Saturday, August 10, 2013

My little bundle of joy

There are few moments in life which are so overwhelming that you want to hold on to them for as long as possible, make it your little secret, but at the same time tell the world about it. Giving birth to a baby is one of those moments. Starting from your 37th week when you already start worrying you are going to miss carrying that little being inside you once he is born to crying at the sound of his first cry, I have never felt so many emotions all at the same time.
When my little one was brought to me, the first thing I remember thinking before passing out was how alert and calm and composed he was for a newborn just introduced to the world and how very alien like he looked. I have always considered myself restrained as far as emotions go, and when people described the joy of holding their baby in their hands, I would always take it with a pinch of salt. Reality check for me. For the first week, whenever that little wailing ball was brought to me from the nursery, I would immediately want to make things alright for him; whenever I looked upon his serene sleeping face, I would want to keep the world that way for him.
When a child is born, there is a lot of talk about parents showering him with love and affection, but the truth is, you are constantly vying for the little one's affection and love; for a tiny smile; for him to look at you; for him to show that little spark of recognition when he looks at you; for him to comforted when he is in your arms; for him to trust you; for him to gaze lovingly into your eyes and silently tell you your baby gibberish means the world to him.
When they say a baby can change your life, what they actually mean is a baby can change who you are.. You become more patient, become the least fussy person in the whole world, love the smell of sour milk and spit up and rearrange every priority you might have ever had before he arrived. The important thing to remember is, you don't bring up a baby the right or the wrong way, like in any relationship, you both grow together, and unlike any other relationship you become an adult in this one. Bringing up a baby is just that - bundles of joy weighed with tons of responsibility.