Present Day…

It’s a chilled day in Zolani. Realeboha is in a panic, he doesn’t know what to touch or to do.

“Call an ambulance babe!” Zandile shouts at Realeboha.

“That will take ages to arrive, rather let’s use my car,” Realeboha says while helping his wife walk to the car. “Breathe in and out baby,” Realeboha sounds concerned for his wife.

“Call Dr Masiu and tell her we are on our way,” Zandile instructs her husband.

The car arrives at Boipelo Hospital and the porter and nurses are already on stand-by, waiting for them. Nurses quickly offload Zandile out of the car. They lay her on the stretcher and the porter wheels her to the maternal ward as quickly as possible.

“Sir, please wait here,” one of the nurses instructs Realeboha as they are about to enter the theatre. He kisses his wife on her sweaty forehead.

“I’ll be waiting here for you, babe,” he says.

Realeboha feels like he’s been waiting for decades at the hospital’s waiting area. He is pacing up and down, seating and standing. He is worried about his wife. Nurses are getting in and out of the theatre room.

“How is my wife doing, nurse?” Realeboha asks one of the nurses who is rushing out of the theatre.

“Doctors will talk to you sir, sit down, drink some water, your wife is strong,” she says, jogging to the other room.

Realeboha decides to go and buy some snacks at the hospital’s cafeteria. He sees a female nurse passing by while he is buying some fruits and yoghurt for his wife. He quickly runs to the nurse’s direction and roughly grabs the nurse’s hand, turning her to his face.

“Ouch! What the hell?!” the nurse screams.

“Oh, sorry aus’, I thought you were someone, I’m really sorry,” Realeboha apologises.

“It’s OK, make sure you’ve got the right person next time before you grab other people like that!” she replies with an attitude that draws attention.

“I’m really, really sorry,” he apologises again to her.

“Whatever,” she leaves him there, with people gazing at Realeboha.

“Why would I think I saw this, at this time and day of my life?” Realeboha is slowly walking to his wife’s ward busy asking himself a lot of questions that he doesn’t have answers to.

He is about to call his best friend of all time, a guy he grew up with. As he is about to tap the call button, he is called.

“Mr Nkentseng, you are needed!” the nurse calls Realeboha. He quickly buries his cell phone in his back pocket.

After putting on the protective gear he rushes to the ward, with the nurse in front of him.

“What? Is my wife okay?” Curiously, Realeboha asks.

“See for yourself,” the nurse says as she points him in the room wearing a widely visible smile on her face.

His wife is breastfeeding her small daughter, wearing a big smile just like the nurse’s, on her sweaty face.

“Babe, are you okay?” Realeboha says as he kisses his wife on her forehead.

“Yes, babe, we did it. Look at your tiny Ketseng,” she says with a singsong voice and shows him a baby’s head. She hands him the baby wrapped in a brightly pink towel.

“I don’t think I can,” Realeboha steps back as he says this. “I don’t think I’m…ready to…”

The nurse cuts his sentence, “Yes you are. Calm down and hold your daughter. She’s a gift to you from God. Come on, don’t be scared.”

He holds his baby in his arms, feeling her little fingers touching his big forearm. The baby stops crying. Her little eyes are closed.

“Why is she not opening her eyes, nurse?” two nurses in the room laugh.

“She’s still young,” answers the other one who called Realeboha outside earlier. “Your baby is healthy Mr Nkentseng. There’s totally nothing to worry about. Only thing you can do is to kiss her,”

The Nkentseng family has been trying to start a family for two years. Realeboha was even starting to blame his wife. They went to medical doctors and even traditional ones. When Zandile conceived Realeboha was joyful; he even threw a big ceremony, invited his family and wife’s family too. Friends and relatives partied and rejoiced for this long awaited wish that night.

“I am going to love and protect you all the time. You will always be my angel,” he says softly to his daughter.

***

Tell us: Why do you think women often get the blame when a couple is struggling to conceive?