Hello’s, it’s been quite the minute since I posted something … but I’m now back. Ohh how I have missed blogging! I am very delighted to be back . Anyways hope you’ve been keeping well.
Now, baby Ello is now 2 and a half months old, and I’ll soon be getting up and about, meaning I’ll be leaving both the house and him during the day. And ofcourse Kitty . Aside from that, I have noticed that there is a slight problem – with me, not with baby/ies.
I tried fitting into my shoes the other day and I was taken aback. Them shoes have shrunk! Either that or it’s my feet that have expanded and elongated themselves.
This is surprising because I didn’t experience this after I got Kitty. When I was pregnant with him, my feet swelled right from month one (not heavy swelling, just small small swelling but swelling all the same). After I delivered him, they remained swollen for about a week before returning to their normal size.
With Ello, my feet never swelled – not even once throughout the pregnancy. But then after I delivered – they swelled so much, like worryingly much for about three weeks. I was shocked by this, and actually more panicked than shocked and I kept checking my blood pressure fearing perhaps it was preeclampsia (which can also happen up to six weeks after giving birth). My blood pressure thankfully was always ok, and my doctor’s assurance kept me calm.
So after the three weeks, they gradually went back to normal size. Okay I thought they were normal size until I tried out my ‘going out of the house’ shoes yesterday. The shoes just don’t fit! Either my heel is protruding from the back, or my toes are protruding from the front. I’m not one of those ladies you’ll see walking around town with either of those looks. I hate that. But why are my feet still a size bigger almost three months after pregnancy? And most importantly, will they go back to their normal size? Heee, they better because does this mean that I have to invest in new pairs of shoes all over again? That budget will come from where now and the way the price of milk has gone up? Asiiii!
Emily Ogolla, 41, is the owner of Little Wonders baby shop. She is mother to three boys aged 13, 15 and 18. I had a chat with her about her entrepreneurial journey.
MT: Tell us about your business
EO: I sell children’s clothing and accessories. My products are fashionable, trendy and unique –I try my level best not to stock what everyone else is selling. I source them from Turkey, Thailand, China and Dubai. I travel every 6-8 weeks to buy new stock.
MT: When did you start this business?
EO: I opened this Little Wonders store last year in June. But before that, I was still in the children’s clothing business. I supply children’s clothing at three Uchumi stores, and I also have a baby shop at Langata Shopping Center called Emmy Collections.
MT: Have you always been self-employed?
EO: Not always. After I finished my undergraduate degree, I was employed as a teacher. I taught English and Literature at a secondary school. I then went on to do my Post-Graduate Diploma, afterwhich I was promoted to the position of Inspector of Schools. But one year later, I quit as I did not find what I was doing challenging enough.
I then got employed by Safaricom as a Customer Care rep. I worked there for 10 years, rising through the ranks to become a Call Center Manager. All the while, I was doing the children’s clothes business as a side hustle.
MT: How did you arrive at your decision to leave formal employment for full time business?
EO: I must admit that it was always a very delicate act balancing between my job and my business. While things were quite lax working as a teacher in the government, the same could not be said for Safaricom, as the job was very demanding. I had to plan and organize myself to ensure both my job and my business did not suffer. But eventually, a time came when I had to make a decision as balancing both was not easy.
I started thinking about my exit strategy slowly, as I started focusing on my business. One time, I decided to take time away from the office and spend time at my business. In that week where I was at the business from morning till 9pm, the business brought in about 1 million shillings –up from the approx Ksh 500,000 it previously used to bring in. I knew that I had to go into it full time to maximize on the profits from the business. And that is when I tendered my resignation to go into business full time. At that time, I had not opened the Little Wonders shop – it was just Emmy Collections and the supplies at the Uchumi stores.
MT: What is the greatest challenge faced so far in your business?
EO: When I decided to open this shop (Little Wonders), the capital was a great challenge. When I got the space, it was just a bare empty room as the mall was new. I had to build the shop from scratch –fixing the walls, painting them, doing the partitions, working on the ceiling, the floors… everything. This cost me an arm and a leg!! I got a good send off pay from Safaricom –which I had thought would be more than enough to set up the shop, but I was in for a rude shock for the money ran out before I had even completed ‘making’ the shop. I had not even bought the stock yet! I could not believe it and actually had to put everything on hold for a few months as I pondered my next move.
After a while, I decided to borrow money from my other businesses. Eventually, I got it up and running in June 2012.
MT: Any other challenges?
EO: Aside from the capital? Well, financial management –keeping proper records and being strict about not taking money out of the business for personal use. Another challenge is stock control –nowadays I ensure that I have no dead stock. I learnt that sometimes you can buy things that you think will sell like hotcake, only for the market to dictate otherwise when no one buys the product. So I have learnt to study the market and only buy stuff which I know will sell. I get to learn new things everyday about running a business.
MT: What are the good parts about running your own business?
EO: I get happy when I receive positive feedback from my clients about the stuff they bought from me. I am also happy that the business is growing.
MT: You are a mother of three boys. How has your motherhood journey been?
EO: I am grateful to God for motherhood despite the challenges it sometimes brings along. My eldest son has Sickle Cell Anaemia, and having a child with a long term ailment is one of the toughest things for any mother. He and I have been in and out of hospitals countless times since he was a little child –for both in and outpatient visits/stays. It was especially difficult when I was employed, because there are days when I would go to work during the day, then go to hospital and spend the night with him there when he was admitted, then have to be at work punctually the following day.
Other days I would work, then travel during my off days to go get stock. Many are the times when I would go straight from the office to the airport without even stopping by home, and other days I would land then go straight to the office. It was very taxing, and at some point I must confess that I lost my children. It was crazy I tell you – working in the corporate world and running a business at the same time. But I thank God for my mom who stood in for me during these times. I also had good housegirls who helped take care of the boys. Right now is when I am rebonding with my children as I have enough time for them.
MT: Your advice to fellow moms who want to start a business?
EO: Don’t do something because someone else is succeeding at it. The returns might not be the same for you. Instead, do something you know you’re good at, do something that your heart is telling you to do. Be creative and original and don’t copy other people.
Also know that in business, there are times that the going will be tough. But you have to remain focused and don’t give up. -END
You may also like to see Irene’s story below:
Mummy Talesis a platform dedicated to empowering its readers on different aspects of womanhood and motherhood. Read more motherhood experiences of Kenyan momshere. Connect with Mummy Tales on: FACEBOOK lYOU TUBE l INSTAGRAM l TWITTER
Pre-eclampsia is a condition that affects pregnant women.Pre-eclampsia is the elevation of blood pressure during pregnancy and which, if untreated, can lead to death of both mother and baby. A young Kenyan mom – Doryce Olough experienced this condition during her first pregnancy and shares her story below:
“I had my first pregnancy in 2009. During the last month my face and fingers kept really swelling (my feet had already swelled early in the pregnancy). One day, I went to bed as usual but noticed that my angel wasn’t kicking as she usually did at that time of the night. I didn’t think much of it because earlier on during the day she was very active and kicking all over.
But a few hours later, at around 2-3 am, I woke up in pain and was rushed to hospital. It was 2 weeks to my due date so I believed my angel was arriving. I even carried my hospital bag. But at the hospital, I was shocked when the nurses told me they couldn’t find my baby’s heartbeat. They then recommended a scan which would be done later on in the morning at around 10 am (I wish the hospital had the scanning facility 24/7).
After doing the scan in the morning, the doctor didn’t say anything but just handed me the results. Funny enough I didn’t look at the results because I could still feel my baby’s kicks – though not powerful.
I went into labor and when the time came, I delivered my beautiful daughter Emma, but sadly, she was already dead. All along, till the very end, I had remained hopeful that all would be well. As though it could not get any worse, I had also lost alot of blood in the process and had to be transfused with 6 pints of blood – which family and friends donated. Talk about labouring in vain! Regardless, I thank God for life.
God blessed me again with a second pregnancy and this time round, I was very alert and did my research thoroughly which made me realize that it was pre-eclampsia which cost me my daughter. Google became my best friend. I ate well and focused on foods that gave me blood. I also listened keenly to my body and with the slightest swelling I would rush to the hospital.
Even during this pregnancy, my blood pressure (BP) was high that I had to be put on medication. Headaches were the order of the day and was twice put on bed-rest since my BP and the headaches didn’t go down. At 36 weeks, the headaches became unbearable so I was admitted and scheduled for a caesarean section.
My lovely baby boy, my prince Ezra Kibet, was delivered well at 2.3kgs. He was placed in the incubator for a day. Today, he is a beaming and healthy 2.8 year old, and he is proof that God restores what you have lost.
My advice to all women is eat well, be alert, avoid stress… and Do NOT take any chance(s) while pregnant. Always be on toes. I feel relieved sharing this story and do so with the hope that my story can save a mother and a baby.“
Mummy Talesis a platform dedicated to empowering its readers on different aspects of womanhood and motherhood. Read more motherhood experiences of Kenyan momshere. Connect with Mummy Tales on: FACEBOOK lYOU TUBE l INSTAGRAM l TWITTER
For many moms who are ardent on exclusively breastfeeding their tots, pumping breastmilk is the order of the day. And with this comes many questions about breastmilk – how should it be stored, how should it be thawed, warmed, for how long can it last before going bad… and many many more.
I got one question from a new mom about mixing old and new breastmilk, and I consequently sought the expertise of lactation expert Josie M. Karoki of HunySuckle. Read on.
Q: If I express more milk than I expected, can I add it to the frozen milk for last week?
Josie: Adding breastmilk that has just been expressed to frozen breastmilk is not advisable because it will cause the frozen milk to thaw slightly. As with any frozen consumable product, once it has thawed or defrosted -even slightly, it should not be re-frozen due to the high risk of contamination.
Therefore some lactation experts advise a mother who wants to add freshly expressed breastmilk to a previous frozen stash to first put the fresh milk in the fridge for 30 mins-1 hour before adding it to the frozen milk in order to avoid thawing the latter stash of milk. If one does add today’s expressed breastmilk to last week’s stash, the “expiry/best before date” of the frozen breastmilk remains that of the original stash.
A more acceptable way though is to keep freshly expressed milk in the fridge for a day before freezing it. This way, in case a mum has some extra milk left from a pumping or breastfeeding session, she can add it to the refrigerated stash without worry.
Josie M. Karoki is a certified lactation manager/breastfeeding counselor.
top image courtesy: let’s talk breastfeeding, Kenya.
Ello is six weeks old now, and it’s been interesting to observe how his big brother relates with him. I must say that Kitty adores his baby brother. He absolutely totally loves him, which warms my heart so.
Whenever he sees me emerge from the bedroom carrying Ello, he immediately launches into a small dance shouting ‘toto Ello, toto Ello’ and begins trying to catch Ello’s attention, which includes tagging at his legs.
Whenever I’m nursing Ello, Kitty is always right there with me, telling both Ello and I all sorts of stories which I hardly ever understand but I love them anyway. And when it’s time to burp Ello, Kitty helps out with the rubbing of the back, only that I have to keep a close eye on how he does it because the first time I taught him how to – to gentle rub Ello’s back, taking him through the gentle motions, next thing I saw was Ello being pounded on the back as though he were chocking. That’s Kitty’s version of gently rubbing his back so that he can burp. I let out a shriek, fearful that Ello’s back had been fractured!
Kitty loves pulling at Ello’s legs and hands as he talks to him and plays with him. I reckon he thinks they’re agemates. Once again it has to be done under close supervision because gentle does not exist in Kitty’s vocabulary, one time I saw him doing it and I thought Ello’s limbs were gonna be pulled out of their sockets!
Then Kitty is at the stage of learning body parts, and this he proudly demonstrates via Ello’s body. He loves showing where eyes, ears, nose and mouth are located on a body – problem is he pokes these body parts of Ello (once again roughly). Yikes!!!
He also loves describing to me in detail, by the minute, what Ello is doing. “toto Ello is closing his eyes, toto Ello is drinking milk, toto Ello is relaxing, toto Ello has pupud, toto Ello has sneezed, toto Ello is crying, toto Ello is watching TV, toto Ello is yawning….” He gives me constant updates . And when Ello is asleep in his cot, Kitty constantly goes to check on him, just to stare at him whilst giving him stories.
And then Kitty loves wanting to carry his little brother. So what I do is I mock place him in his hands, ofcourse I’m carrying Ello 95% but Kitty is just happy to believe that he is the one doing the carrying.
And then he loves running errands for mommy that involve toto Ello. When I send him to bring me a diaper, a liner , the breastfeeding pillow or a shawl from the bedroom, he engages in a dash that would put Usain Bolt to shame. When I ask him to bring me the breastfeeding pillow, he does so more than happily.
And when Ello is relaxing on his day bed, Kitty loves caressing his cheeks and planting random kisses on them. And when Ello cries, he tries to soothe and calm him by telling him to stop crying…oohhhh…such sweet moments these usually are…
I am glad that this is Kitty’s relation with his baby brother, because I know there are some kids who are so jealous of their younger siblings such that they punch and pinch them – especially when mommy is not looking? Oh dear!
When I watch my two boys bonding, I feel really proud and happy and I hope this bond will continue way into their adulthood and into forever.
I came across this inspirational *article and knew I had to share it here. It’s about a woman entrepreneur who followed her passion and is today a successful businesswoman. You’ve probably tasted one of her cakes. Read on…
“I have always loved cooking since I was a young girl. My mum encouraged me and allowed me to experiment with different recipes. She gave me free reign in her kitchen.
My favorite subject in high school was home science and from there I went on to enroll at a training program at the Norfolk Hotel. Chef Eamon Mullan was running an apprentice based program for chefs and I was one of the five ladies selected that year.
Another one of my loves was Art. I have an artistic flair and having completed learning all the kitchen sections I settled on pastry. Here, I was able to combine the two loves of my life-art and food. Unlike my fellow students, I did not want to seek employment. For me I just wanted the knowledge to spruce up my hobby. I went on to Kenya Institute of Management to do a course in business management. I was employed in an NGO for almost six years before I picked up my ‘hobby’ again. I had a newborn and did not want to go back into employment. A friend of mine who had also gone through the Norfolk program was running a successful cake business and she challenged me to join her.
Running my business Sweet Inspirations has not been without challenges. The first challenge was that I had a one month old baby who I was breastfeeding exclusively. So I would go with her to the bakery every day. I had to get a househelp to keep an eye on her at the office as I worked till she was weaned at six months. The same happened with my next baby. Both kids were always with me. I learned that there is a solution to everything. Clients were very accommodating and understanding.
Many expectant employed women look forward to the birth of their little ones, evident by their excited shopping trips to Biashara street, Toi market, online shopping, washing and folding the cute little fresh-smelling clothes, the excitement around decorating the nursery, how they go on and on about their pregnancy journey whilst touching their bellies, the baby shower, comments on Facebook groups… it’s all such a beautiful and delightful experience for many women. Sometimes though, pregnant mums get so preoccupied by this excitement that they forget to put in place measures for a smooth transition at their workplace when they proceed on maternity leave. Putting in mind that most babies do not come on the exact due date, with quite a significant number making their debut days or even weeks in advance, it is therefore important for all working pregnant women to ensure that they are well covered at their workplace during maternity leave. They need to prepare adequately for the same, especially if baby comes earlier than expected.
Now, via my blog and all the mummy Facebook groups I’m in, I’ve noticed that many pregnant women are always unsure about the exact provision for maternity leave. Many ask: Is maternity leave supposed to be 90 calendar days or 90 working days? Many women are even known to have engaged in bitter stand-offs with their HR’s over the matter!
So I decided to ask Lucy Gacheru, a HR professional to break it down for us so that we can well understand what the provisions are for maternity leave in Kenya, as well as offer us a few tips on how to prepare for this time.
Mummy Tales: Exactly how many days is maternity leave and how is it calculated?
LG: According to the current Kenya Employment Act, a female employee is entitled to three months maternity leave with full pay. This is 90 calendar days (including weekends and public holidays) and not 90 working days. In other words, maternity leave is three calendar months.
It is also important to note that no female employee should forfeit her annual leave entitlement on account of having taken her maternity leave. Her annual leave days remains untouched.
Lucy Gacheru, HR professional.
MT: Is there anything in particular she needs to do before proceeding on maternity leave?
LG: She is required to give not less than seven days notice in advance, or a shorter period as may be reasonable in the circumstances of her intention to proceed on maternity leave on a specific date and to return to work thereafter. This notice should be in writing.
It is also important to note that while maternity leave is indeed her right, she should however prepare her employer well -depending on how her pregnancy is progressing. This will not only facilitate better planning, but will also demonstrate her engagement and commitment to the organization.
MT: Is her job secure while she is on maternity leave?
LG: On expiry of her maternity leave, she has the right to return to the job which she held immediately prior to her maternity leave, or to a reasonably suitable job on terms and conditions not less favourable than those which would have applied had she not been on maternity leave.
MT: What about hand-over issues?
LG: The issue of hand over is very important for any employee, and it is therefore of great essence that she plans hers well in advance so that if baby comes earlier than expected, or if there is some sort of medical emergency, then she is well covered and facilitates the smooth running of duties in her absence, thus causing less inconveniences to her colleagues.
One other important thing that I would like to advise pregnant career mums: You must know your employee rights! Don’t be coaxed into returning to work three weeks after birth just because there is a ‘crisis’ in the office. You have every right to be at home with your baby, and no one should force you to return to work before completing your 90 calendar days. Not unless of course you have negotiated and YOU are willing to assist… assist being the key word here. It should be under your own volition to go to the office, and not do so under threats or intimidation. Remember, the law is on your side.”
Hope this information from Lucy Gacheru helps. See more questions and answers at the comments section below. Share this information with all the career pregnant mums you know.
You may Also Like to Watch the Videos Below as they Contain Helpful Insights:
Many moms love listening to each others’ birth stories. I didn’t know this until I became a mom myself, because when visitors came to see me when I got Kitty – both at hospital and at home, the first question was always: Ehe, ebu tell us how it happened… ebu start from the beginning and don’t you dare miss out on any detail, tell us what were you doing, who were you with, how did you know you were in labor, did you scream, did you pull your hairs out, did you insult the nurses when the pain was at it’s climax…. their faces all pregnant with expectation of the narration that you’ll give, which they anticipate will be filled with lots of drama. Four hours later, you’ll find that the same story is still being told asin you haven’t gotten to the end, largely because the other moms keep interrupting you to narrate tid bits of their own birth stories as well. Women!
Anyway so how was Ello’s birth?
Well, I knew right from the beginning that I would have a CS (on medical grounds). And I knew that I would have it at week 38. So at 36 weeks, my gynae and I settled on a date for the delivery, the date being Friday 5th April 2013, at 9.00am.
So on the eve of the ‘big day’, in the evening hours, me and my hospital bag checked ourselves into hospital, accompanied by Baba Kitty. This was at around 4.30pm. So after being cleared and the paperwork complete, it was just now to wait for 9am the following day. So we beat stories with Baba Kitty and in between, my gynaecologist, anesthetist and a theatre nurse paid me a visit just to chat me up, find out how I was doing, prep me for the following day and to reassure me that all was gonna be well. Baba Kitty left at about 9pm and I was kinda sad to see him go. Hospitals can be cold, lonely and very boring. Then I slept after having a chat with God.
That night was ok, only that I got extremely hungry and thirsty, but I couldn’t ingest anything after midnight because I was due for theatre in a few hours. On previous nights during the pregnancy I had been snacking at least three times during the night, so having to make do with the hunger and thirst that night was quite the challenge.
The following morning, I was up and ready and looking forward to having my baby delivered. Baba Kitty too was there up and early and together we shared in this expectation. At 8.50am, the staff came for me, and just before I was wheeled into theatre, the last person I spoke to was Baba Kitty, and with a reassuring kiss from him before the doors shut, I knew that all was gonna be well.
Anyways, once in the theatre, I was glad to see my gynae and the rest of the team. Same team of doctors (gynae, paeditrician and anaesthetist) that delivered Kitty, so it was just a case of same script, same cast, different baby. There was a lady who took the time to introduce me to all the other peoples in the theatre and their titles – which I forgot soon after, but I know they all played a key role in the whole affair.
At 8.58 everything was all set, and we were just chilling. At exactly 9.00am, the anaesthetist sent me away to la la land. When I finally came to – I don’t know how long after, I remember being wheeled out of the recovery room, and who was the first person I saw coming towards me with a warm hearty smile and congratulating me? Baba Kitty. He told me that our baby boy was okay and very beautiful. I was in and out of drowsiness for a while after and I don’t know for how long I slept, but I remember at around 2pm is when baby Ello was finally brought to me. I fell in love with him instantly. The last two or so months of the pregnancy had been abit difficult for me because he was in transverse position (lying across the belly) and he was a biggish baby (3.7 kgs), so he really weighed me down – literally. I was glad to finally meet my second son. Once I had settled in and bonded with Ello is when his father and I began texting family and friends sharing the good news with them.
So that’s Ello’s birth story. No ndlama and no findio. It’s just a plain tale, nothing dramatic. One that can be told in three minutes flat (I think).
37 weeks is where I’m at now. I. AM. TIRED. KAPUT. FINISHED. EXHAUSTED. These last days I tell you are the longest. So near but yet so far .
But other than feeling tired, what else am I feeling today? Today is one of those days when I just don’t wanna do anything at all but just be lazy. Being lazy all day long will make me one very happy lady.
Today I don’t feel like getting up, I don’t feel like eating, I don’t feel like drinking, I don’t feel like standing up to do anything, I just want to do nothing. If nothing was a type of food, I would eat it gluttonously. If it was a drink, I would have gotten drunk on it by now.
Come to think of it, I do actually feel like doing something. I feel like going down to Uhuru Park and riding on those boats. I don’t want to do the actual rowing or paddling myself, no, because that would involve a lot of work on my part, and remember that I just want to be lazy all day long. What I want is to have someone do the rowing and me doing the sitting and enjoying the scenery all day long. Are there little fish in Uhuru Park? I want to feed these little fish on breadcrumbs and just watch them scramble as I envy their simple lives. After feeding the fish, I want to laze back and stare into the grey skies, and imagine many things and dream many dreams that will make me happy. I want to ask myself silly questions, such as: what could be behind the grey skies? Could it be God’s smiling face? I have all the time in the world to hypothesize you know.
This weather is actually perfect for boat-rowing because I won’t feel too hot – as pregnant women are permanently wont to feel. I will have carried a picnic basket with me and I will munch the goodies therein happily. I will carry a thermos of fermented porridge that my mom brought for me the other day when she’d visited my shosho in Gatundu. I will also have a huge thermos of chai kienyeji and a little bitings here and there. And when I finish eating, I want to take a snooze while still in the boat, and drool all I can just because I can and it’s free for me to do so.
I was last in Uhuru Park probably around thirty-something years ago when I was a tiny tot at a family outing. Today, I have a craving for going back there. That’s all that I feel like doing. Problem is I have no idea how to start getting out of the house. One is because I can no longer drive myself as my stomach is too huge for it to fit properly in the drivers’ seat. Second is that I’m feeling lazy and going outdoors will mean getting myself prepared and all that comes along with that and I just don’t feel like doing anything. So I will just lie on the couch and stare at the ceiling all day long.
It must be around this time that I wrote a similar post when I was expecting Kitty. Read here for a flashback of that post where once again, I was totally feeling lazy.
Today, I wanna salute one of my very good friends. She’s called Miss Babes. There’s this photo that Mama Zoe took of us the other day that I absolutely fell in love with. Miss Babes is truly good people. She’ll always be there for you and stand by you no matter what if you’re her pal. Not many like her exist.
Anyways, I went to my archives and pulled out some photos, to look at how we’ve transformed
In 2012 December and both pregnant. This is the photo that Mama Zoe took.
We’re both expecting our second babies, and I’m glad to be going through the motherhood journey with her. We’re two weeks apart – me I’m now at 35 weeks and her she’s at 33 weeks, and we keep sharing experiences and comforting each other that April aint too far. Waaahhh, si we’ve been waiting for this April anxiously since we were like 2 months pregnant – which right now looks like it was around two decades ago. Kumbe days can drag like this?
But you know what? Our patience is paying off because we can both see April finally peeping from around the corner. Si we’re happy how?
Love you lots Miss Babes. And thank you. For everything. Can’t wait to meet our litul bambinos.
“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” ― William Shakespeare
. Anyways hope you’ve been keeping well.
. Aside from that, I have noticed that there is a slight problem – with me, not with baby/ies.
