As the world comes together to celebrate International Mother's Day, the official theme for 2025 is “Celebrating Motherhood: A Timeless Bond.” This theme emphasises the enduring and universal nature of the mother-child relationship, highlighting the countless ways mothers nurture, support, and inspire their children throughout their lives. But who and what does it take to safely bring a child to this world and be called “mother”?

When Daisy Mitei, now 31, walked into the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in September 2021, she hoped her delivery process would be smooth. She was calm and alert. But that calmness was short-lived, thanks to what she terms the most horrible treatment she has ever experienced. This being her second child, she knew she was in labour. But from the moment she was received at the hospital, her knowledge as a mother was dismissed.

“The nurse looked me over and told me to go home. “You don’t look like you’re due. Maybe come back in a month.” I insisted I was due. He sent me for an ultrasound, and the sonographer, initially cheerful, fell silent. His tone changed. He told me, without giving details, to see my doctor urgently. Only when I pressed him did he mention the umbilical cord was wrapped around my baby’s neck. Still, I was sent home,” she painfully narrates.