FemmeFocus Junction

  There is a demographic shift towards later childbearing, and it has become a major health concern. There are numerous associations between advanced maternal age and pregnancy complications. Many women are focusing on their careers and by the time they are on the right path they might have some time to deal with the harsh dating world to find the right man. I was extremely career-oriented in my twenties and felt like I could survive without a child. All I wanted was to be financially independent and not rely on any man to feed me. I immigrated in my late twenties and by the time I was settled in a specialization program, I was about 33 years old. By then I really wanted to settle and have a family. I got married at 35 years old and had a baby at the age of 37. Women over 35 have decreased fertility which means it may take them a longer time to fall pregnant. They have higher rates of pregnancy failure, miscarriage, and ectopic pregnancy. This is mainly attributed to a progressiv...

  I wasn’t always sure if I wanted to be a mom. Now that I have a daughter, I am enjoying every minute of it. There are difficult moments here and there. Some nights when we have a sick child and haven't slept the whole night and still show up at work the next day. Weekends are crazy with a toddler, by the time I am up and showered and dressed baby and myself and prepared breakfast, I feel exhausted and still have a long day ahead.  It has been an overwhelming journey for me and my husband, from trying to conceive to pregnancy loss and all the way to having a happy and healthy girl! She has been amazing through these two years. She is growing well and is above the growth chart for her age. Her milestones have been reasonable. She atrted sitting at around eight months and started walking around 15 months. She follows instructions. She is still not very vocal and only says a few words. It may be due to the bilingual atmosphere in the household. She enjoys watching Cocomelon, s...

  The day-to-day life may seem boring with the same routine of waking up and going to work. The demanding workplace, and the usual problems, the traffic, back home is the cooking dinner, bathing the baby, and putting her to sleep. We might think that we are not making much progress in life, but there are times when I actually have the time to sit back and reflect on my life journey and I realize that I have come a long way. This happened the other day when I was shortlisting doctors for a medical officer post in our hospital. I realized I was in the job hunting position just a few years ago trying to write my exams and get into the specialisation program. I have come a long way and tried to enjoy the journey and have fun. The job market for doctors has become very competitive. It is hard to believe that thousands of doctors in South Africa struggle to find a government job after they finish their community service. One of them actually made a touching video on social media to mak...