Online Reporter
Fadzayi Maposah
Correspondent
I was having lunch with a few ladies and somehow the conversation drifted to child birth.
One of them had started by saying that she could not explain how her body was functioning.
While I was quick to suggest that she sees a doctor, one of the ladies was quick to add, why not have a pregnancy test first?
The one who had said she could not understand how her body was functioning started laughing and asked if pregnancy was the only reason a body would be “naughty.” She then said she had discovered that some foods that she used to eat and enjoy without any problems seemed to be affecting her lately.
The lady who had suggested the pregnancy test then said she had such experiences when she was expecting, and she just could not keep some food down, but as she soon as she had her baby, she went back to eating the same food and did not have any problems.
There were giggles round as people shared what they did not eat when expecting. There were more giggles as we shared what we enjoyed when we were pregnant.
I will just list some of the cravings — ice blocks, powdered milk, raw nuts, and lollipops. After the laughs and the sighs as we went down memory lane, we all concluded that being a woman was not easy. A full plate, we all agreed. The stories are never the same, each one has a unique tale.
Just to share that we carry different stories with us all the time, as we discussed, we realised that while others had difficult pregnancies, the labour was smooth sailing, and the reserve was also true.
One of the ladies said she was always amazed by how her aunt seemed to have it all easy. The pregnancies were a walk in the park and the labours were amazingly swift.
She confessed that she could have had more children had she not struggled with the labours. She said she did not have challenges when she was pregnant. She ate anything she liked and had the energy. She only watched as others struggled with limited energy.
I asked about morning sickness and she said she had no idea what it was. It was something she had heard others talk about and watched as fellow women sought natural remedies.
She was able to keep her pregnancies a secret, and the only tell tale sign was weight gain.
Another woman said as she as was pregnant, the tell-tale signs would be there. Morning sickness, heartburn. Only when pregnant for the first time had she wondered what was wrong with her, but with the two pregnancies that followed, the morning sickness began, the energy levels declined and she was forever sleepy. She was able to know that she was pregnant. The visit to the doctor was simply a confirmation of what she knew.
We talked about the labour experience.
One of the women had to go through hours of labour, before she was informed that she would have to go for Caesarean section. On the next pregnancy, she was induced, but still had to later go for another C-section.
On the third pregnancy she had an elective Caesarean section. As far as she was concerned, she considered herself to have healed faster after the third child.
She said that she was calmer as the due date approached, and said she always thinks that she should have made the same decision when the other two children were born.
The discussion moved to how women behaved when in labour. Others opted to scream as the contractions came. There were others who had energy to break into song, singing hymn after hymn as they sought ways to cope.
I remember one woman who whistled when in labour. Others cannot bear the clothes that they have, and opt to take them off. I read on social media this week that some women are quiet in labour not to handle the pain, but because of what they have been told.
One woman shared that her mother and aunts had told her that she risked losing her baby if she cried loudly in labour. As a result when the contractions came and she felt like crying loudly, she had to close her mouth as she remembered the words of the older women.
So not everyone who is appearing calm in the labour ward is able to cope with the pain, but it could be that they are silenced by fear.
May 5 was International Day of the Midwife under held under the theme “One million more midwives”.
Being a midwife is a calling that is as old as childbirth itself. Midwives have seen women in vulnerable states go into labour.
Midwives have walked the journey with the women through pregnancy as the women go for routine check-ups.
The midwives provide counselling and reassure the anxious women even after childbirth. With patience, the midwives help the women and support them. When the male partner is present, they are there to assist the partner walk the journey too.
Midwives are also part of the journey to choose a contraceptive, and in most instances offer family planning advice. Being a midwife is a calling and by virtue of delivering babies, they automatically become the “grandmothers” and “grandfathers,” affectionately called “mbuya” or “sekuru”.
Midwives are important for improved health outcomes, contributing to reduced maternal and newborn deaths.
While we may sit in small groups and talk about our experiences, the midwives carry many stories that they have experienced and helped to write in the course of their work.
The steps they walk in the wards are testimony of the work and the many women and babies that have left not only records, but cries and tears of joy as pain turned into something miraculous. Midwives, you are valued!
