And Then Came Warona!

It is still very early in the year, so Happy New Year is in order.

A year ago, I welcomed an absolutely beautiful and adorable baby girl, whom “the aunties” have aptly named Warona (a Southern African name meaning Ours). The journey leading to her birth and the 12 months after her birth have been one of the most interesting periods in my life so far.

If you are like some Ghanaians (I daresay Africans) you would have done your calculations by now. Yes, I conceived during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when restrictions and lockdown measures were the order of the day. Suffice it to say I didn’t observe social distancing when I should have (that’s just on a lighter note). Apart from nausea that lasted for a greater part of the 40-week journey (we really ought to stop thinking of pregnancy as a 9-month event), I was lucky to have a relatively easy pregnancy. The hustle and bustle that characterized our daily lives was down to a bare minimum owing to the pandemic. COVID-19 had disrupted our lives as we knew it but it wasn’t all death and gloom.

The year 2020 saw us (me, the aunties and some accredited associates) creating some beautiful memories, while I counted down the weeks. We had a number of commemorations and “sittings” in the comfort of our homes, of course, in total respect of health protocols that were in force at the time. While we missed the days of stepping out to restaurants to bond over good meals and drinks, we made sure to create magical moments that carried us through the uncertainties posed by the pandemic.  

The time passed so quickly.

As if to counterbalance an almost easy pregnancy, the delivery was quite dramatic. If there was an ask that was constant in my prayers during the pregnancy (I believe it is every expectant mother’s prayer), it was to have a safe and complication-free delivery. Going in, the only scenario that played in my mind was the one where I go through some hours of labour, do the pushing bit and voila, out comes my baby. But fate had other ideas. I would end up having a prolonged labour, with all the accompanying medical gymnastics one could imagine, that sought to aid the process. After many interventions and many hours of labour, when it became very obvious that a natural delivery was not going to happen, the call was made to do an emergency c-section. It was successful. My baby came out with a cry that could be head down the hallway from the operating theatre. She still has that cry by the way. The aunties can confirm that.

Apart from seeing her after she was pulled out and hearing the accompanying cry, I cannot say much about the first few hours after her birth. I was out of it for the most part. When i came to, friends and family who were present had gone home; and now there was me (in pain) and this beautiful creature who had just been placed beside me in the bed. And thus, began the new chapter in my life; my journey with Warona. 

The three days I spent in the hospital post-partum were trying, to say the least. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. The past twelve months have been a mixed bag of emotions and experiences. There’s been the highs, there’s been the lows. I have cried and laughed. There were moments of anxiety and there were those days you felt like a champ. Some days you feel inadequate and on others, you feel like you were born to do this. Everyday comes with its own package. Just when you think you’ve got something figured out or identified a pattern, then wham-bam, comes the curve ball. But if I am to sum all my experiences since Warona came, I would say it has been JOYFUL. 

Now, to what this post is really about (yeah I know I have already said a lot but don’t insult me yet…double wink).

This post is really about celebrating the many heroes who have been part of my motherhood journey. To be able to call my experience joyful is a testament to the tremendous support I have had from family and friends who have been there for me through it all. I do not have the words to depict the level of support nor enough words to convey our gratitude. 

On this day, the first birthday of Warona, I would like to say to:

My siblings

Rich aunty

Night-shift aunty (turned naughty aunty)

Driver-of-the-getaway-car aunty (aka comfortable-bosom aunty)

Borga aunty 1

Borga aunty 2

Fante aunty

My in-laws

Grandma Feli

Grandma Lizzy

Grandma Vic

All the uncles, aunties, “associates” and grannies,

We are because you are. We thank God for your lives and your kind hearts. As you have done for us, may it come back to you in a thousandfold.  I raise a toast to your health, long life and prosperity!

To conclude, I know this is just the beginning of a very long road. Yes, I am a bit terrified of what lies ahead but I rest confident in the knowledge that I have a whole village backing me on this journey. I rest, trusting that God is involved in it all. As I take stock of these past year, I am also looking forward to more fulfilling years with Warona. And I pray that I will be the mother she needs to navigate this earthly journey. 

Happy Birthday Warona!

 

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