— By Soumya Medipelly
The last step of my momentous journey into motherhood started in the late hours of October 22, 2015 (a Thursday). That day, my husband Ranjith and I had gone to temple to take part in activities of the Dussehra festival. Upon our return home, I realised I had a lower backache that was increasing in severity. Because it was already round the period my baby’s due, I rang up the birthing center, told them of my backache and asked them what I should do. The nurse on the other end of the line told me that the contractions may start at any time now.
She was right. Not long after my all, the contractions came, and from the start they were 10-15 minutes apart, with each series of contractions lasting 30-60 seconds. So I called the birthing center again, and the nurse told me to rush to her center, and they were setting up to receive me.
It was time! My parents and my husband ran around the house collecting all of the things we would need to take with us. I was starting to get a little bit frantic during my contractions and had a hard time staying calm, but once we got to the birthing center I felt much more relaxed. Entering the birthing center was like a breath of fresh air, a realization that I was OK. This was where I was going to have my baby.
We arrived at the birthing center at about 10:00 pm. Thereafter, I labored in various positions for six hours. The resting periods between contractions were amazing, and I felt totally fine. But when time came for me to start pushing, it was very difficult. I felt completely exhausted and started screaming due to the pain. The nurse and the doctor then told me to completely focus all my energy on pushing the baby out, because screaming did not help and was wasting my energy.
Labour lasted 11 excruciating hours. And finally I did it. “Wow, that was pretty awesome. It’s a baby boy!” I heard someone congratulate me. Then doctor brought the baby to me and I kissed my little champ.
So yes, I was blessed with my little boy on October 23, 2015 at 9:00 am. What a beautiful surprise for my husband, mother-in-law and I. (In India, a baby’s gender cannot be determined before delivery. It is a crime to do so and comes with heavy penalties.) It was naturally a memorable experience for us all.
Beautiful Coincidence
It was a memorable experience. I still remember telling the doctor the day my son was born was the day Ranjith and I tied the knot. So it was cause for a double celebration: of our wedding anniversary and our son’s birthday. I could not resist breaking into tears when I first took my little one in my arms and hugged him. That was my day!
I stayed on in the hospital for another three days, until I could breastfeed my son. Then we went home together.
I almost immediately felt the huge difference in my life. My son needed my constant attention, so my husband expressed a little jealousy that I had no time left for him.
But it could not be helped. My feelings for my child were overwhelming. Motherhood is just an amazing experience. Being responsible for another human being is amazing and overwhelming, but it’s difficult to strive for balance between being a mom and having other interests.
When my son was born, I cried mostly tears of joy. It struck me how precious having a baby and starting a family is. The changes that occurred at the birth of my first child were immeasurable, and at some point I realized that life would never be the same again.
I was deprived of sleep for many days and months. To this day, I suffer from the lack of sleep. In fact, if someone were to take care of my little one for a few hours, which I could use to sleep soundly—that would be a gift I most appreciated. And that gift is something my husband has given me many times already. Indeed, he has been sharing the load with me every day and night. He has gone more than the proverbial extra mile to help me with the duties involved in taking care of our baby son, from cleaning my baby’s nappy to lulling him to sleep with song. (Things I had never, ever, imaging him doing!)
How can I forget such moments, sweet and beautiful, as they are? For the first few months, my son would not even let me eat peacefully, as he would to start crying each time I was set for a proper meal.
Needless to say, my hubby and I had completely forgotten about movies and day outs. I never thought that things would change so drastically after we had a baby.
All the same, though, I would not have traded it for the world.
Returning to Work
Finally, the time came for me to get back to work. My three-month maternity leave had run its course, and I was a little sad. Of course, a part of me was excited to be able to return to the office and work on transforming the world of healthcare with my colleagues, but when I got into the office, I started feeling depressed, a bit out of place because I was away from my baby, and yearning to be at home with him.
I could not stop myself from breaking down in tears the day I had to first go to office after my maternity break. I was not okay with going back. I knew he was in good care with my mom and would be fine. I knew that I couldn’t stay at home. I enjoyed working and showing myself to the world.
My first day back at work, I was overwhelmed to see how excitedly my fellow team members greeted me. I was also a bit apprehensive, as my previous reporting manager, who knew me well and had the measure of my capabilities, had left the organization during my absence. Now, it was a challenge to me to face a new manager.
Thankfully, after meeting him and having his support in the case of a family emergency not long after my return to work, I felt no fear but instead pride in being part of Napier Healthcare.
One time, my son came down with a high fever. He could not sleep a whole night and cried continuously. That badly affected my health and I could not go to the office the next day. When I called in the morning my manager told me to first take care of my son and myself before coming to the office. That helped a great deal.
My manager also recommended and saw through the approval of work from home arrangements for me for several months, which I considered then declined, and opted for a hybrid model—where I spent some time in the office and some working from home. When I am at the office, my mom would look after my baby at home. When I return home earlier in the day, I would relieve her, and keep an eye on my son while continuing to do my work at home.
Belonging to Two Families
Napier has been a blessed employer to me as it has always supported me and allowed me to work from home whenever needed. My manager and colleagues have also been very supportive.
I am proud to be a working mom. And I am proud to be part of two very caring families: the one that starts with Ranjith and myself, and the one called Napier Healthcare.
— Soumya Medipelly is a Business Analyst in Product Management at Napier Healthcare Solutions, and based in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.