ARRIVAL OF THE BABY

HOME IS TRANSFORMED INTO A MENAGERIE WITH A KALEIDOSCOPIC GARDEN!!

The young mother to be looks more pretty and vivacious than she was a bride on her wedding day. Pregnancy is the period, when a woman prepares mentally, to withdraw herself from the state of being pampered and comforted, to the new phase of pampering, comforting and upbringing her newborn, on her own.

Every nook and corner of the house is arranged, rearranged, decorated, all the almirahs, cupboards and closets filled with baby’s clothes, toys and other innumerable joys. A splash of colours, thrown at all places, makes certain that a rainbow had entered not only in the hearts of the parents, but also in each and every brick of the house.

A surge of new blood rejuvenates the worn out veins of the grand parents, to help their daughters/daughters-in-law, from the moment the baby is out of the mother’s womb. The excitement and fun cross the boundaries, to fill the home with upheavals of laughter!!

Ironically the grand parents chuckle in their minds, through this frenzied scenario. They very well know to have their little bit of sleep now, to prepare themselves for sleepless nights later.

The main and the major factor that the mother has to confront with immediately after childbirth is Breast Feeding. Three psychological factors govern the cycle of motherhood, starting with pregnancy.

Firstly, the mother devotes all attention to the new born. She throws less light on her better half. If both the husband and wife understand that this emotional bondage of the mother towards the infant should be on the upper scale and that the shifting of the attention is only temporary, then the ball is in the mother’s court. When most of the time, she is feeding the baby, the husband can help hr in the household chores, keeping frustrations and depressions at the bay. Still the boat sails on in the absence of elders, or helpers at home.

In the presence of grand parents, physical chores are made easy! Parents of this generation are deft enough to draw a line, for the interference of grand parents and make them understand that they are undoubtedly in want for moral support, in trying circumstances. But politely explain the changing trends in the growth and upbringing of the baby, and the total involvement that the parents should bestow on the infant. Proper communication eradicates all misunderstandings and reduces the gravity of the inflation of one’s ego.

When both the parents share the daily activities concerning the baby, such as changing nappies, bathing etc., the emotional bond between the husband and the wife increases sufficiently, to cross the gruelling situations at ease.

The second psychological phenomenon is the sex of the child.

Male or female, the joy is universal!! Let us regale!!

Little master or little mistress, they vanish all our distress!!

Cosmetics or dresses, an array of colour add splendour, to

Our little princesses!!

Jack-of-all-trades, the smart little princes,

Steal the show with unbeaten grace!!

Gentle as a swan and divine as an angel,

Girls embrace us with fondness and élan!!

The robust boys, naughty and down to earth,

Hug us tight to their bosom counting our ribs!!

We redeem them as very smart guys!!

Both eyes give equal vision to our lives!

Parents and we grandparents rejoice with the kids,

Savouring all the thrills!

Our dear ones cling to our inner selves with ease!!

Beware! Our relationship with the tiny tots should be free of frills!!

Both Lady Charming and Mr. Handsome, look on their parents as a role model, mentor and guide. Bringing up children with ease and poise is no easy task. A spout of mozzarella cheese lifts the taste of pizza to sky high. Likewise, a touch of individuality and a sense of humour, combined with discipline – discipline enclosed not in barbed wires, but bolstered by warmth and affection-these facts add as catalysts for the children to be in stream with the thoughts of their parents.

Proper channelling of ideas and feelings between the parents, before the birth of a newborn, should ensure an amicable and potential relationship, with their wards at all stages of life. If there is any difference of opinion, regarding the sex of the child, then the thought should be ruled out. Educated parents strive hard to get their child, be it a boy or a girl, good education and thereby a happy and contented future.

The third and the most important phenomenon, that a new mother should encounter with is breast-feeding.

Let us view the advantages of breast-feeding that throw a colossal light on the expressions of today’s mother.

Breast milk is ready for the baby when it is out of the womb. No need for any before hand preparations!!

Breast milk is available for the baby at all times of day and night.

Whether the baby is puny or chubby by nature, immature or fully grown, healthy or otherwise, mother’s milk is transformed in such a manner as to fully suit the needs of the baby. Though the truth is miraculous, the doctors prove the fact scientifically worldwide.

Breast-feed enhances the beauty of the mother. Breast-feeding burns the unwanted extra fat and helps the mother to return back to proper shape in no time. There is absolutely no need to go to the gym and work for long hours to shed that extra fat.

Mother’s milk safeguards the health of the baby. Baby is free of any disease. Most important and undisputable is the fact that the baby develops immunisation at a very faster pace. The breast milk is sterile and contains all the ingredients, to prevent any infection, from approaching and attacking the baby.

Mother’s milk is sometimes a Doctor, acts as first aid when necessary, and an all-time Nurse, nurturing the baby with proper proportions of iron, calcium, vitamins and the essential minerals. It is like a huge super market where you get all the commodities at a single haul.

Breast-feed enables the mother to develop healthy food intake before and after pregnancy. The mother becomes conscious that the food she plans for a day contains all the ingredients that augur to the health of the newborn.

  

kozhu kozhu kanre, en per enna?
kanrin thaaye, en per enna?
thaayai meykkum aaya, en per enna?
aayan kai kole, en per enna?
kol irukkum kodi marame, en per enna?
kodi marathil irukkum kokke, en per enna?

kokku vaazhum kulame, en per enna?
kulathil irukkum meene, en per enna?
meen pidikkum valaiya, en per enna?
valaiyan kai chattiye, en per enna?
chatti seyyum kuyava, en per enna?
kuyavan kai manne, en per enna?
mannil vilaiyum pulle, en per enna?
pullai thinnum kudiraiye, en per enna?

this is a story told to kids of 1 year and above while feeding them. once upon a time, a baby fly was born and while it was flying, it forgot its name. (in tamil, the fly is called 'eeeee'.) so, it started asking one by one whoever it comes across while flying, 'what is my name?' first it asks kozhu kozhu kanre, a chubby calf. it replies 'i don't know. ask my mother.' then the fly goes to the mother cow and asks 'what is my name?' the cow replies, 'I don't know. Ask my owner.'. Likewise, for every line the story should be like a question and answer. the child would love to hear this story and finish its food while the story ends simultaneoulsy.

CAN YOU HEAR ME PLEASE Contrary to my age and inability, I jump and leap up the stairs with all my Herculean efforts, To have a quick peep into my mother’s room with a bleeding heart and a head full of compressed torments!! Oh it hurts!!! For years in succession, I have been watching, gulping down and constantly on tenterhooks, The untold physical sufferings and sea of troubles that she is enduring .Not a drop of water flows down my throat! My heart brims with content and a thousand beams lit up my face. My Mom will survive another day. She looks Fine!! While talking loudly to her in the ear, I carry on with all my daily chores with a vivacity never undermined! Mom can never speak nor turn a finger on her own. What matters! She is much alive yet another day. My gain! She has become a baby. Through endless talking, singing, caressing, laughing and crying, the day goes off with full sunshine!! Quintessence of good nature, pleasing manners and above all her bosom full of love, for us, she was the most unpretentious Mother!! A faint mental indisposition slowly dragged her into the dismal abyss, the most dreaded Dementia which sucks away all together, The resources of the brain, gradually, in a methodical manner, so rudely so treacherously, under our watchful eyes and careful scrutiny!! A TREMOR!! With umpteen hands and hearts, flowing with help in abundance, I tried to save her from the silent killer! Impossible, I cried louder and louder!! Can you save her from forgetting the daily chores? Can you save her from forgetting the names of her beloved ones? Can you save her from forgetting to eat, drink, read, write, talk and smile on her own?” NO". I kept chanting to myself" Yesterday she was better". Oh silence!! I am losing my Mom day by day, to that Demon, with my hands chained. My body shudders and goes numb at hearing my inner voice. Plagued with bitterness!! I wring my hands, weep and gnash my teeth, bathe in tears just to watch my Mom transforming herself into a newborn babe. Let bygones be bygones!! To keep the remaining memory alive, Dementia calls for continuous interaction with many more new faces and new voices other than the familiar and stereotyped! Hiding my despair, I used to engage in non-stop ripples of laughter, fresh smiles, a very sunny and bright atmosphere and a galaxy full of attractive posters, which might catch my Mom's eyes!! Any visitor is a Godsend delight! The piling odd jobs cause nightmares, but still I keep looking at the door for a guest, who is indeed a welcome guide!! If not I, somebody may open her eyes, which remain closed for endless hours! From today, Ma is not able to open her eyes even!! I keep gaping at her with my mouth wide!! A Drought hit land, will regain the milk and honey when the showers make magic. But Mom's bountiful stocks of her brain had withered once and for all! The paucity for movement, speech and all the other innumerable nuggets of expressions had become permanent. A hunchback had formed for my Dad, who was standing tall! The Doctor's medicines, prescribed with the utmost concern, preponderance and prudence, worked wonders during unimaginable dire situations, bringing back the Elixir Of Life to my Mom's fall! A Fine -Tuned lady, she was, my Mother never gained back the forgotten conversations, or the memories of her house and her near ones!! "Please call me by my name Ma. Do not push yourself to the  wall". But we did not let go the days as plain as a pikestaff!! With profound help from stretched out hands, Dad and myself strained our every nerve with verve and vigor. We took Mom out to breathe the fresh air, to capture lots of sunshine and meet many more new smiling faces. Mother could neither respond nor move an eyelid. But her inner self was still alive. That  domain, "The Towering and Overpowering Dementia" still did not conquer!! Transferring my Mom into a wheel chair, we kept strolling her into several parts of the house the entire time keeping her connected with music and rapid loud conversations. My hands were always on her,  though my thoughts wandered, in search of an Oasis for my Mother! Happiest were the days, when I had always cuddled, teased, talked incessantly, questioned, answered, hugged her close for hours and begged her to come back to normal. Contrary to her dwindling  memory, Mom and I cherished a rapport that will last forever!! Before the PHANTOM was looming large, and my Mom was losing her radiance, God had descended on our minds to warn us of the danger murking large with numerous poisonous fangs!! But ALAS! Beyond our myriad sincere pains, my Mom got herself entangled in the most complex whirlpool, unknowingly going through a very smooth transition from the very best to the worst of  times!! Mom had lived and experienced a lot of greener pastures, and fully basked under the unlimited affectionate showers of her husband, my Dad, who had made a mark in the map of Heaven, with his snow -white smiles! Still, of all the hazards and shortfalls, Mom lived a life cascaded with love and protection, from her children and grand children. God was indeed cruel to her. He inflicted daggers in my heart by making  me watch the mortifying transition, my flesh corroded with appalling stings!! Mother was bedridden for a span of seven years and passed away in January 2010. My INTENTION is to ward off the danger some of your Moms may go through. My Mother was 79 and I am 54, yet the search for her lap full of warmth and passion is never ending. Loved ones clutch my hands with the assurance of the ROCK of Gibraltar, to come out of the groove. Dementia the rival unsurpassed, had brought in, Seizures, Pneumonia, Hypo-Glycaemia, Parkinson's, Hallucinations and a battalion of other disorders, for my Mother, even the names unheard of! TRUE!!! I REQUEST YOU "THE YOUNGER GENERATION" NOT TO LOSE YOUR MOM AS I LOST! WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS AND INCOHERENT SPEECH ARE THE FOREMOST CULPRITS FOR SURE!! I have a few thoughts about our strong bonding with none other than the "Official Partner" in our life. THE GREEN TEA!! Socialization eradicates loneliness. Green Tea stimulates the mind for productive  interaction and unconfused state of mind! We can make a start!! Succulent and exotic, the brewing flavor invites you to gulp down the aromatic liquid and instantly become ecstatic!! The Black Mockery, The Enormous Red Carpet of Treachery and The Yellow Pangs  Of Instability slowly disappear, making us smarter!! The All Pervading Blue Patches of Suppressions and Depressions that form the Main Database for the most uninvited ailment Dementia alias Departure From Normal Life will be scurried fast from our  Cerebrum and Cerebellum and flushed into the gutter with a startle!! The focused beginning will enable us to rebuild the broken castles and breakthrough all hassles to emerge as the strongest minded citizens. True experiences from my heart!! Old age can still be as fresh as a daisy, when we do not cocoon ourselves into solitude. Shunning away the communication from our closest to our bosom, when they are away from us. Nothing is lost. Physical and mental disabilities are part and parcel of the package that we have brought with us, when we were born into this world. On our health they should not have a crush!! Distances are shortened by technological inventions. Why cannot we swim with the tide, take a favorable turn and reap a good harvest? Acquaintances strengthen the bonds of harmony. Let us fight to  the finish!! When the wind and weather permits, let us sail to safety, setting an example for the youngsters by proving that “OUR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH ARE IN A FLOURISH"!!	Click to purchase Print 194751 0