How I Almost Gave Birth Before Getting To Hospital On Election Day

For Mrs. Gertrude Doosen Takpi, it was heartening giving birth to a new citizen few hours after performing her civic duty.

 

Gertrude gave birth to a baby girl after casting her ballot on Saturday February 23, the day of the Presidential and National Assembly polls in Nigeria. Nobody anticipated that the baby would arrive that day, so it was a pleasant surprise.

 

The elated mother of Election Day baby girl – Theodora Shaana Takpi (aka First Lady), said she was even more thankful to God for a successful delivery after the difficulty in getting transportation to the hospital.

 

“I was close to giving birth before reaching the hospital. If I hadn’t seen that motorcycle just in time, I would have given birth there,” she noted.

 

Gertrude grinned cheerfully as she recounted the memorable experience. “Though I had started feeling some signs, I still decided to go and cast my vote because the polling unit was near my house. I went to the polling unit some minutes to 12noon, and luckily they said pregnant and old women should be giving consideration so I didn’t waste time on the queue.”

 

She continued: “On getting back home, labour started. I didn’t know how to get to the hospital because my husband was not around, and there was no means of transportation. There was movement restriction because it was election day.”

 

Gertrude decided to call a friend to give her a helping hand. “I called her so that we can go to the hospital together. As we were moving, she saw someone she knows riding pass on a motorcycle, so she stopped him. That was 10 minutes after 4pm.”

 

According to her, she put to bed 20 minutes after getting to the hospital.

 

“As the nurse was attending to me, the water broke and before we knew it, the baby was out.”

 

Baby ‘First lady’ is Mr. and Mrs. Takpi’s third child. The first is a boy and the second a girl. For the proud father, Mr. Takpi Samuel Orshio, “I was so excited.”

 

Takpi, who was an election duty that day, had travelled to Goronyo Local Government Area of the state.

 

“I was one of the election observers in Goronyo. When I left home that Saturday, there was no sign of labour so I wasn’t expecting the baby to come.”

 

On how he received the news, he said “She called me later in the evening and told me to come and carry the baby. So I asked which baby? She said ‘your baby of course’. I asked if she was joking because I wasn’t expecting such good news at that time.”

 

He had to leave Goronyo the next day for Sokoto city. “I hurried back the following day to see my baby and I named her ‘First lady’, having been born on Election Day.”

 

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-  Daily Trust