“Why do you always stop me from doing things?”, “Why can’t I stay up late at night?”, “Why can’t I
play video games?”……These, and many more, are the questions, I’m bombarded with, day in and
day out.
Welcome to the world of motherhood!
At the age when girls are hanging around in college, going out for parties, leading a completely
carefree life; I chose motherhood. Yes, I chose to be a mother when I twenty and by the time I
turned twenty-one, I proudly announced the arrival of my little cherub.
Tiny fingers, entwined in mine, that flaky skin peeling off, that reddish fairish complexion….all made
me fall in love with my little one slowly and steadily. The first thought that comes to your mind when
you see your baby is, “How could I create a baby! A full human being…..a part of me!!!” And once
these overwhelming thoughts clear off, you start living each moment with your baby.
My son was a perfectly happy baby, playful at all times and happy to be in people’s company. Born in
a joint setup, he had the pleasure of getting abundant love from all quarters. Being the first baby at
his maternal side, he was the apple of everyone’s eyes there as well. His only crying moment would
come when he would be extremely hungry. Save that and you were spared the wrath. However, he
just wouldn’t want to sleep. And that my friends, was one big problem. Not that he would be cranky,
but just that he would be in no mood to sleep at any time of the day or night.
The day was manageable, as he would keep playing merrily, throwing his tiny hands and feet in the
air initially, graduating to sitting on the mat and playing with toys strewn all over, to walking around
the house when he was one. The only constraint if he took a rare siesta was that I had to be around
as even while sleeping, he would frequently open his eyes and if I was seen, he would smile and
sleep again instantly but if I wasn’t spotted in the periphery of his bed, all hell would break loose and
he would cry loudly.
Nights however, were nightmarish. With my hubby gone off to sea for half of the year, I would be
left alone to my own devices. Sleeplessness was taking a toll me as my son would be up almost all
night, sleeping only for about half an hour to forty-five minutes at the max and then waking up for
another two hours before that half an hour relief came to me. My father in law was a huge support
as early in the morning, I would just hand my son over to him after giving him a full feed and then
the next four hours would be spent with me being in divine sleep.
Counting a total of sleeping hours, my son would hardly sleep for about 4-6 hours in a total of 24
hours and that too in breaks! God alone knows how he managed all that energy and growth when all
studies point out to long hours of necessary sleep for infants. And since he would be up for such long
hours, he would be hungry all the time. To compensate for the extra feeding, I had to introduce top
feed every 4 hours, apart from breastfeeding him every hour. So, day and night this cycle went on
and on.
Then came his crawling stage. Lo and behold! Who on earth would like to crawl? Since I’m baby
strange due to my funny sleep pattern, I ought to be different in this sphere as well. So, at the age of
7.5 months, he got up with great difficulty, taking the help of two - thick but empty hard cover files;
and took his first five steps into this big world.
If a child chooses to straightaway graduate to walking instead of crawling, there are bound to be
difficulties. He was ecstatic that he could do something different, so he would stand up all the time,
try to walk with his wobbly knees and in due course, make a mad dash to whichever place he
decided as his target and once very close to that place, his excitement would get the better of him
and he would fall with a thud. This had to be attended to and so I would always stay on red alert and
walk right behind him in a squatting position with arms ready to clutch him in case he falls. This went on for around 2 months, until he was about 10 months old and his walk had steadied considerably.
Once he started walking, I had another challenge to face. As soon as he wanted to pee at night, he
would just get up without any warning in the dark and start walking on the bed, towards I don’t
know what! So even while sleeping, I had to be alert to spring into action and hold his hand before
he falls off the bed with eyes shut.
His no sleep requirement activities went on till he turned 2 years old and then, as if some miracle
occurred, he developed a better sleeping pattern.
Looking back at that time, I always feel that had I chosen motherhood at a later stage, I definitely
wouldn’t have been able to manage with him as I did at that time. Waking up almost round-the-
clock, staying active in whatever little sleep I could manage to walking behind him in a crouching
position so that he doesn’t fall and hit his head on the floor; this just wouldn’t have been possible for
me now.
Exhaustion sets in easily now and the knees seem to give away if I try to squat…..not that I’m very
old chronologically, but everybody’s platter is so full with various things these days that we start
feeling old at a relatively young age.
I'm now 37 and my son 16. Needless to say, I have a different set of problems to deal with. I started my article with his usual rants and those are just a fraction of what I get to hear the whole day through. Not that he is a highly disobedient child but the effect of teenage has surely brushed upon him. He wants to play video games, read novels.....basically do whatever he wishes to, but not study!
I can only thank my stars for facing this, and all that is to come, at a comparatively younger age. It
gives me jitters to think of how I would have handled all this if I had to do so had I been in my forties.
Please note: These are entirely my personal views based on my personal experiences. I do not
intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments with this write up. There are many women around me who have
chosen motherhood at a later stage and are far better than me at their job. A big hug for all the
lovely mothers out there!
Foot note: My hubby ensured that I didn’t get bogged down by motherhood pressures and
occasionally we did go out to the disc. (benefits of staying in a joint setup) We went for a lot many
outings and carried our son along almost everywhere. So, I lived and loved life all this while.
play video games?”……These, and many more, are the questions, I’m bombarded with, day in and
day out.
Welcome to the world of motherhood!
At the age when girls are hanging around in college, going out for parties, leading a completely
carefree life; I chose motherhood. Yes, I chose to be a mother when I twenty and by the time I
turned twenty-one, I proudly announced the arrival of my little cherub.
Tiny fingers, entwined in mine, that flaky skin peeling off, that reddish fairish complexion….all made
me fall in love with my little one slowly and steadily. The first thought that comes to your mind when
you see your baby is, “How could I create a baby! A full human being…..a part of me!!!” And once
these overwhelming thoughts clear off, you start living each moment with your baby.
My son was a perfectly happy baby, playful at all times and happy to be in people’s company. Born in
a joint setup, he had the pleasure of getting abundant love from all quarters. Being the first baby at
his maternal side, he was the apple of everyone’s eyes there as well. His only crying moment would
come when he would be extremely hungry. Save that and you were spared the wrath. However, he
just wouldn’t want to sleep. And that my friends, was one big problem. Not that he would be cranky,
but just that he would be in no mood to sleep at any time of the day or night.
The day was manageable, as he would keep playing merrily, throwing his tiny hands and feet in the
air initially, graduating to sitting on the mat and playing with toys strewn all over, to walking around
the house when he was one. The only constraint if he took a rare siesta was that I had to be around
as even while sleeping, he would frequently open his eyes and if I was seen, he would smile and
sleep again instantly but if I wasn’t spotted in the periphery of his bed, all hell would break loose and
he would cry loudly.
Nights however, were nightmarish. With my hubby gone off to sea for half of the year, I would be
left alone to my own devices. Sleeplessness was taking a toll me as my son would be up almost all
night, sleeping only for about half an hour to forty-five minutes at the max and then waking up for
another two hours before that half an hour relief came to me. My father in law was a huge support
as early in the morning, I would just hand my son over to him after giving him a full feed and then
the next four hours would be spent with me being in divine sleep.
Counting a total of sleeping hours, my son would hardly sleep for about 4-6 hours in a total of 24
hours and that too in breaks! God alone knows how he managed all that energy and growth when all
studies point out to long hours of necessary sleep for infants. And since he would be up for such long
hours, he would be hungry all the time. To compensate for the extra feeding, I had to introduce top
feed every 4 hours, apart from breastfeeding him every hour. So, day and night this cycle went on
and on.
Then came his crawling stage. Lo and behold! Who on earth would like to crawl? Since I’m baby
strange due to my funny sleep pattern, I ought to be different in this sphere as well. So, at the age of
7.5 months, he got up with great difficulty, taking the help of two - thick but empty hard cover files;
and took his first five steps into this big world.
If a child chooses to straightaway graduate to walking instead of crawling, there are bound to be
difficulties. He was ecstatic that he could do something different, so he would stand up all the time,
try to walk with his wobbly knees and in due course, make a mad dash to whichever place he
decided as his target and once very close to that place, his excitement would get the better of him
and he would fall with a thud. This had to be attended to and so I would always stay on red alert and
walk right behind him in a squatting position with arms ready to clutch him in case he falls. This went on for around 2 months, until he was about 10 months old and his walk had steadied considerably.
Once he started walking, I had another challenge to face. As soon as he wanted to pee at night, he
would just get up without any warning in the dark and start walking on the bed, towards I don’t
know what! So even while sleeping, I had to be alert to spring into action and hold his hand before
he falls off the bed with eyes shut.
His no sleep requirement activities went on till he turned 2 years old and then, as if some miracle
occurred, he developed a better sleeping pattern.
Looking back at that time, I always feel that had I chosen motherhood at a later stage, I definitely
wouldn’t have been able to manage with him as I did at that time. Waking up almost round-the-
clock, staying active in whatever little sleep I could manage to walking behind him in a crouching
position so that he doesn’t fall and hit his head on the floor; this just wouldn’t have been possible for
me now.
Exhaustion sets in easily now and the knees seem to give away if I try to squat…..not that I’m very
old chronologically, but everybody’s platter is so full with various things these days that we start
feeling old at a relatively young age.
I'm now 37 and my son 16. Needless to say, I have a different set of problems to deal with. I started my article with his usual rants and those are just a fraction of what I get to hear the whole day through. Not that he is a highly disobedient child but the effect of teenage has surely brushed upon him. He wants to play video games, read novels.....basically do whatever he wishes to, but not study!
I can only thank my stars for facing this, and all that is to come, at a comparatively younger age. It
gives me jitters to think of how I would have handled all this if I had to do so had I been in my forties.
Please note: These are entirely my personal views based on my personal experiences. I do not
intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments with this write up. There are many women around me who have
chosen motherhood at a later stage and are far better than me at their job. A big hug for all the
lovely mothers out there!
Foot note: My hubby ensured that I didn’t get bogged down by motherhood pressures and
occasionally we did go out to the disc. (benefits of staying in a joint setup) We went for a lot many
outings and carried our son along almost everywhere. So, I lived and loved life all this while.
