Centre of excellence for newborn care in Uganda

“My name is Enid, this is my son Solomon, and this is our story.

I had my first born in 2006, she is the light of my world and for years I tried to give her a sibling. I had all but given up when I conceived in 2020. My pregnancy was not an easy one. In 2016, I was diagnosed with hypertension, so to begin with my pregnancy was high risk. My pressure was high throughout the entire course, at 7months I developed persistent headaches, neckpains, shortness of breath and difficulty sleeping. When I went to hospital, I was told that my pressure was too high and my life was at risk.

The baby needed to come out as soon as possible. I was worried about the outcome but decided with faith and the wise counsel of my parents that it was for the best. Solomon was delivered by emergency ceaserean section on the 19th of November 2020. I was able to see him before he was taken to the Neonatal Unit and entrusted my sister to take care of him there.

I developed complications post delivery and was admitted to the high dependency unit of the postnatal ward. Once I was stable enough to leave and see him, I discovered that he was also in the high dependency unit of the neonatal unit! He was just under 1kg and was having trouble breathing by himself so needed a CPAP(breathing machine) to support him. He continued having episodes where he would stop breathing and would need to be resuscitated and supported. It was very overwhelming but I perservered with the help and support of the team of the neonatal unit, my family and my faith. It has been 2 months since I had my miracle baby and it has been a rollercoaster ride but I am feel so blessed that he chose me to be his mother. I would like to encourage other mothers like me to trust in God and be patient especially with the little ones. Motherhood is a journey but more than anything, it's a blessing beyond measure.”