By Naomi Parris

Like many young fathers, 21-year-old Jumul Rampersaud was expecting his first child to be a baby boy, however on the day of his girlfriend’s delivery he had the greatest surprise of his life, a replica of himself in the form of a bouncing baby girl.

Rampersaud told the Pepperpot Magazine that when he first found out that they were expecting he had accompanied his girlfriend to the hospital since she was feeling ill. He stated that during a psychical check-up with the doctor she was asked to take a pregnancy test which came back positive.

“I really didn’t have a clue what was going on but the Doctor sent her to do a pregnancy test….well I was there with her so I collected the test and just literally, I was in a state of shock and I was smiling all the time. I didn’t even know what to say but smile, smile, smile,” said Rampersaud.

‘I really thought it was a boy’
Rampersaud disclosed that himself and girlfriend had decided to not have an ultrasound since they wanted to have the element of surprise when their baby entered the world, however, he was hoping his firstborn would be a boy.

“We bought unisex clothes and so on, I thought it was a boy- imagine I used to be like sonny, sonny all the time whenever I kissed my girlfriend’s belly and the baby used to move up all the time so not a soul couldn’t tell me it wasn’t a boy,” he said.

Nevertheless, on the day of delivery, Rampersaud recalled that the nurse who had tended to his girlfriend during her delivery came outside just as eager as he was with his newborn baby. “ The nurse came running out with the baby so I was like ‘it’s a boy or girl?’, she asked ‘what do you think?’ so I was like ‘I know it’s a boy’…..when she told me it’s was a girl, I paused for a second and felt my heart warmed, water sat in my eyes. I felt so happy, nervous and anxious at once,” he said.

‘A feeling I can’t explain’
In recalling the very first moment he held his baby girl in his arms Rampersaud said, “I felt so, so overwhelmed I can’t even explain it. All my pores were raising when I held my daughter very close to me and kissed her. I was already imagining going to the salon with her and doing girl stuff with my princess. I didn’t even want to leave the hospital that night,” he said.

Rampersaud noted that adjusting to the new addition in his life was a breeze since he has two little sisters, and had the assistance of his mother, aunts and grandmother, however, it still took some time getting used to in the first few days of having his baby girl at home with him.

“The only thing that was a bit tough was waking up late nights but my daughter grew out of that fast. She sleeps through the night now …..maybe it’s because I have two little sisters so I know what it is like having baby girls around so I managed well,” he said.
‘A tragedy struck’
A few weeks after welcoming his baby girl into the world, however, Rampersaud was involved in a vehicular accident.

In early December 2019, a taxi driver had struck down Rampersaud while he was returning home on his motorcycle. Fortunately for him, the accident had occurred in front of the Linden Hospital Complex and he was immediately rushed to the facility where he quickly received treatment for his wounds.

Rampersaud noted that he was making a U-turn when the car came out of nowhere and struck him. Fortunately, he only suffered minor injuries and was able to walk away from the ordeal with only a few scrapes and scratches.

Nevertheless, Rampersaud noted that his entire outlook on life has changed since the birth of his baby girl and the accident.

He added that his main priority is his daughter’s well-being. “I look at life totally different now, well my baby girl does be on my mind all the time so everything I do now is like to improve me so I could fulfill her wants and needs, I want her to have everything I couldn’t,” he said.