POLOKWANE – After a 41-week wait, little Alyssa Liana van der Schyff finally made her appearance in the world, much to the delight of new parents, Bonay and Mike van der Schyff.
Alyssa was born on Thursday, July 16 at 13:15 after 12 hours of labour, weighing 3,52kg at 52cm.
“My first thought when I saw her was this is the most beautiful child in the world,” says Bonay, while getting Alyssa to settle down for a nap.
Bonay laughs as she explains that Alyssa was not ready to meet the world and that she had to walk long distances in the hopes of speeding up the labour process as she had passed the 40-week line.
“I wanted to name her Alice after my favourite movie star, but my husband did not want her to be named after a movie star. So we settled for Alyssa. Her second name is a combination of both her grandmothers’ names.”
Bonay says Mike was the first one to notice she was pregnant and her mother and his father were the first to know about the pregnancy.
“Mike and my mom were the most supportive during the pregnancy,” she says.
“We wanted to know the sex of the baby beforehand as I am very curious and wanted to start planning. When we heard it was a girl, Mike was angry. He just could not believe it and actually stormed out. Now she is his angel and princess. Just this morning he was late for work as he did not want to leave her.”
Bonay says she was never scared or anxious during her pregnancy, except at 16 weeks when they tested for down syndrome.
“It made me angry whenever people asked how far along I was and then told me to be careful as they know someone who lost their baby at that stage,” she says.
Her moods were erratic, crying every three days or so. Mike once told her they could not buy something and she burst out in tears.
Bonay says she still did boot camp until she was 32 weeks pregnant and then prenatal yoga at home. She also walked the dogs a lot.
“During the birth, I was scared that she would not be okay. The 4D scans ruined the 10 fingers and 10 toes thing for us. I had the easiest pregnancy ever. I was never sick or swollen. My water broke during the night, but I did not go into labor immediately. No one told me that if my water breaks it does not mean I’m in labour.”
Asked what the biggest challenge during her pregnancy was, she says not being able to drink wine.
Although latching was the first challenge Bonay experienced after birth, she says is determined to breastfeed and says it comes very naturally.
Alyssa’s first toy was a dinosaur named Spike, which she received from Bonay’s friend.
Bonay also bought her a panda suit just after she found out she was pregnant.
“Mike is the best dad ever. He is very hands on and supports me during night time feeding. He never gets upset. I wake up during the night just to see if she is still breathing. She lets me sleep up to four hours at a time. She is really the easiest baby.
“I loved being pregnant and I love being a mom. I miss being pregnant and feeling Alyssa move inside me. I told the doctor I will see her again in 18 months with the second baby.”
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