This post is very special to me, as it relates the birth of Naisha – our baby girl born on 5 July 2023. Naisha is a Hindi name meaning विशेष (special) and लवली फूल (lovely flowers).
Astrologers predict Naisha to be eager to learn, frank, diplomat and sensual. We will assess her personality in the future. For the time being, Naisha has been trotting the globe and has demonstrated a strong appetite for an active life like her parents.
Namibia, October 2022
When my spouse Marthe and myself travelled to Namibia last October, we did not expect to return home with a special gift. In my traditional Swiss culture, legend as it that newborn babies are delivered to parents by storks. In Namibia, Naisha joined us aboard a hot-air balloon flying over the Namib desert. This was a wild and beautiful travel experience.
Madagascar, November 2022
Soon upon return home, Marthe travelled to her native island of Sainte-Marie in Madagascar, enjoying a very active social life there. Naisha followed her so discretely that nobody noticed her, to start with her mother.
Switzerland, December 2022
Things changed drastically once back home. On 2 December 2022, medical evidence confirmed that a new and fragile life spark was developing in Marthe’s belly. What a joy!
Zanzibar, January 2023
As all three met in Zanzibar for New Year, there was still barely any obvious evidence of Marthe’s pregnancy. However, more subtle signs confirmed that Naisha was making her way into her very young existence.
Iceland, April 2023
At the time of our Spring holidays in Iceland, Naisha had made her coming out, inflating and reshaping Marthe’s belly. Her life started transforming ours.
Switzerland, June 2023
Back home, Marthe prepared meticulously for her upcoming delivery while her usable garderobe shrank drastically. On my end, I did my best to support her remotely from my work place in Kinshasa and planned for adequate newborn logistics.
Naisha’s birth, 5 July 2023
Since the onset of her life, Naisha proved to be quite active. This fact prompted us to believe that she would join us early before the pregnancy term. However, she liked her cosy nest so much that we had to convince her to join us two days after the pregnancy term.
However, when the labour started, Naisha came to our light after only 13 minutes. It remains that the effort produced by the mother and the baby until the birth is tremendous. On my end, I proudly cut the umbilical cord.
The first minutes following the birth are unspeakable and memorable moments. Naisha was keen to open her eyes, look around and breastfeed very quickly. What a joy and a relief!
Exactly twenty-four hours after Naisha’s birth, we celebrated her first day of existence. Since Day 1, she demonstrated a strong appetite for life, always curious and active outside her feeding and sleeping time.
Four days later, Naisha, Marthe and I walked back home as a small family. Since then, she is gaining weight and strength daily. We are also learning how to live together.
In various occasions, elderly men shared with me that paternity represented their most important life experience. I was somehow doubtful until Naisha knocked to our door. She started changing my life for good indeed. Change does not mean necessarily revolution. Naisha and Marthe already acknowledged that travel and photography will remain other key components of my life.
Cheers,
