The journey called Motherhood!!

About 6.5 years ago I discovered the existence of a tiny heartbeat inside me.. Barely 2 weeks of inception, not even a traceable heartbeat or detectable physical existence; those barely visible double lines brought along with it fears that still exist!! 

That phase of motherhood was beautiful.. Every scan I heard the heartbeat brought a reassurance.. Few hours without the kicks brought a panic.. Every step I took, every move I made, every toss on the bed, lying down or getting up, I worried about hurting my child!! I felt a sense of security just wrapping my hands around the bump.. Every movement of the baby brought me joy and along came fear of hurting the kid..

The labour is an unforgettable part of the whole experience.. People say it is magical but it actually was too painful.. I promised myself I will never bring it up to my child but he did put me through over 14 hours of labour.. I can never forget that pain nor the pain of epidural on my spine to help me keep my energy to be able to push my child out!! I barely saw him when they took a blood covered tiny being away from the table.. But later when I gained sense and had him placed next to me I still remember the shivers I had.. It was my baby lying under my arms like a small little mouse cuddling trying to get as close to me as possible.. That was a divine feeling.. I did not feel maternal immediately as people claim to feel.. It took me few hours to actually feel it.. My first feeling after having the baby was to eat something as I felt famished.. The kid was placed in a bassinet in another room while I ate and drifted off to a good three hours of slumber.. Only after waking from that did the realisation occur that my bump was only fats now and the baby in it is somewhere out.. That’s when I met him for the first time.. I was so scared (and obviously just having had him) that I couldn’t pick him up and just had him placed near me while they moved me from labour room to another bed.. There started this beautiful journey!!

That day began my journey of being responsible for another human being!! My son has had three episodes of being admitted in the hospital so far, the first one was when he was barely five days old and got diagnosed with jaundice.. Some well meaning adults told me that I wasn’t feeding him well and he hasn’t got the colostrum which resulted in him getting jaundice and needing phototherapy.. Already dealing with post partum, these words pushed me further down.. I was told that as a mom I should know why my son is crying.. It doesn’t come naturally to people and five days isn’t enough for a mom and child to understand each other..

I had postpartum depression which I didn’t accept for long.. There were days I felt crazy hearing my son scream his lungs out into hours of dawn and nothing helping him sleep.. After being with him six years I can empathise how painful and difficult it is that he’s crying but when you’ve been sleepless and in pain for days, the cries can drive you crazy!! Have you ever heard of the other side of motherhood?? That side which isn’t all the lovey dovey magical thing they portray?? I’ll give you a glimpse of that!! I was blessed to have my baby naturally ie normal delivery.. I had cuts and stitches down there to get my baby out.. The stitch gets painful and itchy while healing and when the painkiller wears out.. Those people that have to undergo c section gets even worse part of pain tolerance and healing to go through!! And feeding doesn’t naturally come to a woman either.. That is another story with cuts and bleeding and pain just to ensure your child gets nourishment.. People don’t warn you because it isn’t as rosy as it seems.. But it is a journey and you learn to adapt!! When you make a routine and have gotten used to the feeding pain, the kids grow teeth!! N they are razor sharp breaking out of their gums!! I’ve howled in pain for days but I am proud and glad to have fed my son almost till he turned three!! It is very natural if women cannot feed and have to give supplements to the child but if health permits and you physically can, feeding is the best time to bond.. I took that part for granted most of the times where he would drift off to sleep and I’d be on phone; given a chance I’d love to turn back time to bond more because they grow too fast.. I remember those giggles when I sang to him.. I remember him humming and singing with me when he began talking.. The gesture where he identifies, remembers and sings the song I sang out of boredom proves how much the feeding sessions bonded us and I’d like to strengthen that further if I could.. But every day is a new chance to make memories and learn lessons..

Through these six years there are times I wished things would have been different but one thing I forever am thankful for is being blessed to be the mom of a sweetheart!! He brings a lot of happiness and gives me lot of strength and purpose in my life.. But he brings in a lot of fear too.. Every-time he gets a cold I get scared because he’s got two episodes of chest infection and I can’t bear to see him with those tubes again.. Every time he gets hurt it pains me to see him cry.. As he grows, as much as I know he loves me, it scares me that he needs me lesser each day.. As much pride as it brings to see my child independent, it somehow hurts too but that’s what growing up is right!! But when he sleeps next to me, tells me his unending stories and randomly runs over and hugs me or tries to win his way around with his puppy eyes, I know my life feels complete and happy.. These are those few moments in an everyday life that gives the mundane routine a meaning!!

I miss those days of pregnancy when we shared a special bond, just the two of us.. I would sing and talk to him and he had no choice but to hear.. Every step of the journey has been beautiful.. Parenthood is that journey where the day seems long but years seem short.. There are days I have cried out of exhaustion.. There’s been days I’ve been scared as hell.. There were days I had to pray to get through.. There were days when I couldn’t believe that I am blessed to be this boy’s mom.. There’s a lot of emotions that began since the day I found those two lines.. It isn’t a magical journey but one filled with lots of emotions and fears and a lot of responsibility and bliss!! 

People that say that motherhood is a natural instinct to understand the child’s feeling, they are lying.. It is just another relationship where you shouldn’t expect anything magical.. It is a journey you should work at, where you learn and understand each other and learn from the other!! So all you young moms, don’t pressurise yourself to be a perfect mother; it isn’t any competition.. And this journey is not a natural instinct if it doesn’t feel so for you.. Doesn't mean something is wrong with you either.. It just means you need to work on finding your chord and figuring out the journey.. And don’t ever think of being a super mom and doing it all by yourself because you shouldn’t do so.. You need all the help and all the support that people around can offer.. It takes a village to raise a kid and that should always have it in your mind that you don’t have to do it all and prove anything to anyone.. You need time to love yourself and replenish yourself and get some much needed “me” time!! Motherhood is a new identity but don’t make that your whole identity.. It is that journey where you shape someone for their future.. Make it a journey for self discovery and improvement too.. Always remember “a happy mom gives the kid a happy childhood” so don’t forget to be happy!!

The burntout employee in the next cubicle, Oops, next door!!

They say that a person working beyond office hours is inefficient since they cannot complete the delegated tasks within given time!! However the truth is that the deadlines given are rarely doable and everyone has to extend beyond given job timelines : extended work hours is an unwritten reality where people mention that you'll be expected to work beyond hours to complete given tasks!! 

The success of an employee is based on the fact whether they can function with 100% efficiency or more in any given situation without considering the emotional state of the person!! People don't even consider the death of an immediate family member or ill Health to be a valid reason for leave since it has become more than once in a week!! 

As time passes you realize that people only want to prove their worth and not many seniors have the feeling of carrying the team across over their personal accomplishment!! And in the constant pressure of making your mark in this never ending race, people eventually gets burnt out!! What we fail to remember is that your job role is indispensable as long as you're on the payroll!! The organization and work will continue even if you cease to exist!! Business is a perpetual entity after all by definition!! But what changes with your involvement or absence is the happiness factor of your family!! If you can't spend time for your family, nothing you do can compensate!!

In those initial days of articleship, working for the mere stipends, work was fun!! I realized I was a workaholic because I'd find excuses to go to work even if there was a reason to stay back.. The team and the mentors ensured a personal relationship which has been carried on for ages as friendship!! Similar happiness and motivation remained in every work place where there was a social setting, helping the workaholic me to find satisfaction!!

However, as grateful as I am to have found a good paying job amidst the pandemic, the motivation seems to be fading!! The absence of a social circle of workplace brings down the efficiency of work!! The realization has finally dawned that the motivation of turning up everyday to work was not just the satisfaction of having completed the assigned task but mainly due to the team that made the work hours fun and memorable!! 

In the absence of a social setting it is difficult to take notice of your colleague for whom the isolation might have hit harder than you!! Despite the advanced technology, where a physical presence is essential, no replacement can hold for long!! Take a peek at the employee in your next cubicle and check on them if they've been burnt out by any chance!! If not your cubicle, check on the next door neighbor too if they feel burnt out either!!

 In our constant run of making a livelihood we are forgetting to live!! Don't forget to enjoy your life amidst this rat race!!