A Nigerian dad-of-two with user name, @ 4Qhen on Twitter while participating in the ongoing ‘O jewa ke eng?’, translating to ‘what’s eating you up?’ trending question on the app, has told a moving story of how the arrival of his newborn nearly caused him to check out on life.
We often hear of how mothers bend back and over for family, but maybe if more dads told their stories of sacrifice and love for family, they would get more than the accolades than they presently get.
Dad of two daughters, @4Qhen, told of his mind-bending experience after his wife put to bed of their second daughter via cesarean section, and how he was unprepared that his baby having jaundice would lead to experiences that would make his otherwise bubbly self contemplate suicide.
“I actually thought I was the type never to be suicidal; the parties, the girls, the fun things I loved doing but on march 30, 2018….I had my second daughter(on a good Friday) and was so excited, such a cute wonder only to find out she was jaundiced. Wasn’t a problem as her…
Sister had same and phototherapy helped. But this was not to be the case, the bilirubin level spiked and had to be referred to LASUTH, by now it was Easter Monday. The person to give us card said the pediatric ward was full and while we made calls to people we knew, he ran away”
“Wifey had undergone an epidural CS so I was the one carrying the new born around flanked by both grandmas. After a futile attempt to find the guy, we were referred to LUTH on our way there, we called everyone we knew there and they told us not to bother cos it’s full as well
At this point, her body temperature started to rise. We finally got someone that helped refer us to FMC, ebutte metta(from abule egba ooo), She was a former staff and said they already started preparing a bed for her. We got there and was told to wait at accident and emergency
The place was gory with blood being mopped every minute and constant influx of victims. We spoke to the nurse and she gave the same response…’No space in the pediatric ward’ but she said we had to buy card to be seen at all, we did and proceeded to put the baby on the bench…”
According to the dad, he was so distraught at the time and the system failed continually to provide any succour, read more,
“To check her vitals, I got mad! A two day old baby that hasn’t gotten any immunisation especially BCG and she was shocked I had an idea of it and I overheard her saying she thought I was a yahoo boy(cos of my huge beards). We kept all these away from the recuperating mum
I was so close to hitting the nurse with all she was doing and place my daughter on drip. I called my contact and told her. Barely 5mins later, the HOD of the pediatric ward flanked by the matron and another senior doctor came rushing down asking for me
They asked what the basis was for giving a drip and she couldn’t answer, they asked us to follow them to the prepared ward. The nurse had to apologize to my mother in-law and said she didn’t know “we have money” as many just abandon kids with them or can’t/don’t wanna pay cos…
Its a federal Hospital. We ended up spending 6 extra days there and I actually did the naming of my daughter myself as the priest couldn’t enter the ICU. I kept having to buy everything, going to the hospital in abule egba to see my wife, going to ikorodu to change clothes…”
“Sleeping in the car, running flight of stairs to run tests and pick test results and one afternoon on my way, I drove the length of 3MB and back while fighting the voices in my head to end it all, I wanted to cry and couldn’t, I wanted to die and wouldn’t….I just parked
Remembered my wife, my kids and everyone that draws inspiration for my barely perfect life and how they would receive the news of my demise, I said a little prayer and went to the hospital. That night, they spent almost 10 hours searching for my daughter’s vein after we opted…
For blood transfusion. Even the blood was the last screened O+ bag and they had to choose whether to give a week old baby(tho she just needed maybe half) or a 65yr old lady having a brain surgery. Her kids were understanding and asked them to give me as she went to fetch another
Now baby is fine, mum is fine and we are all fine but I keep asking myself if I was truly gonna let go? Still eats me up”.
