Pregnancy is one such journey , where you get loads of ideas , suggestions , advices , and opinions , be it wanted or unwanted .One such advice, which I use to get very frequently was ,
- how my labor is going to be long and difficult.
- I am going to have cesarian section for sure .
The reason of this unwanted scary opinion was , me being a short height petite stature girl . All this had such profound effect on me that I became paranoid of doing everything right during those 9 months .I eliminated all the junk from my life . There was no place for artificially sweetened spreads , spicy food, aerated drink ,pacakaged juice , processed snack or food etc . I was so engrossed in doing things right that the privilege of craving ,did not happen in my gestation period , and now when I look back I regret not experiencing that . Checking the health benefits of every ingredient while cooking had become an obsession for me .
I was all alone and not one person to help, but enough to make scary remarks and opinions . I had this focus of doing everything right ,the only motivation was “i have only these 9 months to give my baby a healthy start”. Basically anything to occupy my day to keep me away from nervous and negative thoughts . I started listening Vishnusahastrnaam ,to stay positive and it had such strong calming effect on me that soon I was back to my happy positive self , not giving much thought to what others have to say . That time made me realize that people will keep saying one thing or other it’s our duty to not pay attention to it . Something my husband had been telling me all the time 😁. My mother was with me in the later part of first trimester but she left in the starting of 4th month . After her departure , I had this sinking feeling that “how ,will I cope up with everything ?”
Now , it was a moment of rise and shine for me . So , I made a routine for myself
- yoga and meditation combined with dumbbell and squats in the morning
- Walk of 45 minutes in the evening with my dog
- all the household work from cooking to washing clothes .
I kept myself so busy that I had no time to entertain any scary unsolicited advice .
While I was busy doing all the above my friends made sure that I went for regular outings with them, be it window shopping , lunch invite , random drives , browsing jewellery catalogue in jwellery shops 😁(later i bought a gold chain for my daughter , so you see window shopping is useful in long run , it helps in planning 😉) .As for my husband , he was crazy busy sailing hence absent for the most part of my pregnancy ,but he made up for all the lost time whenever he was in station .
In the 36th week of gastation period , doctor checked me to see whether baby’s head has positioned or not . But to my utter surprise he told me “Swati , don’t worry walk some more , you still have time “ first I didn’t understand but the meaning slowly came to me . I silently praised the Lord that my husband was with me then , to hold me and to encourage me . His official leave was due for that year , so he applied for it immediately and made a point to go on morning walks with me till remaining weeks . Fed up of all the unwanted “what ifs” of others, and to keep my sanity intact , I had stopped walking in the mid of 8th month , instead had started cleaning the whole house everyday to keep myself mobile and my balance intact . But as we all know walking is the only exercise which helps during the final weeks , as gravity helps in positioning the baby ( that’s what I have heard but have no research to backup this information) .
Anyways I silently thanked God because my husband was with me now and we were going for early morning walks which had never happened in 5 years of our marriage 😁. I was enjoying this time, because those were the last few weeks when baby A was totally mine , hidden away from all the worries of the world. The doctor had given 18 January 2016 as a delivery date and few people in my life were getting so eager to meet her that they started predicting her week of arrival , some even complaining that this babe is quite late .
Then , came 17 January my mother packed my bags and husband drove me to hospital for that final check up . During the 9th month I was going to see my gynaecologist every week . My doctor was Captain Maity in Vishakhapatnam , and hospital was INS Kalyani. He advised me to get admitted and get familiar with my surroundings . Like a true Fauji doctor he had advised me before hand that “Swati ,if all tests are fine, it will be normal delivery so keep up the spirit and will strong”. But later I stopped thinking what it should be and it should not be , all that’s important was my baby’s health . After being strong for so long I got tired and in the 11th hour ,I got scared of the unkown that was immense amount of pain about which I had heard enough from my friends. Though their intentions were to prepare me for it but in hindsight it made me scared too . While leaving for hospital my mother had told me keep breathing that is the only thing which will make the pain bearable .
Doctor had told me that if labor starts on its own ,very good else he will induce Pitocin , to start labor. But as he had predicted labor started on it’s own , I refused the wheelchair to go in labor room and walked the whole way. When I entered the much feared delivery room , the nurses present there applauded my efforts and encouraged me by saying that “ the way I am holding myself up is commendable and I will be great till the end ” . That boosted my confidence and encouraged my will and my darling daughter took only 7 hours to come and meet her mummy .
The moment she was out , I called out for her ,and named her Anahita .
More on that later . Don’t forget to follow 😊.
whackytoddlerwittymom 