It's a Baby's life!

I approached my first night at the hospital after delivery with trepidation. I had heard so many stories about babies crying all night that I was petrified of what awaited me. Instead I had a virtually full night’s rest with the baby sleeping through almost the entire time. Surprise! Surprise! The same was true of the next and the next night. In fact my little angel lent credence to the phrase “sleeping like a baby” And then started the Week Three. For those parents who have gone through it, the word Colic strikes terror in our hearts. That five letter word sums up a world of non stop crying, sleepless nights and undiluted helplessness at not being able to do anything. After seeing my baby transform into a shrieking being night after night I finally read up about this ailment. I was not happy to note that it seems to have a particular penchant for the number 3- it starts at 3 weeks, goes on till 3 months, its characterised by the baby crying for more than 3 hours a day, 3 days a ...

It’s a journey which began with the news that I was pregnant.  While I was hoping for it, there was a frisson of apprehension which ran down my spine.  What next? What would I need to do now to ensure that the baby developed well? What to eat? What to avoid? How much to sleep? To exercise or not and how much? And thus began the saga of questions which is so much a part of becoming a parent. Nothing really prepares you for the months to follow. The nervous anticipation of the first visit to the doctor. The poignancy of the first ultrasound. The dread of the endless blood test reports. And of course all the horror stories of childbirth and delivery. Somewhere down the line I realised that the more I read and talked to people the more apprehensive I got. Everyone had something different to say; little snippets of wisdom which became a gigantic mass of nerves within me. Should I opt for a C-sec or a natural birth? Would I be able to withstand the pain? Should I take an epid...