God-given, who I have to nurture, teach right from
wrong and pray that he’ll be safe and sound and grow into an inspiring gentleman. Yeah, all that came into my mind at that very moment…his entire lifetime! The rest of the week went by in a blur…learning my
baby’s patterns, learning to bathe him, to change his diapers, to clothe him.
You see, until Ethan, I had never held a baby for more than two minutes. Yes, I loved babies, but I didn’t know what to do with them! How do I hold them, lift them, and play with them? It made me excited to know that I would be exploring this new territory with my own child…I still am! By the time I left hospital a few days later, my wound
having healed enough for me to go home, my husband and I felt like I was ready to take on Parenthood 101 with
Ethan. I mean, we’d spent a week being prepped, right?
Wrong!
The first week home from hospital was intense. Waking up every other hour throughout the night, not knowing whether Ethan was crying because he was hungry or for
some other reason…to be honest, I suffered a little baby blues during that week (baby blues post coming soon!).
On top of that, I was feeling all ‘superwoman’, like I didn’t need a helping hand, day or night. I have since learnt that allowing someone to help me, even watching the baby for three or four hours during the day while I catch a nap, doesn’t render me any less capable of being present for my baby.
Now, four and a half weeks later, I’m more besotted with Ethan by the minute, I’m finally getting into a rhythm regarding breastfeeding, tending to my baby’s colic (oh,
that’s a WHOLE other story!) and getting some decent rest in between to allow me to better breastfeed or
express milk.
My diet is pretty much as it was while I was expecting;chicken, vegetables, soup…a LOT of soup…too much,
actually! Healthy and light to allow me to produce enough milk, and trust me Ethan needs it…his appetite is
voracious! Still, I know I have a long way to go, trying to earn my baby as he, in return, learns me.
My mother has been great at advising me along the way as have a few other women. I pray each day that I’ll be
the best mother I can possibly be for my little angel, the fears and anxieties that come with new parenting
not withstanding,” wrote Janet in her new blog.
MUKAMI KANYI