Ever wondered what a new mother goes through? Here’s my take on what the initial journey looks like!
M – Mission Impossible
Motherhood is not every ‘Tom’, Dick and Harry’s mission because this mission has no end and is IMPOSSIBLE indeed! Take my 93 year old grandmother for instance. The first and last question she asks her daughter-in-law every single day is whether her son has been well fed! So dear new mothers, please give yourself a pat on the back! You have successfully passed the entrance test and you’re on the right path forward because you will find this one doubt to constantly linger in your head – ‘IS MY BABY WELL FED?’
O – Oppenheimer
Never underestimate the power of a colic child. Oppenheimer may be called the ‘father’ of the atomic bomb but it is really a mother that creates one that is no less deadly and explosive than an atomic bomb! One tiny being with an angelic aura has the power to cause hell to break loose! Now you know why they named India’s first nuclear bomb ‘The Smiling Buddha!’.
T – The Theory of Everything
One Nation, Zillion Opinion – Every woman gets automatically signed up for a free Orientation Programme when news of her pregnancy gets out! Ranging from the aunty next door to the building’s security guard, every person that sees her pregnant or with an infant in her hand, will make it a point to give her a piece of advice but does she really want it?
In reality, most mothers will and should resort to clearing their doubts with the paediatrician but on some days the first thing a curious mother is likely to do is Google search, ‘Why is the colour of my baby’s poop green!?’
H – How to train your dragon
Toothless, Barf and Belch, Eruptodon, Grump, Night Terror – You have all these aptly named dragons put together into ONE tiny package that a mother has got to feed, clean, entertain and put to sleep on REPEAT mode!
She gets bitten, scratched and hurt in the process but she loves the thrill and excitement that comes with the challenge!
E – Enchanted
From the moment she holds the baby in her hands, a mother is spellbound! She is enchanted by the beauty of her own creation. She looks at her child and realises she is not the same person anymore because;
She’s going to lose to the child every single time but she’s a winner,
She’s going to cry but her tears have never been sweeter,
She’s afraid of the unknown but she’s never felt this strong,
She’s tired and worn out but wants to be on this duty for lifelong!
R – Rapunzel
If there’s any truth in the old wives’ tale that a mother begins to lose her hair when the baby starts to smile at her, then what mother would not mind her transformation from Rapunzel to Vin Diesel!?
The truth is, a mother is born with the birth of her child and she needs just as much love, care and time to make it through the postpartum phase. Every day is different but what is constant is the presence of her child and the wish and hope of a mother to figure out a happy ending for the both of them!
P.S. My mother would say after all these years that she still gets bitten, scratched and hurt by her NOT so little one, but isn’t that the beauty of a mother – child relationship? It’s dramatic, entertaining and gratifying yet annoying and exasperating but we wouldn’t give it up for anything else in this world!
Cheers!
C.A.: Confused Aquarian 