Post Partum shocks and shock absorbers
Becoming a mother has been quite an unexpected and unpredictable journey. No amount of reading could have prepared me for what I was about to unfold in my body and mind's kingdom.
Still in the hospital room, I remember the meditative relief from the excruciating pain once I pushed her out, the slight surprise on knowing that "its a girl" , the moment when the nurses said "Sahil, touch your baby" and how this little one grabbed my fingers and my cry of relief,of gratitude and of joy and when they put her to my breast to take her first feed, I remember it all like yesterday. In my happiness , I complained " Aditya, we have got all blue clothes, what will we do" and the laughter in the room followed by Dr. Mafreed's compliments about my being a soldier- I will wear these things as a batch always. In all the pain I could feel my body still gushing with joy and I cried my first happy tears when I held her in the Induction room for the first time and kissed her 20 times. Adu cried a little seeing me all mushy as well. One of the best moments of my life that will be.
20 days later today , I have been a mess, a victim, a prisoner and now a survivor. I have happily overcome the so called Baby blues with my mother strongly arching my back everytime I tried to give up. Oh! Now I know what it is to be a mother, now I know how hard it is at every step when I see my own pain (physical and mental) of being one and when I see mom's relentless backbreaking efforts at the age of 64 to resuscitate me back to full life health and happiness. Such a tall order. Such a mountainous ask for Every Woman.
Still on my journey of being a happy go lucky soul that I was pre-pregnancy, I have learnt a of lessons about my own self and about parenthood.
To begin with- Parenthood is not equal for both parents. The ask (read responsibility and expectation) is always much taller for the mother. Even with the changing times and era, this divide is as rigid as it must have been in the history.
Still in the hospital room, I remember the meditative relief from the excruciating pain once I pushed her out, the slight surprise on knowing that "its a girl" , the moment when the nurses said "Sahil, touch your baby" and how this little one grabbed my fingers and my cry of relief,of gratitude and of joy and when they put her to my breast to take her first feed, I remember it all like yesterday. In my happiness , I complained " Aditya, we have got all blue clothes, what will we do" and the laughter in the room followed by Dr. Mafreed's compliments about my being a soldier- I will wear these things as a batch always. In all the pain I could feel my body still gushing with joy and I cried my first happy tears when I held her in the Induction room for the first time and kissed her 20 times. Adu cried a little seeing me all mushy as well. One of the best moments of my life that will be.
20 days later today , I have been a mess, a victim, a prisoner and now a survivor. I have happily overcome the so called Baby blues with my mother strongly arching my back everytime I tried to give up. Oh! Now I know what it is to be a mother, now I know how hard it is at every step when I see my own pain (physical and mental) of being one and when I see mom's relentless backbreaking efforts at the age of 64 to resuscitate me back to full life health and happiness. Such a tall order. Such a mountainous ask for Every Woman.
Still on my journey of being a happy go lucky soul that I was pre-pregnancy, I have learnt a of lessons about my own self and about parenthood.
To begin with- Parenthood is not equal for both parents. The ask (read responsibility and expectation) is always much taller for the mother. Even with the changing times and era, this divide is as rigid as it must have been in the history.
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