I'm A Grandma!

Hi guys, I became a grandma for the first time on April 12th 2010. One of my daughters gave me this blessing and this pleasure of enjoying a grand child.
Her name is Sophie Marie. She was born at 1.48 am, weighed 8lbs and was 18.5 inches long.
This baby was late for one week.

I had taken time off, exactly 3 weeks off from my p/t job to go and be with my daughter. I had selected the time based on the due date proposed by her doctor and midwife. I had thought that at least Sophie would be born during the first week of my time off so that I'll be able to spend two weeks with them.

Not so. Sophie refused to arrive on her due date which was supposed to be the 6th. But the 6th passed and the days just kept on passing by. You can imagine my frustration but my daughter's was worse 'cos the baby had dropped very low and was resting on her pelvis, so walking had become a chore and of course sleeping had become impossible!

Everytime we went to visit the hospital, they would say, "Oh don't worry, we are sure that you will not visit us next week; the baby would be here then but just in case, just set up another appointment for next week." We did this twice and we were very frustrated. We were made to know that the baby always decides when she wants to see the world! The baby is ALWAYS in control. Whew!

Then the contractions started on the 4th and then disapperaed. This continued till the 11th. During this time, anytime we thought the baby was coming and we rushed to the hospital, we were told that my daughter had not dilated enough to warrant her stay in the hospital so we were always sent home.

On the evening of the 10th, around 12 midnight, the contractions were so painful for my daughter that we just had to rush her to the hospital. She was tested and we heard the same story that she had not dilated enough so we should go back home. This time I made them to understand that we were not going back home and that I wanted my daughter monitored since I was afraid that something could go wrong. They gave us a place to rest but in the morning the contractions had slowed down considerably. So we had to leave at 6 am, disappointed.

Then the real McCoy began, I say the real McCoy 'cos I saw the difference between the type of contractions we had been seeing before and this latest one. This time, my daughter could not even stand so around 12 noon we went to the hospital for the 'last' time. This time, she had dilated enough and she was admitted. Whew! Was I relieved. The contractions stretched out till after midnight of the 12th when she fully dilated and they asked her to do the push.

O thank goodness that this didn't take long 'cos by 1.48, Sophie had decided to exit her mama's womb. And guess what, she came out with both eyes wide open! Yes, everyone was surprised. She was just looking around and then she finally gave a yell, loud enough to wake the dead all in her 8lbs glory. Oh, it was a beauuuuuuuuutiful sight!!!

I am very proud of my daughter who is a medical student and who went back to school just a week after giving birth, strong and ready to face her books once again.
So people, I am a grandmama and my mother has finally received her first great grand child. Mind you, this is not new in our family. God has been good to us that He makes us to live to see our great grand child and believe you me, I am very sure that it will not be different in my case.

Cheers!!!

Breast Cancer Survivor

It's been a long time since you heard from me. This is because I was diagnosed with breast cancer! I was in shock when I received the diagnosis from my doctor because it blew away all the misconceptions I had had about breast cancer and how one could get it.

I had been made to understand it is hereditary. How wrong this is because no one in my family has ever had breast cancer or any other type of cancer for that matter! I know 'cos I saw my great grandmother before she died and she died from old age at 103. My grandmother also died from old age at 96. From my father's side, my grandmother lived to be over 110 they say while my father died at 98.

Spewing all the stats above does not make me old. It just happens that my mom was very young when my father married her. So!
I know that when many receive such diagnosis, they regard it as a death sentence. I didn't. I was determined to find the root cause and fight it. It was during my reserach I discovered that 85% of women who have breast cancer do not have it within their families and that only 5-10% of breast cancer is hereditary. What? I could not believe it because such misconceptions can lead many to ignore the signs of this disease or take precautionary measures to prevent it.

I also discovered that women who have more than 3 drinks daily are at risk of getting breast cancer. Another cause is stress from everyday life. Women who are between ages 40 and above who have a lot of body fat and do not exercise are also at risk.

So these are only a few of the causes of breast cancer. So now that you know this what are you going to do to prevent having this disease?

A monthly self-breast exam is key to discovering the lump which indicates the presence of cancer. We need to cut down on drinking alcohol; we have to watch our weight by watching and being careful about what we eat. We have to stay away from processed foods like canned goods and eat more of fresh fruits and vegetables.

After these things, just keep your fingers crossed and pray to your God and believe that you will live to testify that you are one of the few increasing survivors from this disease.

Till then, write to me and share your experiences with me so that others may learn from them.
Cheers!