This archive report was first published on 3 May 2021.
On a fateful morning in May 2021, Elsie Akoo woke up to a strange abdominal pain, unaware that her world was about to shatter. At five months pregnant, she had been experiencing constant pain and hospital visits, but nothing could have prepared her for the devastating news that would change her life forever.
‘I was five months pregnant at this point. When I went into the bathroom, I discovered some thick mucus on my underwear, what I assumed was the mucus plug that comes out just before child delivery. So I decided to go to the nearby hospital to get checked out,’ she recalls.
The doctor's diagnosis was a shock: Elsie was going through labour, but her baby had died at 10 weeks. The news left her reeling, filled with questions and guilt. ‘It broke my heart that I had been carrying a dead baby for close to three months. Whenever I had cradled my belly in happiness, it had been dead all along. I was confused and wanted to know why this happened to my child. Was it something I did? Could I have stopped it?’ she says.
With the baby's death confirmed, Elsie was faced with a difficult decision: to undergo a painful extraction or wait for the baby to bleed out over four days. With the support of her gynaecologist, she chose the former, opting for a manual vacuum aspiration procedure.
The days that followed were a blur of pain and grief. Elsie's world had been turned upside down, and she struggled to come to terms with the loss of her baby. However, in the midst of her pain, she found solace in her work and a newfound purpose: to share her story and help others who have experienced similar losses.
Through her business, Women's Delight Activewear, and her YouTube channel, 'Stories of Africa,' Elsie is determined to create a platform for women to share their experiences and find healing. Her story is a testament to the strength and resilience of women in the face of unimaginable loss.
