Infrequent musings of a meandering mind

As hinted at in the title, this post is not light-hearted and fluffy, nor for anyone wanting to avoid “too much information”. This piece is about a major surgical procedure and the experiences leading up to it, the actual procedure and recovery. There is no doubt in my mind that the percentage of babies born via Caesarian section is higher than it should be, particularly in the South African private health sector where as many as 70% of women covered by medical aid schemes will give birth via this method. However, the idea held by many that surgery is the "easy" way to give birth is something that I take exception to. I cannot compare my birthing experience to another woman's, particularly someone who has given natural birth because even labour is something that I did not have to contend with, but I can relate the sensations and emotions so intimately linked with the memories from the day of my daughter's birth and the days following it. To put this piece into perspec

This is the story of my daughter's birth.  We had had to wake up early, but I had not been able to get much rest in. My mind had been wondering in so many places and yet had remained centred on one thing: I was going to be meeting my baby in a few hours. My emotions were intense and wide-ranging; excitement, anxiety, fear, elation… terror. I was terrified. Terrified of the surgery which was required because Eliana had not turned into the head-down position and had remained in breech position for a minimum of 11 weeks. Terrified of the unknown effects I could experience from the anaesthesia that would be used because I had never been operated on before – my appendix, tonsils and even wisdom teeth are all still in place. Terrified that something could go wrong, that I would have to be put under general anaesthetic due to my scoliosis interfering with the administration of the spinal block or that there would be a surgical complication. Terrified that despite regular check-ups and

When you’ve worked in enough retail settings, you’ll come to know a variety of different client “types”. Unfortunately sometimes a single person has polypharmpersonality disorder and may exhibit several client types all at once, affect a different type with each visit or may be subject to rapid cycling during the course of your single interaction. So here’s a list of client types that I have tried to categorise for your amusement. The Weekend Whopper This is the term that I use to describe those clients that come in with a whopper of a “shopping list” for you to sort out over a weekend. And the clincher is that these are usually the people that actually have free time available during normal weekday hours to come and collect their items, but they choose to, instead, wait until a weekend to hold up a whole queue of acutely ill people. And should you be unfortunate enough to have run out of stock of any of their chronic medication, you will most likely be scolded for your poor st

In those dark moments when I worry about my little girl and whether or not she's alright, feeling her move is so reassuring. At 34 weeks (and 2 days!), I've been feeling gradually more optimistic about the future my family has in store and pushing away negativity and worry more easily. But after seeing another mom's heartbreaking loss recently, it sent me into panic mode again. And so, while musing hopefully about my little bundle, I started writing this poem. Kick away, my precious darling It gives me comfort so!  Even when it might be startling It’s enough to make me glow Kick away, my little dear Remind me that you’re there Ease your mother’s fear Save her from worried despair Kick away, my miraculous blessing My precious gift from above It is not at all distressing  It makes me fall more in love Kick away, my tiny one A few nudges are welcome too As each day’s rising and setting sun Bring me closer to holding you Kick awa

Despite what some people may have you believe, pregnancy is not all roses and rainbow-pooping unicorns. Unfortunately some woman will have that rather unnerving realisation when they find themselves collapsed on the floor in the loo, arms wrapped around the porcelain god as they pay it homage in the form of whatever meal was most recently ingested or just a bit of good ol' retching. Others may bypass the dreaded morning sickness phase only to be met with a variety of other ailments, like back or hip pain, heartburn, constipation or simply feeling miserable. I can't say I had a pair of rose-tinted on when I found out about my pregnancy. In fact, I'd describe my perspective as rather grim – I think I had gloom-tinted glasses on. I was worried about something going wrong. As my journey with my munchkin has progressed to the third trimester, the fear has somewhat lessened, although every so often I do fret about things. Apparently it's normal. Yes, it's normal fo