ONYIYE THAT GIRL

ONYIYE   THAT GIRL
CHAPTER  53

AT  THE  HOSPITAL

The doctor rushes in and stops on his tracks looking at the blue baby on top of the table. Something is wrong here and immediately he knows what is going on.
"The part of the larynx above the vocal cords falls in and temporarily blocks the baby's airway." He hurries towards where the baby is.
He lays the baby on the side and begins to sub his back. As tiny as he is, his lungs begin to slowly open.
A tiny cry makes the staff sigh in relief. He picks the baby up and immediately wraps him with the sheet.
"He needs to be cleaned up and put in the incubator, quick”
A machine that sends air and oxygen to his baby's lungs through small tubes in his nose. A cooling blanket — A blanket that is used to lower his baby's body temperature.
He is now stable breathing just fine, and the mother is also okay doing well but one can tell that she is not emotionally well.
The doctor shared the news with the parents and assured them that the baby and the mother would be okay. They are both fine even though they thought that they had lost the little warrior, but the baby proved them wrong.
"How is she doing?” The doctor asks the nurse allocated to Onyiye who has never shed a smile ever since she has been admitted. It's been hours since she gave birth but not even once has, she even bothered asking how her baby is doing. The baby is too tiny confirming that the mother did not take care of herself.
“Still the same, she doesn’t even want to see her child.” The nurse responds.
The doctor nods his head and sighs – looks like this will be another phase of postpartum depression, if it is or maybe there is something deeper than this?
He will probably have to dig more into this.

Onyiye has her eyes half closed just listening to the sounds of the busy cars and footsteps. That alone annoys her, she just wants a quiet place where she can just think things through. Did Sthembiso take the fall for her? She really needs to call the police for this.
She last saw her phone in her bag. She groans holding her stomach and then she remembers – she has just given birth and she is in hospital. Her eyes wander around. Panic rush over making her to breath heavily. Where is the baby? The nurse comes through and smiles looking at the Onyiye who is wide awake.
“Where is the baby?” she asks.
“In the newborn intensive care unit.”
“I want my baby!” she half shouts attracting eyes.
“Okay, I will go grab the wheelchair. Please wait.” The nurse rushes out to get hold of the wheelchair. On the bed Onyiye tries removing herself from the bed. She tries placing her feet on the ground but she trips and falls. Excessive pressure causes the suture to break and cut tissue leading to the wound opening. She closes her eyes and groans while holding her abdomen.
“Oww,” she cries out. She removes her hands and notices blood on her hand. She looks for clothes while still on the floor…
“Ow my goodness!” cries the nurse and helps her to stand but she lets out the loud excruciating pain. She folds her hands into a fist hiding her bloody hand. She finally manages to stand up with her back bent due to the amount of pain striking.She groans louder when she sits in the wheelchair…
“You good?” the nurse asks the sweating Onyiye. She does not respond but rather nods her head and makes her mouth into a thin line. She wheels her out with a smile being happy that she is finally opening up…
They arrive in the incentive car unit and here he is – the little Sthembiso. The baby's skin looks wrinkly and loose. She gasps in shock. His eyes are closed with this…
“Why are his eyes closed?” she asks directing the question to the nurse.
She laughs lightly and responds,
“For babies born too soon, the blood vessels have not finished growing, so close monitoring is necessary to ensure proper growth. Your baby will likely receive their first visit from the eye doctor while still in the NICU.”
“Is he blind?”
“For now, all is good with him. Just that he needs extra care.”
She nods her head and sighs. She pulls out her hand but quickly retrieves it remembering that she has blood on her hand. So, all of these babies have this type of she cannot even describe. The father is like this and the babies are like this…no child looks at her, not even her hair. Anger brewed inside of her – the thought of it alone makes her upset. She clicks her tongue and asks for the nurse to take her back.