My precious baby
One evening my co-worker, school bursar, and I were traveling on the Gong road near Kenya Science College headed to a vegetable shop on Gong road, when the vehicle hit a deep pothole in the road. I was shaken hard and instantly experienced a severe back pain. I was three months pregnant at the time and I did not think it was a serious thing for my pregnancy. I stayed in the car and the other two with me went to the store and got the supplies. As we drove back to the school, I was still experiencing very bad back pain. After all was done for the day at work, I went home. My late husband was waiting for me to eat supper together. It was late and I did not want to talk about my pain as an excuse for coming home late. I warmed food, we ate together, and went to bed.
I had hoped that once I lied down in bed the pain would disappear. I fell into a deep sleep from an exhausting day, and when I turned around after several hours of sleeping I felt that the bed was wet. So, I woke up and turned the light on and discovered a pool of blood. We went to a nearby hospital, Kikuyu Hospital, but it was too late to save the baby. If I knew then what I know now about the human body and fetal development, I would have rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital’s emergency room immediately following the road incident. Since it was a short distance from the place we were shopping and they might have been able to save my baby.
It turns out not going to the hospital would cost me more than the loss of my child. I incurred fees for the subsequent hospitalization, and the dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure. A D&C is a procedure to remove tissue from inside your uterus. Doctors perform dilation and curettage to diagnose and treat certain uterine conditions (such as heavy bleeding) or to clear the uterine lining after a miscarriage or abortion. Additionally, I lost productivity and time having to take sick leave from work, as my body recovered from the discomfort and weakness in the days to follow. The emotional toll of losing a child for both my late husband and I brought great sadness, robbing us of the comfort, joy, and peace of our home.
My sincerest request to all mothers experiencing ANY unusual sensation during their pregnancy, is that they seek immediate medical attention. Things can go wrong so easily, and very quickly. It’s not worth waiting it out.