A Labor Story : The story of how LG was born - Part 1

The content for this post has been swimming in my head for weeks now. Reminiscing those hours leading to the birth of the Lil General here in full detail will make for a grouse reading, so be forewarned and use your discretion.

Sunday, 17th December 2006, 10:30 a.m.: Everything is normal

A bright sunny Sunday morning. It's beautiful outside and I tell myself not today. We are watching the NDTV Profit's Real Estate show. Phone rings. Guests to be expected in a row that afternoon.

Sunday, 12:00 p.m. : Still doing great

First set of guests arrive. We entertain them for an hour. I get restless as lunch is delayed. I excuse myself and have lunch.

Sunday, 4:00 p.m. : Aaah, nothing yet!

Wake up after a nap. Guests came, left. Every guest has a opinion of when I'm going to deliver.
The next bunch of people are chatting away with mom while Pravin attempts to lighten up my mood by getting me to play a game of Chinese Checkers. Wondering if we are not old enough for that. Yes, we are but WHO CARES. Once a champ, I was quite rusty that afternoon and lost a couple of games before gaining ground. We followed it with a game of scrabble wherein Pravin CHEATED and WON.

Sunday, 6:00 p.m. : The day just gets busier by the hour! Ummm Chocolates...delicious

Continue reading A Labor Story


Guests leave. Attending to guests all through the day takes a toll on mom.
Intercom rings. Pravin's delayed baggage arrives from Air France. We are busy unpacking stuff for the next hour and the house is strewn with all the goodies. While mom and Pravin are busy arranging stuff, I keep aside all the chocolates. When you are pregnant, all that you care about is FOOD. Mom's famous words "Eat all you want now. For three months after delivery, there will be a lot of restrictions on your diet." resonate in my ears. I take full advavtage of that and mouth a handful of chocolates. Sinful!

Sunday, 7:15 p.m. : Thighs ache. Finding it difficult to walk.

Exhausted. Too tired to move. The house is still in a mess. I announce my thighs are aching. Mom STOPS what she is doing. There's a tension in her eyes worried if this might be that fateful NIGHT. Nights are scary and if you have a pregnant girl at home, it gets all the more creepy. Mom calls the cooking aunty asking her to come and sleep in for the night.

Mom tells me to hold in until tomorrow whe she will get back to the pink of her health ad all energetic and stuff. I assure her that I will pass on the message to Lil General. You see he is in cotrol of the situation.

And then she is quick to list a set of instructions to me : no using the Indian toilet, no standing / sitting for long etc etc.

Sunday, 8:15 p.m. : What a bummer! The pain is gone....

I feel better. The pain is gone. I call the cooking aunty and ask her not to come. Mom is not convinced. She feels I'm close, very close to the D-day. We chat with dad. I feel exhuasted and crash in the drawing room after dinner.

Sunday, 11:30 p.m.
Sleep evades me. I can't find a comfortable position to lie down. I am mindlessly browsing orkut and chat with Vivek until midnight.

Monday, 12:30 a.m. : Undertaker Rules
I throw up. Meantime, Pravin is watching WWE and WCW on TV. I join him and seeing Undertaker smash people churns my stomach. I tell myself, "Labor pain can't be worse than this. Here's a guy with his arms beaten up by a steel chair and god knows how many fractures and blood oozing all over the ring."

Monday, 1:30 a.m.
With 4 pillows propped up, I decide to rest my bones.

Monday, 7:30 a.m. : When you're not working, there are no Monday Blues
Despite the lack of good sleep, I feel fresh and the spirit is high. 4 more days for Vivek to come. I tell Lil General, "Hold in until then. Pa will be here and then you can come out. There's no hurry but better BEHAVE YOURSELF until then."

Monday, 7:50 a.m.
Convincing Mom I need to go for a walk, I join Pravin and we walk to the hospital and get an appointment for that morning.

Monday, 10:30 a.m. : My weekly dream destination -- At the hospital lounge
No pains. I'm all good. Mom and I leave for the hospital. Its a long wait as usual. India makes a LOT of babies. To be No. 2 populous nation means a lot of work and the nursing homes here are a evidence to that fact. If you are a gynaec and in India, you can never be without a job for a zillion years.

Monday, 11:15 a.m. : The fateful meeting with the Doc
We meet the doc. She examines and is happy with the baby. The doppler goes "Dhak. Dhak. Dhak." Lg's heartbeat is racing as usual.

Monday, 11:17 a.m. : FIST of Doc is bigger than the baby
I tell the Doc that movements have reduced considerably. In retrospect, I REGRET having said that. She gives me a second look and explains that she has to examine me INSIDE which in simple terms means she is going to get that fist of hers inside. A full grow fist inside a teeny weeny hole...the very thought scares me.

Monday, 11:19 a.m. : Being born a woman SUCKS sometimes
I scream in pain. I am requested to cooperate. I feel like passing out.

Monday, 11:20 a.m. : All set for the wrestling mania to start says the doc
She is done and tells me that the cervix has opened, dilated and ready to deliver by that night and asks me to get admitted within an hour. She keeps a pain inducing tablet inside that would soon trigger natural delivery pains. The pain is so intense that words don't register in my head.

Monday, 11:25 a.m.
She explains all this to mom. Mom is still taking in all that the Doc just said. Its hard to believe when the moment is upon you. For months, for days we had been bracing ourselves for this day but still when it is finally there you don't know how to react. Mom asked twice if it was going to be today. Doc says, "By this evening in all likelihood. Your admission card and a room will be ready. Get packed, have lunch and be back in an hour."

Monday, 11:27 a.m. : Doc's motivating talk
Before we leave the Doc's cabin, I pose a naive question, "Will it pain?". "Ofcourse, it will. I have the patience to go thr a normal delivery if you have the patience. Even Queen Victoria sustained this pain to deliver her kids. No pain, no children." came the response. Very comforting words. We make an exit.

Monday, 11:40 a.m. : I call Vivek
I regain my composure and outside the hospital, I look at my watch, do a quick calculation of the flights available that afternoon for Vivek. Realising he doesn't have much time, I call him from the auto and brief him. He starts off on his travel plans.

Monday, 11:45 a.m. : We are home.
Back home, we tell Pravin to get started. He takes out the magic paper that has all the phone numbers listed for this very emergency. Fingers tapping away quickly on the Landline, mobile phones. Close family called who need to get to the hospital to help out mom. From that day on until 15 days later, the phones do't stop ringing.

Monday, 11:47 a.m. : We're packed.
All the already packed bags are brought out. I have lunch, the fastest I have ever had. Pravin and mom are so tensed they refuse to eat. I'm all smiles now..no pain and I'm in high spirits. The day is here. The tummy load will be off but I'm a little sad that Vivek won't be there anytime soon.
Mom is very tensed but doesn't show it. Dad and Vivek have already called many times.

Monday, 11:55 a.m. : In Hindu Religion, there's a ritual for every event in life.
The neighbour granny inserts neem leaves in my stomach praying for a safe and easy delivery. Jewels are not allowed in the hospital during operation so mom tries in vain to take the last 2 bangles off my head. It doesn't come off and I bleed on the wrist...so we give up.

Mom had meticulously planned for this day. Like programmed robots we knew what to do and get started within 15 minutes. No..we hadn't done dress rehearsals :)

We are waiting for the clock to strike 12...for 10:30 - 12:00 oon on Monday's is considered inauspicious. Pain is slowly setting in.

Monday, 12:00 p.m. : The clock strikes twelve.
Mom, Pravin, our neighbour and I leave for the hospital.

Monday, 12:05 p.m. : The show begins...
The admission card is ready. It is a very busy day at the hospital as the Doc was away on a vacation for 5 days. The lounge is teeming with patients. As I wait a few minutes at the lounge before heading upstairs, people cast a quizzical look at my tummy and the discomfiture written all over my face.

Monday, 12:10 p.m.
I climb the stairs leading to the first floor where we are greeted by the Cynical Nurse. We are told the "Super Deluxe" room equipped with a visitors lounge, TV and a/c is not available. So we would have to settle in for the Deluxe version. Obviously, there is no choice and we take that with a request that we be shifted once the other one is ready.
The pain is increasing..what pain and where I'm not too sure. There is a pain and it is growing exponentially. The nurse - a composed one called Geetha is summoned. She examines and says it is not the REAL pain yet. Damn pain. Pain is a pain.

..to be contd..

Boys and Toys. Nokia 770 is awesome

There is something about boys and their passion (or should I say obsession ?) for gadgets that I can't understand. For a month after my delivery when Pravin, Dad and Vivek were here, the house was a maze of wires. The only member without a laptop and not connected to the Internet 24 hrs was Lil General. Of all the gadgets strewn around (HP Pavilion zv6130us (2), Creative Xmod, Nokia 5300 xPress, Digital Cameras, Camcorder and the Creative Jukebox/Video iPod to name a few), the one I enjoyed the most was the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. It was very handy to check e-mails especially when you don't want to lug around a laptop and you have to babysit a newborn round the clock. Netgear with Airtel Broadband connectivity made it a pleasant experience. Check out Pravin's review of the 770.

Lil General's world as he sees it........

Four weeks to the day, I was evicted from Eden into this place they call the world. It was nice and cozy and comfy inside. So I thought I should let ya all know how I feel out here..

I have five loyal friends - Feeding Aunty ( mommy) , Susie aunty (urine), Winnie aunty(motion), lullaby aunty (granny) and the potty cleaning uncle (my pa).

I have a round-the-clock schedule, that no one seems to appreciate. They say, "He eats, shits, susoo's, sleeps and screams".

There are times when I feel my hand tastes better than milk. The flavor is all the same. I wish there was a menu and I could make a choice.

I can kick a ball better than Beckham and pedal faster than Lance ever did at Tour De France. I can win any competition hands-down for the longest susoo distance.

I am not appreciative of anyone sleeping while I am awake. Neither am I tolerant of my mom blogging or talking to dad over the phone.

I love the attention I am getting. When I feel forgotten and neglected, I make my presence felt by ensuring the laundry is full to keep them going for a while or by plain shrieking.

I hate it when my mommy ties a protective gear against my greatest asset eee eee eee. I'm The Man and I love my freedom.

There are some nice things I get to drink like the digestive drops and some bitter ones like the vitamin drops. Who needs vitamins at this age?

Oh visitors? I get a lot of them. Though I can't differentiate one from the other. They try their best to find similarities of my features with those of mom and dad. Some stretch it too far :)

Some people talk funny to me like my dad, some sing to me like my granny, some scold and spank me like my mommy, some who hold me after susoo and potty like my grandpa. I am enjoying it all now.

See ya all next month. So long. Lil General.

Sleep deprived (grand) mama needs a breather

Did you know that newborns cannot distinguish between day and night? That kinda explains why LG is not appreciative of me and his granny sleeping in the nights. Vivek sent me this Rolling Stones' song ...now don't let your imagination run wild :) though that's something that can give us a breather!

Mother's Little Helper
(Jagger/Richards)

What a drag it is getting old
"Kids are different today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day

"Things are different today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Cooking fresh food for a husband's just a drag
So she buys an instant cake and she burns her frozen steak
And goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And two help her on her way, get her through her busy day

Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old

"Men just aren't the same today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
They just don't appreciate that you get tired
They're so hard to satisfy, You can tranquilize your mind
So go running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And four help you through the night, help to minimize your plight

Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old

"Life's just much too hard today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
The pursuit of happiness just seems a bore
And if you take more of those, you will get an overdose
No more running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
They just helped you on your way, through your busy dying day

Punyajanam : Lil General gets a name - Pranav

Lil General's "Punyajanam" was performed today. We gave him 3 names : Pranav, Anubhav and Nishit. Vivek and my father-in-law were keen on naming him "Nishit" which means "sharpness". I am for either "Pranav" (which means "Om") or "Anubhav" (which means "Experience"). The official one will be chosen soon.

Bringing home baby

It was homecoming for me and Lil General today. We got home after a week at the hospital. All of us were so happy to be back home - no more shuttle to the hospital and everyone can spend as much time as they want with the lil one who will be just a room away. We got a warm receptio at home with the customary aarthi...We got to see if he adjusts to the new surroundings or gets cranky in the night.

At the hospital, the day started early with preparatios for coming back home, a final 'go-ahead' from the Doc and we presenting a small gift to all the nurses and the Doc as a token of thanks for their hospitality. All's well that ends well.

Veni Vidi Vici

Vivek becomes a guest blogger again on my request as he will write a series of posts on Lil General. I bet you will find his reminiscence of those days since 18h Dec '06 more entertaining than my posts ever will...

18th Dec ' 2006....well thats the day when it all started.. or rather should I say life just turned on its head...
And as they say.. man just proposes....I am not too who sure who disposes..Lakshmi and I have been waiting for the arrival our chlid .. the last 6 months now...
the doctors said...24 , 25, 26, 27, 28, 29th...Dec....now thinking, they could have said.. any day is a damn good day...or just "When LG wants it , he will make the noise"...but 18th Dec afternoon I receive phone Call from laksh... get ready poppy .. pack your bags and haul your ass down to Trichy..Your Son/ Daughter has had enough of kicking inside and now wants to feel the pollution, hear the cars honking and start his own existence...and a honest confession... it was indeed a shocker.. the thought of a new someone actually joining our lives..I mean laksh and I have lived our last 4 1/2 years on our terms... but well you will see.. how it all changes...for the good or bad.. I leave it to the future to tell....

So anyways 18th Dec afternoon, frantic instructions to my friends in Pune to book air tickets, calls to a good friend in Bangalore to book my Bus tickets...the journey had begun...its been the fastest flight I have taken... I mean heart pounding, dry mouth and sweaty palms.. and I thought it all happened in books...landed in bangalore and called my friend... ( I needed to talk to someone to get over my jitters).. he says he will come down to hand me the bus tickets too...we meet up at around 7:30 PM... and decide to go for dinner....and mind you ..I didn't have butterflies in my stomach.. they sure were HUGE UGLY MOTHS flying all around....kept calling my brother in law at trichy..who just kept telling me .. keep your kewl.. lakshmi is in labour room...hmm ironic ehh. lakshmi in labour room and I get to keep my cool :)).. me and my friend sit down for dinner.. talk innocous things... weather, traffic and jobs...finish and get back to bus station and we are waiting to board the bus.. when at around 8:55 PM I receive a call from my Brother in law again.. CONGRAATULATIIIIOOOOOOONS,, you are a pop and its nice healthy young man...3.2 KG ( 7.5 pounds) in weight and normal delivery.....ohhh those words...first thought hope laksh is all fine .and the second thought .. the little bugger couldnt even wait till the morning when his poppy would have reached ...but thats the moment I didn't realize our life had changed...
from here on...LG makes all the decisions and we are mere spectators.... and the man puts his stamp of authority by arriving few hours early :)) ...VENI ... The Emperor had Come....

-- Vivek

Welcoming Lil General to "The Family"

Lil General made a grand entry today at 20:13 IST. Welcome to the family. I saw you for a second as soon as you came out---you were dangling in mid air when the Doc handed over you to the nurse standing next to me. I knew you were a boy but took a good look at you only around 9:45 p.m. when granny came to see me. You were a cute little baby weighing 3.2 Kg at birth.

I'm in pain

Updated on 8th Jan '07: I started drafting this post on 18th Dec 06 minutes before leaving for the hospital but never got to publishing it..here it is now! More posts to follow on Lil General!

Pravin is here and it is a beautiful Monday morning. We went for a refreshing walk to the hospital (alrighty I know what you're thinking but that's the only place I am allowed to go or have been going for the past 2 months) to get an appointment for our regular consultation later this morning. Just as our other visits, after a good 30 minute wait at the lounge, mom and I met the Doctor and we were relieved to know everything was normal Lil General still feels cozy inside. And then I casually remarked to the Doctor that movements had considerably decreased since the previous night. Thats when trouble started.

She examined me and believe me there are still times when I think that this part was more painful than the actual delivery. I braced for the worst and she said "Get admitted today. You will deliver by this night." she gave a pain inducing tablet and a window of 1 hr to have lunch, pack up from home and get admitted.

The feeling cannot be described in words. All these months I was struggling to take one day at a time coping with indigestion and itchy backs. Now all that seemed trivial and the fear of delivery overpowered me. The doctor was quick to remark, "I have the patience to go through a normal delivery for you if you have the patience. And I'm not going to undermine delivery pain. Yes, It will pain like hell that you have never experienced before. But thats what you got to bear to get the kid." You're thinking if the motivating speech helped ? :) Oh yea I wasn't still thinking what lay ahead as pain slowly began to set in...

Meanwhile, mom was still taking in what the Doc said finding it hard to believe that the D-Day was finally here. After we got out, our fingers tirelessly dialed numbers and 3 phones seemed like less. Tickets had to be booked, trips planned and logistics worked out. This was the moment we had carefully planned for but no planning is good enough. Got home and had lunch - the fastest I have had - in 10 mins. We were all set to leave for the hospital in 20 mins. Pain slowly began to set in and I told my neighbour granny with a smile - I think I'm in pain. I know now what she meant then, "if you are in pain, you can't say it. Atleast not with a smile."

Get Set and Go

I'm all set to dash off to the hospital anytime or so I've been saying for weeks now. But hey, you can't blame me. Its all cozy inside says the Doc so LG is quite comfortable to stay warm in a hospitable environment for another two weeks. One thing is certain - he is as lazy as his parents are. I went in for my fourth and final Sonography last Friday and the doc was kind enough to run us (mom and I) through the foetus on the monitor. Believe me, I kept nodding my head as he showed us the liver, one eye (the other eye was underneath),heart, kidneys, limbs etc., but I couldn't comprehend anything clearly. Its all hazy inside. And there in a flash I mentally did a rerun of the F.R.I.E.N.D.S episode where Ross tries his best to show the peanut sized foetus to Rach, except that in this case LG is a full grown 3 Kg baby.

My body structure now fits the bill for a "Happy Woman" if there were one like those Chinese "Happy Man" statues - a fat belly, short arms lifted upward in a comfortable sitting posture. Other than a heavy feeling and sleeplessness, all other irritating factors such as sciatica, vomitting, itchiness have been low this week. 38 weeks down...the finish line is so near yet so far.