My Bundle of Joy!

 

My first pregnancy was the best period of my life. I was showered with love and affection by everyone and the birth of our son,  my bundle of joy, caused our cup to overflow with happiness and bliss.

I went to my mother’s place in Pune, at the beginning of my ninth month, for the delivery. My first visit to the doctor and she said, I would not have to wait too long. I had put on a lot of weight; my tummy was huge. (I could actually use it as a table to keep my cup of tea). She thought I would deliver before my due date, but the exact opposite happened. Well past my due date, there was no sign of the baby coming out, so they decided to induce labour. Despite that, the baby refused to come out and finally, it was decided to perform a C section.

I have never felt so scared or vulnerable in my life. Lying there on the operating table, two people holding my hands, two holding my legs, a fifth pushing a needle in my arm, it was a nightmare. I felt so helpless. I wanted to run away, and then the irony of the situation struck me. Where could I run with this huge tummy. So I surrendered to the inevitable. Ajinkya’s cousin Priya who is a gynaec, was there with me, her hand on my forehead, giving me moral support. I was so thankful for that. I slipped into oblivion before I got a chance to see the baby or know whether it was a boy or a girl.

I still remember the expression on my mother’s face when I regained consciousness and that feeling of completeness I felt, when she put the baby in my arms for the first time.  He did not seem like a new-born. He was tall and fair, very chubby. It was as if his cheeks were overflowing. He was not a cranky baby at all. He was always ready with a smile.

Arya (Arti & Ajinkya) our son, was a ten pounder. The first year after his birth was sheer bliss. I never understood what postpartum blues were, how could people have them? Waking up every two hours to nurse the baby, changing diapers, cleaning poop, all seemed to be a lot of fun.

Arya was a healthy, happy baby who never fell sick in the first year of his life. But on his first birthday, when we threw a huge party, he fell sick and cried all the time. He was down with a cold that soon developed into a fever. The pediatrician said not to worry, just give him crocin, keep the room well aerated and bathe him with cold water if you feel the fever is rising. The fever persisted for a couple of days. The doting grandparents, not sure if we were following the right line of treatment, called Ajinkya’s doctor (when he was a baby and child) to visit home and have a look at Arya. The doctor entered our bedroom where Arya was sleeping on the bed, the windows were open, the fan was on. He had one look and said, “What is this! Shut the windows, shut the fan, cover the baby up”, and he gave a long list of medications led by antibiotics (Thank god we stood our ground and continued with just crocin and sponging).

That night we were in for the scare of our lives! Around one in the morning, while I was nursing Arya, he suddenly went limp. This was something we had never witnessed before. I have to acknowledge the pediatrician's promptness, though it was extremely late, he picked up the phone on the very first ring. He told us to take Arya to his nursing home immediately and when we arrived there, the staff was waiting for us. The doctor had instructed them on what to do. We stayed in the hospital for a day. The doctor told us that Arya had had a febrile convulsion. It was harmless he said, so we did not need to give him any long-term medication. We just had to be very vigilant when he got fever and ensure it did not rise (that is easier said than done!).

Arya was a cheerful child, extremely playful, always smiling, full of life and fun. He loved Lion King, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, all the superheroes and was a big fan of Herbie, the car. He was exceptionally good at jigsaw puzzles and had a multitude of them at home. He loved to play with superhero figurines and also dress up as one. He had a huge collection of tazos and Pokémon cards. Arya took joy in every little thing and his innocent charm bowled everyone over. Despite staying in a joint family, I never left him home and went out.

He accompanied us everywhere. We read, ate, played and slept together. He was the centre of my universe and life was one big party for us!