Childbirth: 'My little one overcame the odds'

Last week, we invited readers to send in their unique stories of welcoming a child into the world. Here, we bring you the first response from Rishi N Arya of Mumbai:

It's hardly been a couple of weeks -- on May 10, at 9:04 am in the morning, our baby arrived into this beautiful world. Twelve hours before the birth, my wife was advised to get admitted the next day for induced delivery. She had been given local anaesthesia for a proper check-up, post which our doctor confirmed that the baby could not be held in any longer. Who knew that the pain of the local anaesthesia injection would soon transform into labour pain, which my wife took time to come to terms with. By the time we reached the hospital after a 25-minute bumpy car ride, she was already 6 cms dilated. Phew!

This is our second child, which most of my colleagues labelled an 'accident', as raising a second child is not heard of these days. But more importantly, people said that bringing a second child into the world, once conceived, is a cakewalk for a couple. Wrong. Very wrong.

Our joy had no bounds when we learned about the impending arrival of our second one around nine months ago, who would give company to our elder son and complete our family. But only four months into the pregnancy, the doctor clearly stated that my wife had to take bedrest and a high protein diet to have a physically and mentally fit baby. We were shocked, considering the fact that the first child was a normal delivery without any complications. A USG confirmed that the baby's weight was less and more importantly, that the fluid in the womb was below normal. The reasons -- my wife had quit her job to raise the elder one, which meant lots of running around for his meals, school, sleep...Practically everything, and all alone, as my parents had gone to their hometown and going to her own parents' place was not possible due to certain unavoidable circumstances.

In this manner, we literally abused (by way of a lack of timely and proper diet) the second unborn child for nearly a month, something we had not anticipated and which was not within our control. By the time my mother arrived, the damage had been done and as the doctor said, we were on a damage control exercise. USGs became a fortnightly routine, but with the doctors' visits, we slowly regained our optimism. As a father, it was easy to get frustrated -- the fragile situation of the foetus, office issues compounded by high medical costs, inflation making a mess of financial savings, taking care of the elder one who was two-and-a-half years old at that time...But we found support in each other and took one day at a time.

What happened on May 10 was thus unexpected and surprised us as we had geared up for an induced delivery or maybe a C-section. When I saw the little one gasping for breath, struggling to make its way out through a narrow passage, clearing out pools of blood, it was simply a miracle. It was a normal delivery and the child weighed 2.51 kgs. That day I had a life experience, even a simple event like childbirth defines the importance of nature -- a force which has its own way of creating, balancing or removing life.

As I held the baby in my arms, a moment I will cherish forever, I thanked Mother Nature for her benevolence.

Everyone has stories to share from this special period, from delivering en route to the hospital, to being surprised with twins. And we want to hear yours.

We'll publish the best entries right here on rediff.com

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh