"They say you bond instantly with your baby but I didn’t have that instant connection" - Tiwa Savage Reveals on Genevieve Magazine

Nigerian Artiste Tiwa Savage was  recently featured in the November
2015 issue of Genevieve Magazine where she got really talked about
her difficult pregnancy, life after the baby and so much more. Here are some of the things she also talked...

Pregnancy
On her pregnancy experience: It was very difficult. Yet, a lot of people did not
see that side of it. While I was pregnant, I still had to put my artiste face on! I
had to work, perform and attend events, but behind closed doors, the people
close to me; my husband, my mum and the label, saw the struggle. In fact,
before I came on stage, at the event where I revealed I was pregnant, I had
just been throwing up in the car and I threw up for the whole 9 months! I also
had pre-eclampsia towards the end of the pregnancy. It was a very tough
pregnancy.

On having pre-eclampsia : Well, it’s a condition some women have towards the end of their pregnancy. For me, it was a period where I had high blood
pressure, my feet got terribly swollen and I could hardly walk. Plus my baby
was overdue by about 7-8 days! At the end, they decided to induce me to
labour because they were worried about my condition. It was a very painful
ordeal but I thank God everything went well.

Motherhood
On motherhood so far: I’m going to be as candid as I can be and Genevieve is
the only press I’ve ever told. They say you bond instantly with your baby but I
didn’t have that instant connection. I was in a 20 hour labour and just when I
was about to push him out, his heart rate dropped, so there was a lot of panic
in the room and we were all in tears. Then, when he eventually came out,
everyone screamed “congratulations” and they had to put him on my chest to bond. Instead, when they did, I said “He is beautiful, but can I sleep for just one hour?” Thereafter, I was so overwhelmed, that for a week after delivery, I
would cry every day. And I don’t know why that happened. The midwives
thought I was suffering from depression but I guess a lot of first-time mums
have felt that way. I think it is the overwhelming feeling of being responsible
for another human being. Now, life is no longer a joke. I cannot do just
anything I want. Yet, on the other hand, I am very protective of him. Being a
mother has made me like a lioness, and I’m ready to bite anyone’s head off
over him.

On not revealing her baby’s face : Well that’s his dad’s decision. Every mother wants everyone to see the picture of her baby. I want everyone to see how cute he is but I understand my husband’s perspective too. He is the head of the house so I have to respect his wishes. Eventually we will reveal his facebut for now he wants only close family and friends to have the special moment to bond and not share it with the world yet.

On her husband and the baby: Oh my goodness! He was so excited! I think he was even more excited than I was while I was pregnant. Say for instance, we have a disagreement and I go downstairs to the living room, he’d ask me to come back upstairs because he wants to speak to his baby in my belly. And then, he would lay his head on my stomach, and the baby would move and kick every single time Tunji did that. There was an instant bond from the
beginning. Tunji has also been very helpful. He stays up to baby sit when I’m
sleeping. He changes diapers, makes his food and is very hands-on with the
baby.

On her husband’s other kids: That I cannot talk about because I don’t want to
be in a position to speak for anybody else. I am not the one involved so I
wouldn’t want to drag that situation into the limelight because it would be
unfair to the others involved. These are people who did not choose this life
but by reason of their association with me have been dragged into the
limelight.
Faith

On her spirituality: I am very spiritual. I do not joke with paying tithe or
speaking with God. I may not always get to kneel down and pray but at some
point in the car or wherever I am, I would have a conversation with God. I owe everything to him and I guess a lot of people don’t see that side. I’m grateful that my Pastor, Pastor Paul Adefarasin sees that side and he is still waiting for me to make a gospel album. That side of me people don’t know about is that I love being at home, watching television and just being away from the limelight.

To read Tiwa's full interview grab a copy of the November 2015 issue of Genevieve Magazine available on news stands