Bello Zainab

At 32 weeks into my second pregnancy, my legs suddenly started swelling, and I couldn't sleep for two consecutive days. My neighbour was going to our family hospital, FMC Jabi, that Saturday, so I decided to go along. I left my toddler with my landlady, called my husband and off we went. After the initial tests, a nurse told me that swollen legs were not unusual at that stage of pregnancy, particularly considering my weight. Then a doctor walked in, took one look at me and ordered an emergency urine test. He checked my blood pressure repeatedly. When the urine result came back, he said, "I knew it." There was protein in my urine, and my blood pressure was dangerously high. He looked at me and said, "With a BP like this, I wonder how you are still standing." Then he asked if I had come with my husband. I said no. "Call him. Tell him to come with your hospital bag. This baby is coming out today." I was like 😲. No, please! I'm not ready! He pulled the blinds and pointed to a woman in a wheelchair. He explained that her condition had not been as severe as mine when she suffered a stroke and ended up in that state. "God must really love you," he said. I immediately called my husband and neighbour, and they both came. That was how I was admitted to deliver my son, ABBA, at just 32 weeks. They couldn't deliver him that same day because my blood pressure was dangerously high. I had to receive repeated injections to bring it down before they could safely proceed. Three days later, my amazing little boy was delivered prematurely, weighing just 0.8kg. He turned nine on the 24th of this month. Nothing I have experienced in life comes close to what I went through during that period. Less than two weeks after discharge, my operation site tore open. I had been overworking myself, trying to care for a newborn, a toddler, my husband and my mother-in-law, who had supposedly come to help me. The wound had to be stitched back without anaesthesia. Imagine the pain! I can confidently say that nothing I have experienced has been as physically painful as that. So, yes, pregnancy may not be a death sentence, but childbirth and everything that comes with bringing a child into this world can be one of the most physically excruciating experiences a woman will ever endure. And sometimes, when we talk about the beauty of motherhood, we must also make room for the reality of what women go through to become mothers. Alhamdulillah for life. Alhamdulillah for ABBA. ❤️