My baby died…and it was my mother’s mistake

“When I had my baby, my mother came to my home to stay for a short time like tradition demands. But her stay was abruptly cut short by a tragedy.

As with every new birth, my mother solely bathed my baby every day while she was in my house. In bathing the baby, a small plastic tub was used with a bucket of water at the side to scoop water from. My mother would put her legs in the plastic tub and place the baby on her joined legs for balance and support while she poured the water. To wash the hair, she would turn the baby over, use one hand to hold the baby’s neck in place while the other hand poured water on her soft curly head.

One night as she did this, her hand slipped and water rushed into my tender baby’s nose. On our own, we frantically tried to revive my poor baby who was struggling to breathe and when we couldn’t, we rushed to the hospital. My baby didn’t make it; she died that night and she was less than two weeks old. 

I cried so hard and my mother cried harder. I wanted to blame her and I wanted to hate her but I just could not for in my heart, I knew it was a genuine mistake. However, I’ve never forgotten the lessons I learned from it and I’m always so careful now.