Deciding to Have Children in Cuba

By Nike

HAVANA TIMES – I have a friend who got tired of waiting for better times in our country to have a child. She is 38 years old and her biological clock is ticking away, close to the high-risk pregnancy stage, so she decided she wouldn’t wait any longer, three months ago.

Lots of people criticize the fact that she chose the worst time to fall pregnant. I believe there’s never been a right time in this country to take that wonderful step and become a mother. But in any case, there have been opportunities – both intimate and personal – that couples have enjoyed. Or like my friend who always dreamt of becoming a mother, and finally went through with it.

I know lots of women in Cuba who remained childless waiting for things to get better in the country. Others waited for the opportunity to emigrate and let their best years fly them by. There’s no doubt that very little is said about this subject, in spite of the trauma that this has in every woman’s life and it’s one of the factors of an increasingly aged population in Cuban society.

I, on the other hand, support my friend’s decision and sitting in front of my old “SINGER” sewing machine, I am getting her “basket” ready, as we say here. She managed to get hold of some mosquito nets and I’ll make muslin nappies for her baby.

I hope that Cuban women may one day have children without uncertainty and an uncertain future, and I especially hope that they don’t think that emigrating is the only way to make their dreams come true. That they can make their dreams come true in the country that saw their siblings, parents and grandparents come into this world.

Read more by Nike here on Havana Times.