After breaking the news to my mum, I prepared myself for the worst. But I was in for a pleasant surprise when my mum engaged me in a heart to heart conversation about my situation without condemning me at all!
Armed with new-found confidence following the conversation with my mum, I still had to keep the pregnancy hidden while on campus for obvious reasons. My friends at school really helped me out on this -helping me indulge in my cravings and assisting me with my coursework. They were my rock! It was such a relief when, by the time I was completing my studies in August, no one from the administration had found out about my pregnancy. I was 8 months pregnant by then!
But then came the next hurdle -perhaps the biggest hurdle; telling my dad. I really agonized about it for long, but I knew that the day would eventually come. I decided to let him know once I was done with my studies -that was when I was eight months pregnant. The day finally arrived. As expected, he was raging mad. I am his only daughter among six brothers, so I could feel his disappointment in me. Thank God he didn’t throw me out of house as I had anticipated.
Thankfully the support of my mum kept me going – she held my hand, she was there with me during my crying spells, she attended to my cravings for Fanta, chips “mwitu” and smokies (sometimes the cravings came at the stroke of midnight) and she was there. All I can say is, there is no one like a mother. None at all, believe me. Mothers are awesome.
Finally, the day arrived. 17 September 2010. This will forever be my special day; the day I became a mother myself. There is no greater feeling in the world than holding your baby in your arms. As I held my newborn, I vowed to work hard and get a job that would help me take care of my little angel. God answered my prayers because four months later, I got a job. Unfortunately though, that job didn’t go so well, but I kept my hopes high. That hope and faith in God is what has enabled me get to where I am today.
Maryanne: How has motherhood been for you so far?
Amanda: As a mother, I am her doctor, her teacher, her friend, her disciplinarian, her everything. Seeing the charming smile from my daughter everyday totally melts my heart. Having her meet me at the gate when I come from work and give me the best hug and kisses ever, with her little arms around me is undoubtedly the best feeling ever! Having someone you can love with the kind of love Jesus has for us. It is a blessing.
Maryanne: Has motherhood changed you in any way?
Amanda: Yes! It has changed me completely. I have learnt to listen more keenly, to do the best in all things that I do because someone else depends on me. I have a reason to wake up in the morning and go to work because I know I have a child looking up to me and I would like to be a great referral in her future. I have learnt to put in order my priorities and she tops this list. In addition, I now know that being a mother and having a child you can call your own is a gift from God and not an accident or an inconvenience as others call it.
Maryanne: What will you teach your daughter?
Amanda: I will teach her that in all circumstances however gloomy they may appear, there is always something good at the end of it because God has the greatest of plans for all of us.
I will teach her to know that she is complete the way she is and to know the difference between real love and puppy love. I pray to God that I will be there for my little angel every step of her life from when she finds love, career, gets married and has babies of her own.
See also: “My Unexpected Pregnancy While in Campus” -The Story of Laila Laurence
Thank you Amanda for sharing your encouraging story with the Mummy Tales readers.
Do you have an encouraging story to share? Email me on maryanne@mummytales.com
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*This is an updated version of this post that I first published in 2013.
