Mother recalls her journey of giving birth to a premature baby
Cindy Visser is sharing her story with the Advertiser because she always hears negative stories about Tambo Memorial Hospital, while there is also good news.
Having a premature birth can be quite a traumatic experience for mothers.
A 24-year-old mother of two, Cindy Visser, has shared with the Advertiser her experience of having a premature baby and how nurses at Tambo Memorial Hospital assisted her.
Visser said she gave birth to her second child, Jacques, at just 27 weeks. The mother said she experienced pains the whole week of May 8 last year.
“I was then admitted to the Tambo Memorial Hospital and I was told I had a ruptured membrane which caused the contractions. I stayed in the labour ward for a week and I must say the nurses were so nice to me.
“I became great friends with the other mothers in the ward, we are still friends now. I often ask for advice from my dear friend Brenda, who supported me through the whole process and encouraged me to stay strong.”
The Ravenswood resident said she gave birth on May 16, 2017, in the morning.
“My baby was so tiny. He was the size of the palm of my hand. I didn’t even know how to hold him or how to feed him as he was so fragile. He looked like he would break at any time.
“He was fed through a tube for a very long time due to an open palate. The nurses equipped us with lots of information on how to take care of premature babies.
“I used to cry when my baby had a setback but the nurses would encourage me to be strong for the baby.”
Visser said she had to stay in hospital for two weeks before being discharged.
“When I went home, I had to adjust because of the major transition from being in hospital and being at home.
“I was blessed with a great support system from Jacques’ father and our parents.
“Nurses at the hospital would assist us but now I had to stand on my own and use the knowledge I was taught in hospital.
“My advice to mothers who have recently given birth to premature babies is that they shouldn’t give up because there’s always hope because these children are little fighters.
“God won’t put you through it if he knows you could not handle it. Today my little fighter is doing excellent and he is a very busy boy,” Visser said.
ALSO READ: Baby was decapitated in mother’s womb after ‘wrong option’ followed for his premature birth
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