Jubilee Christian Church (JCC) leader Reverend Kathy Kiuna has shared a personal recollection of her intense 11-hour delivery ordeal when giving birth to her firstborn daughter, Vanessa.
Speaking during a weekend preaching service at JCC Parklands in Nairobi, the preacher reflected on the physical toll and spiritual lessons of that day. Her eldest child, Vanessa Kiuna Kovac, is a 35-year-old practising lawyer and international legal consultant.
A tough delivery at 21
Rev Kiuna explained that she was only 21 years old when she went into labour with her first child. She admitted that initially, she did not realise how severe childbirth pain could be.
While waiting in the delivery ward, she observed another patient crying out in distress.
"I was laughing at an Indian lady who was saying, ' Doctor, come and cut it, cut it, cut it. I cannot take it again,” Kiuna recalled.
"In a short time, I'll be telling the doctor come we talk. Even I'll be crying out. Why? Because 11 hours and this girl was not coming forth, this lawyer.”
11 hours in the labour room
The delivery dragged on for 11 hours because the baby failed to emerge naturally. As a young mother, Rev Kiuna faced mounting panic when medical personnel warned her of the potential risk to her baby.
"They telling me push. You're going to kill the child."
She exerted all her physical strength, but her efforts yielded no progress. Medical staff later informed her that she had been pushing incorrectly.
"I was pushing wrong. That you're supposed to push as if you're pulling."
She explained that she had been pushing using her stomach muscles rather than pushing from her back.
Assisted vacuum extraction
Because the labour had stalled, doctors intervened using a vacuum extraction procedure.
"They actually had to come and vacuum the baby. They tried twice and the third time she came crying looking as beautiful as she looks right now,” she added.
The baby arrived safely on the third attempt, bringing immense relief.
Background and spiritual reflection
Rev Kathy Kiuna co-founded Jubilee Christian Church alongside her late husband, Bishop Allan Kiuna, who passed away in July 2024. The couple married nearly 30 years ago and established JCC in 1999, growing it into a prominent Christian ministry across Kenya and internationally.
Rev. Kiuna told her congregation that the joy of holding her newborn daughter instantly erased the memory of her suffering. She used her personal testimony to illustrate the concept of spiritual "travail" and bringing forth fruit.
"When you bring forth fruit, let me tell you there's no pain that you can feel around you because the fruit has covered for every pain."
