A Mother is Born

“Hello”

“Haan Hello”

“Where are you?”

“I am on the bridge to Poona Hospital. Hold on for a moment…do u see me now.”

Anup was waiting in front of Poona Hospital, waving his hand to me. He is my childhood buddy. He is mallu and expecting a baby in a week’s time. We both park our bikes and head towards the fruit stall near Hospital. We are here to meet Rose our childhood buddy who has just delivered a baby girl.

“How much are the apples for?”

“160 per kg”

 “160 are too much…reduce the rate”

Vendor says “I can make 155 but then I don’t have 5 Rs change and even you won’t have it…Right”.

Anup looks at me, we both don’t have change. I approve the deal with a tilt neck gesture.

“Ok give half kg” says Anup.

Oh boy still I am not good at bargaining, I was thinking. We reach near Poona Hospital entrance it was 9:00 pm. There are few guards standing at the door. One of them seems to be the leader as others are skinny and this one is with dark complexion and with huge belly.

Neither Anup nor I knew where Rose's bed/ward is. So Anup calls Roney, Rose’s brother and confirms the location.

“It is V ward and room 376.”

Anup asks the guard with huge belly, “Where is V ward?”

“Are you visitors?” guard enquiries.

We both nod our heads.

“Do you have visiting pass?”

We both shake our head left and right.

“Visiting hours is over”.

Our faces turned like sucked mangoes. Looking at them guard said, “Ok, but just 5 mins….Whom do you want to meet?”

“Rose George or Rose Nikki, who just delivered” says Anup.(Rose George name prior wedding)

“Ok ok go to 3^rd floor V wards 376 Room” says the guard.

We are surprised and puzzled to know that how he knew where patient is located as it’s a huge hospital.

We both took the stairs to 3^rd floor. As we were passing through the corridor, I heard daily soap jingles. What is this hospital or a hotel, I wondered. No sooner we are in front of a door which reads 376 and Rose Nikki also there was Doctors name mentioned.

Knock knock

Anup knocks the door.

Rose’s mom opens the door. She looks surprise to see us and welcomes us in. I have seen aunty greeting us at door many times with surprise expression on her face  but this time it is different new joy is beaming on face though she look fatigue. Rose is having her dinner from hospital. She looks fatigue but puts on a smile of a triumphant warrior. On the other side of the bed there is a cradle with baby in it. It’s a hospital’s private room with Television (+ cable connection), one extra bed and washroom. Aah, Television with cable connection, this explains the daily soap jingles.

We congratulate her and run to the cradle to see the baby.  Its sleeping nicely cuddled up in blanket.  This is the first time I am seeing a baby so young. It’s almost 2 days old.

“She does not look like me, does she?” says Rose.

We again gaze at the baby, now trying to find her Mothers resemblance in her.

“No, (pause) she looks like her Father” says Anup.

I have seen Nikki ones or twice so I can’t make out the difference, but she definitely does not look like Rose.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Now I am much better…Till this morning I was not allowed to have food. From Past two days I didn’t had anything not even water. Only Coconut water was suggested.” says Rose.

“Ya, She didn’t had anything” empathize her mother.

I am puzzled “Why…what happened?”

“There are stitches. So doctor said no food” says aunty.

Addition to my confusion.

“How was your experience?" Anup asks.

“Very bad. It was like you want to shit but you can’t do it. Everyone says DO IT...DO IT...PUSH...PUSH and you just can’t.”

Ha Ha Ha we all laugh.

This is all new for me. I never asked anyone how it feels like while giving birth. Pregnancy and delivery is undiscovered phase of life for me. Many other relatives and friends have been through this but I never pondered on this topic. It was always interesting topic for ladies and for men it was just one or two sentence.

“The pain is unbearable it feels like you will die. It is so much painful that women can even kill anyone at that time.” says Rose.

This reminds me of some of the posts from facebook.com mentioning the pain a women goes while giving a birth. A Human body can bear only up to 45 del (units) of pain. Yet at time of giving birth, a mother feels up to 57 Del (units) of pain. This is similar to 20 bones getting fractured at the same time. Link

Well neither I am sure about amount of pain nor want to debate on it. But I know it must be severe pain.

“Why didn't you opt for pain less injection?” Anup asks.

“I was injected with it.”

“And still it was painful…did they inject in spinal cord.” (Puzzled voice of Anup)

“Yeah, in back. But I was still feeling pain. Don’t know why?”

“I was all conscious above waist. I was also able to see the operation in the mirror on the ceiling. And the weirdest thing was doctors and nurses were cool. They were talking about results of their kids.”

“It’s their routine” says me trying to be part of conversation. I have nothing to say. I have zero knowledge about this.

Well Anup know much about pregnancy and child birth. He has gathered lots of knowledge as he is expecting.

“Roney was most excited person. He was jumping outside of Operation Theater after they got the news of the birth. And when doctors gave permission to meet me for 10mins one by one…Roney came running. He was just doing bak bak bak bak(blah blah)…Your child is like this and your child is like that etc. He was the first person to touch the baby. Even though it’s not allowed to touch baby’s cheek he touched it.”

Hahaha we all were laughing. I was imagining Roney doing all that.

“Roney might be on his way to hospital. He wants to stay with baby tonight as he is having holiday tomorrow for 15^th August.” says aunty.

“Is your wife doing exercise? Doctors must have suggested few exercises na.”

“Ya, she is doing some.”

And Anup stars showing few of them. They were really funny for me. It was somewhat like walking like a crab.

“These are all just for you to have a less painful and normal delivery.”

“Till last moment doctors told me that I will have normal delivery, but there were compilation at 11^th hour. Babies heart beats dropped to 40-50 per min which were suppose to be 100 or so. And thank God that Roney saw that and informed doctors about it otherwise baby could have died. "

With this there was silent moment in that room.

“Is she taking care of herself?” Rose asks Anup.

“Ya she is.”

“What care a person has to take? I know people go to work even on the day of delivery” I ask with my limited knowledge.

Rose explains, “3 months prior delivery mother is not suppose to take naps in afternoon or else baby stays awake at night after birth. And she should not stress much Etc.”

What no naps? This sounds illogical to me. But it’s medical totally foreign subject for me.

“And also after birth we have to take lots of care for 3 months. I had a cough and doctor gave an injection and cough vanished” says Rose.

“Otherwise it will break or stress the stitches” says aunty.

Huh ‘stitches’ now again I am puzzled... stitches for what.

“Oh haan... scissoring operation” says Anup.

Well now this gives me some clue. Hmmm I am still puzzled and will ask Anup later about it.

 “So you must be feeling lighter now. I mean after delivery” says me.

“You won’t believe me. I gained 19kgs since I was pregnant. Doctors use to say it is good that you are still gaining weight.”

“#@$$#@ %#@$% %(*%(*&(%$#%$#@%”  Rose says. (talk in mallu and laughing sound.)

“She is saying it feels like there is stone in her stomach now.” Anup explains to me and I grin.

If I were a woman, I perhaps would have deny delivering a baby. I don’t want to balloon up and then never return to my original shape.

“Mother has to take care that she does not affected with any illness for 3 months after baby is born, or else that sickness will be permanent to her and also it might affect the baby. She should also not take mobile calls and stress herself while reading newspaper or anything else.”

Oh my goodness why does anyone has to go through all these trouble and all this pain. I was very deeply engrossed in my thoughts. And all of a sudden eureka moment, I realize I am a boy and I don’t have to go thought all this things. Phew, what a relief.

Knock knock (It was 10 pm)

“Visitor is not allowed at this time.” says a guard on duty.

“Tell your wife to take care and pray.” says Rose.

We bid good bye to all and left the hospital.

"What is this scissoring operation all about?" I asked Anup.

"They cut mother's below belly button, to get the baby out."

So that's why it must be called scissoring operation, I thought. (Later on googling I realized its called Caesarean operation)

As I’m on my way back to home I have chain of thoughts.

Certainly I payed respect to woman before this evening but after realizing what she goes through to become a mother and bring a new born in this world, my respect levels have risen. She goes through all the trouble and pain to carry a baby inside her for 9 months and deliver it. Her body changes and she becomes more responsible and mature in her thinking. She thinks first about her little one and then about herself. It’s like a complete transformation of a woman into mother. This good news bring revolution in a family. Now all the priorities in a family changes, this new born is first in priority list.

A birth in a family all of a sudden promotes everybody. Husband and Wife are now transformed into Father and Mother and their parents are now Grandparents and few people around them are Uncles and Aunties. With these new designations everybody is bestowed with new responsibilities towards upbringing of the little one.God has gifted a couple with clay and now it’s their responsibility to create a good human being out of it.

Rose’s advice to Anup’s wife about taking care and praying makes me think more. No matter how much precautions you and your doctors take but your well being is still in hands of God. He has all the knowledge and power to change situations. So always have faith and rely on Him.