J’odie, a Nigerian musician best known for her 12-year-old popular song “Kuchi Kuchi,” is talking up about what it’s been like for her to be a “special mother,” a word that has been used to characterise mothers of children with special needs. If you didn’t know, J’odie has a kid with special needs who is now six years old. J’odie has been quite vocal over the years about the difficulties associated with raising a special needs child, particularly in Nigeria.
J’odie now discusses her experience as a special mother in a new interview with The New Telegraph, as well as her concerns about having a second child. What J’odie said is as follows.
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During the interview, J’odie was asked “Due to your son’s condition, are there fears of having another child?”. She responded:
Yes I won’t lie, I was scared. I’m not married first of all but I know that that doesn’t stop you from having a child.
“I mean are you scared that if you have another child there might be a recurrence of the situation?”
No, that is not my fear because my first experience of having a child was not an easy one due to complications, surgery, and the child not cry for nine hours and so on. Then after all those things I was left alone to take care of the child. So my first experience wasn’t an easy one but that doesn’t mean if an opportunity comes in a more supportive circle I will like to give it a try because raising a child shouldn’t be what one person would do.
“So, you are not scared that having another child might result in another special need child?”
Having a special needs child can be out of complications it’s not like you made it happen. Now I am more aware and there are certain tests you can do to verify and follow up. Not that I didn’t do antenatal care then but there are some things that I would not take chances with anymore. I will be much more intentional about where I will give birth because that hospital where I gave birth did not help, they didn’t even have enough oxygen to give my son. Apart from that, I almost died.
“What is the weird thing you have been advised to do since your journey as special needs mother?”
Sincerely it been a crazy journey laced with agony; it’s as bad as people advising me to kill my son because of his health challenge. It’s been six whole years, I have summoned the courage to live above negativity and embrace my current situation. Irrespective of my son’s health challenge, he is a sweet boy and I love him so much.
