The happiest day of my life
Just recounting the day of 30 Nov 2013, the day Rishi came into our lives. Here is the lead up to the 30th.
29 Nov 2013 (Fri) morning: doubts on whether the baby will drop.
Increasing discomfort for Deepa and no signs of the baby dropping even
after the completion of 40 weeks. Doctor has called Deepa for a
checkup on Monday. Question: should we go for a C Section? No good
days until next Thursday if Saturday is lost. Decision to be taken
internally and Ajit to book tickets post decision.
Meanwhile, Ajit is planning for the office cricket match. Slated to
bat at 3 and open the bowling, the team's strategy is being planned in
office.
29 Nov afternoon: Call to Manesh's brother reveals that if baby is not
showing signs of dropping as on Friday, unlikely it'll drop by Monday.
Also, the fact that the doc has called Deepa 4 days after the last
checkup instead of the usual 7 days may be due to the doctor's doubt
that the pelvic bone may not be large enough to allow the baby to
drop.
Decision taken to visit Dr. Pai and ask for an operation on Saturday.
Ajit waiting for confirmation to book tickets. Team strategy to form 2
batting orders in case Ajit is unavailable.
29 Nov evening: Deepa visits Dr. Pai along with her mother, expecting
the doctor to be insistent on waiting for a few more days, but the
doc, surprisingly, agrees immediately to the suggestion of scheduling
the operation the very next day. Deepa consults charts and asks for
the operation to be done post 12.30 pm on 30 Nov. Doctor arranges for
assistants for the delivery. Deepa confirms to Ajit around 7 pm and
asks him to book tickets. Ajit, who is waiting in office to book
tickets, books the first flight to Bombay (5.30 am) on Spicejet the
next morning. The excitement now starts to build up as the fact now
registers!!! Ajit wraps up work at office and informs all concerned
about the leave. Mandeep drops Ajit at lemon tree and they discuss the
approach to bowling the next day. Ajit goes home and realises he has a
lot of work - wash clothes, pack, wash the dishes, book a cab to reach
the airport by 4.30 am. Ajit goes to sleep only by 11.30 pm, having
set the alarm for 3 am.
The alarm rings at 3 am and Ajit is up immediately, instead of the usual 5-min extra dozing. The prospect of having a baby in the next few hours is very exciting. Ajit quickly gets ready. The cab is supposed to arrive at 3.45 am, but there is no call from the driver. Luckily, the driver's number has been shared in the confirmation SMS. At 3.55 am, the driver is still fuelling up. Ajit starts to worry a little as the reporting time is 4.30 am. After repeated calls to the driver, the cab reaches at 4.10 am. Asking the driver to hurry up, Ajit reaches the airport at 4.30 am. Despite requesting for credit card payment, the driver says the POS machine is dysfunctional and Ajit has to pay by cash. In the hurry, the cab driver accidentally returns a Rs. 500 note instead of Rs. 100. Ajit doesn't realize the error until much later in the day. After quickly checking in and clearing security, Ajit has about 10 minutes to wait before boarding the flight. In those 10 minutes, he is busy advising his team on field settings, the lines to bowl and the batting combination. The flight takes off right on time and Ajit lands in Bombay at around 7.40 am and takes a prepaid cab to Deepa's house directly from the airport. The cab has one tyre which is deflating slowly. After failing to find any place to inflate the tyre, the driver decides to drive all the way and fix the tyre later. Ajit reaches Deepa's house at 8.15 am. Meanwhile, Deepa and her mother are already at the hospital. Ajit just leaves all the luggae and immediately leaves for the hospital, carrying just one box of 'Chokola' chocolates for Deepa.
The walk from Deepa's house to Dr. Pai's hospital seems excruciatingly long that day as Ajit passes Matunga market, the railway station, Ruia college, Podar college, DP's...all places that he has crossed hundreds of time in the past. Finally, Ajit catches a glimpse of Deepa standing on the first floor balcony of the hospital. Deepa is wearing a red gown provided by the hospital and has put on a lot of weight since Ajit last saw her. Taken aback at the amount of weight Deepa had gained, Ajit manages a smile and quickly runs up the stairs to the first floor. Dr's Pai's hospital has a glass entrance in a wooden frame, that opens into a lobby. The lobby has four 3-seater sofas, one against each of the walls. On the right side of the lobby to one corner is the reception-cum-payment desk. and the right side of the lobby opens into a balcony. On the left side of the lobby is a sliding door that opens into a passage. To the left is the delivery room and to the right is a small room where the newborns are kept. Beyond this room, the passage turns left and all the in-patient rooms are along the right side and the passage finally ends into the 'special room', which is bigger then the other rooms and has a more modern flooring compared to the old fashioned grey stone flooring in the other rooms. The special room is also air conditioned and has windows along 2 walls, both of which open out onto the street below. For the moment though, Deepa is in one of the regular rooms, which has 2 iron beds, one on each side of the room. There is a drip placed along one bed, which would be injected into Deepa eventually.
Once Deepa's father arrives, there is a short discussion with the doctor on the choice of room. The special room is the one eventually opted for and the maids quickly make arrangements for Deepa to move into the special room. Deepa, her parents and Ajit are in the room and the atmosphere is one of general banter and expectancy. Deepa is nervous as expected and everyone is waiting for the next couple of hours to quickly unfold. Somewhere between 11.45 am and 12 noon, Deepa is taken into the delivery room. She wants to carry her copy of the Hanuman Chalisa inside, but the doctor says she wouldn't be in a position to read once inside. The book is left outside and Deepa goes into the operating room. No one is allowed to accompany her inside. Deepa's parents and Ajit wait in the lobby. Ajit's parents arrive a little after Deepa is taken inside.
Ajit is waiting by the sliding door in the lobby which opens on to the passage where the operating room is, At about 12.20 pm, Dr. Pai walks out and calls for Ajit. He asks for the copy of the Hanuman Chalisa as Deepa is extremely nervous inside the operating room. Ajit hands over the little booklet to Dr. Pai who then walks back into the operating room. The next 10 minutes seem like eternity. Finally, at 12.31 pm, one of the maids who is sweeping the corridor tells Ajit that the baby has been delivered and asks him to hear the cries of the newborn. Ajit is ecstatic and restless at the same time. Is it a boy or girl? Is Deepa fine? Is the baby healthy? Is there any complication? These are questions running through his mind when one of the nurses comes of the operating room. Ajit asks her about the baby and she tells him it's a boy. Ajit is extremely thrilled at the news. After conveying the news to both sets of parents, Ajit calls up Ashok and conveys the news. Ashok & Jayasree are extremely delighted to hear the news. As Ajit is talking to Ashok, the nurse comes out carrying the baby and Ajit quickly cuts the call to have a look at the baby.
At first sight, the little fellow has his eyes shut tight. His hands shield his face from the light and he has pretty long nails. His fingers are wet, grey and shriveled. Ajit first checks the hands and legs to confirm there are 5 digits on each hand and leg. Little Rishi also has a good crop of hair on his head, though not dense. The immediate reaction was that he resembled Deepa's dad. The nurse whisks him away to be cleaned. Meanwhile, Ajit's dad calls Ganesh and informs him. Ajit speaks to Ganesh and Usha and they congratulate him on the new arrival. Ajit's mom calls her parents and Ajit also speaks to his grandparents. About 10 minutes later, the nurse brings Rishi back, all cleaned and hair set in a mohawk style, wrapped in a polka dotted white cloth with green, purple and red dots. The grandparents are eager to take the first look at the baby. The nurse weighs him and declares that he weighs 3.65 kg. Rishi's first pic is clicked by Ajit.
The baby is then kept in an incubation room. The paediatrician comes out next and congratulates Ajit. Ajit's first question is whether Deepa is alright and the paediatrician replies in the affirmative. A little while later, Dr. Pai comes out and congratulates both families, saying that the baby is a very healthy baby. A little while later, Deepa is moved from the operation room. She is still under the effect of the anasthaesia, and is shivering as a result. She asks for Ajit and Ajit joins her in the room. Deepa is shivering intensely and asks Ajit to recite the Hanuman Chalisa. Ajit does so and she asks for him to keep reciting the Hanuman Chalisa. She is in a lot of pain and asks the nurse how long the shivering would take to subside. The nurse says that the effect of the anasthaesia would last a couple of hours. Ajit's parents come to see Deepa, but she is shivering a lot and is not in a position to meet anyone. Deepa finally recovers after a couple of hours. Dr. Pai visits her and congratulates her and instructs the nurses to let the baby be with the mother so that they can bond with each other.
The nurses keep the baby in the incubation room for most of the day and Ajit does not get to hold the baby to his heart's content. While the official visiting hours are till 9 pm, Ajit stays back in the nursing home till past 10 pm that night with Deepa and the little one. Ajit finally has to leave the nursing home. He goes with a heavy heart, waiting to come back the next morning and enjoy the feeling of parenthood, of being with the newborn.
29 Nov 2013 (Fri) morning: doubts on whether the baby will drop.
Increasing discomfort for Deepa and no signs of the baby dropping even
after the completion of 40 weeks. Doctor has called Deepa for a
checkup on Monday. Question: should we go for a C Section? No good
days until next Thursday if Saturday is lost. Decision to be taken
internally and Ajit to book tickets post decision.
Meanwhile, Ajit is planning for the office cricket match. Slated to
bat at 3 and open the bowling, the team's strategy is being planned in
office.
29 Nov afternoon: Call to Manesh's brother reveals that if baby is not
showing signs of dropping as on Friday, unlikely it'll drop by Monday.
Also, the fact that the doc has called Deepa 4 days after the last
checkup instead of the usual 7 days may be due to the doctor's doubt
that the pelvic bone may not be large enough to allow the baby to
drop.
Decision taken to visit Dr. Pai and ask for an operation on Saturday.
Ajit waiting for confirmation to book tickets. Team strategy to form 2
batting orders in case Ajit is unavailable.
29 Nov evening: Deepa visits Dr. Pai along with her mother, expecting
the doctor to be insistent on waiting for a few more days, but the
doc, surprisingly, agrees immediately to the suggestion of scheduling
the operation the very next day. Deepa consults charts and asks for
the operation to be done post 12.30 pm on 30 Nov. Doctor arranges for
assistants for the delivery. Deepa confirms to Ajit around 7 pm and
asks him to book tickets. Ajit, who is waiting in office to book
tickets, books the first flight to Bombay (5.30 am) on Spicejet the
next morning. The excitement now starts to build up as the fact now
registers!!! Ajit wraps up work at office and informs all concerned
about the leave. Mandeep drops Ajit at lemon tree and they discuss the
approach to bowling the next day. Ajit goes home and realises he has a
lot of work - wash clothes, pack, wash the dishes, book a cab to reach
the airport by 4.30 am. Ajit goes to sleep only by 11.30 pm, having
set the alarm for 3 am.
The alarm rings at 3 am and Ajit is up immediately, instead of the usual 5-min extra dozing. The prospect of having a baby in the next few hours is very exciting. Ajit quickly gets ready. The cab is supposed to arrive at 3.45 am, but there is no call from the driver. Luckily, the driver's number has been shared in the confirmation SMS. At 3.55 am, the driver is still fuelling up. Ajit starts to worry a little as the reporting time is 4.30 am. After repeated calls to the driver, the cab reaches at 4.10 am. Asking the driver to hurry up, Ajit reaches the airport at 4.30 am. Despite requesting for credit card payment, the driver says the POS machine is dysfunctional and Ajit has to pay by cash. In the hurry, the cab driver accidentally returns a Rs. 500 note instead of Rs. 100. Ajit doesn't realize the error until much later in the day. After quickly checking in and clearing security, Ajit has about 10 minutes to wait before boarding the flight. In those 10 minutes, he is busy advising his team on field settings, the lines to bowl and the batting combination. The flight takes off right on time and Ajit lands in Bombay at around 7.40 am and takes a prepaid cab to Deepa's house directly from the airport. The cab has one tyre which is deflating slowly. After failing to find any place to inflate the tyre, the driver decides to drive all the way and fix the tyre later. Ajit reaches Deepa's house at 8.15 am. Meanwhile, Deepa and her mother are already at the hospital. Ajit just leaves all the luggae and immediately leaves for the hospital, carrying just one box of 'Chokola' chocolates for Deepa.
The walk from Deepa's house to Dr. Pai's hospital seems excruciatingly long that day as Ajit passes Matunga market, the railway station, Ruia college, Podar college, DP's...all places that he has crossed hundreds of time in the past. Finally, Ajit catches a glimpse of Deepa standing on the first floor balcony of the hospital. Deepa is wearing a red gown provided by the hospital and has put on a lot of weight since Ajit last saw her. Taken aback at the amount of weight Deepa had gained, Ajit manages a smile and quickly runs up the stairs to the first floor. Dr's Pai's hospital has a glass entrance in a wooden frame, that opens into a lobby. The lobby has four 3-seater sofas, one against each of the walls. On the right side of the lobby to one corner is the reception-cum-payment desk. and the right side of the lobby opens into a balcony. On the left side of the lobby is a sliding door that opens into a passage. To the left is the delivery room and to the right is a small room where the newborns are kept. Beyond this room, the passage turns left and all the in-patient rooms are along the right side and the passage finally ends into the 'special room', which is bigger then the other rooms and has a more modern flooring compared to the old fashioned grey stone flooring in the other rooms. The special room is also air conditioned and has windows along 2 walls, both of which open out onto the street below. For the moment though, Deepa is in one of the regular rooms, which has 2 iron beds, one on each side of the room. There is a drip placed along one bed, which would be injected into Deepa eventually.
Once Deepa's father arrives, there is a short discussion with the doctor on the choice of room. The special room is the one eventually opted for and the maids quickly make arrangements for Deepa to move into the special room. Deepa, her parents and Ajit are in the room and the atmosphere is one of general banter and expectancy. Deepa is nervous as expected and everyone is waiting for the next couple of hours to quickly unfold. Somewhere between 11.45 am and 12 noon, Deepa is taken into the delivery room. She wants to carry her copy of the Hanuman Chalisa inside, but the doctor says she wouldn't be in a position to read once inside. The book is left outside and Deepa goes into the operating room. No one is allowed to accompany her inside. Deepa's parents and Ajit wait in the lobby. Ajit's parents arrive a little after Deepa is taken inside.
Ajit is waiting by the sliding door in the lobby which opens on to the passage where the operating room is, At about 12.20 pm, Dr. Pai walks out and calls for Ajit. He asks for the copy of the Hanuman Chalisa as Deepa is extremely nervous inside the operating room. Ajit hands over the little booklet to Dr. Pai who then walks back into the operating room. The next 10 minutes seem like eternity. Finally, at 12.31 pm, one of the maids who is sweeping the corridor tells Ajit that the baby has been delivered and asks him to hear the cries of the newborn. Ajit is ecstatic and restless at the same time. Is it a boy or girl? Is Deepa fine? Is the baby healthy? Is there any complication? These are questions running through his mind when one of the nurses comes of the operating room. Ajit asks her about the baby and she tells him it's a boy. Ajit is extremely thrilled at the news. After conveying the news to both sets of parents, Ajit calls up Ashok and conveys the news. Ashok & Jayasree are extremely delighted to hear the news. As Ajit is talking to Ashok, the nurse comes out carrying the baby and Ajit quickly cuts the call to have a look at the baby.
At first sight, the little fellow has his eyes shut tight. His hands shield his face from the light and he has pretty long nails. His fingers are wet, grey and shriveled. Ajit first checks the hands and legs to confirm there are 5 digits on each hand and leg. Little Rishi also has a good crop of hair on his head, though not dense. The immediate reaction was that he resembled Deepa's dad. The nurse whisks him away to be cleaned. Meanwhile, Ajit's dad calls Ganesh and informs him. Ajit speaks to Ganesh and Usha and they congratulate him on the new arrival. Ajit's mom calls her parents and Ajit also speaks to his grandparents. About 10 minutes later, the nurse brings Rishi back, all cleaned and hair set in a mohawk style, wrapped in a polka dotted white cloth with green, purple and red dots. The grandparents are eager to take the first look at the baby. The nurse weighs him and declares that he weighs 3.65 kg. Rishi's first pic is clicked by Ajit.
The baby is then kept in an incubation room. The paediatrician comes out next and congratulates Ajit. Ajit's first question is whether Deepa is alright and the paediatrician replies in the affirmative. A little while later, Dr. Pai comes out and congratulates both families, saying that the baby is a very healthy baby. A little while later, Deepa is moved from the operation room. She is still under the effect of the anasthaesia, and is shivering as a result. She asks for Ajit and Ajit joins her in the room. Deepa is shivering intensely and asks Ajit to recite the Hanuman Chalisa. Ajit does so and she asks for him to keep reciting the Hanuman Chalisa. She is in a lot of pain and asks the nurse how long the shivering would take to subside. The nurse says that the effect of the anasthaesia would last a couple of hours. Ajit's parents come to see Deepa, but she is shivering a lot and is not in a position to meet anyone. Deepa finally recovers after a couple of hours. Dr. Pai visits her and congratulates her and instructs the nurses to let the baby be with the mother so that they can bond with each other.
The nurses keep the baby in the incubation room for most of the day and Ajit does not get to hold the baby to his heart's content. While the official visiting hours are till 9 pm, Ajit stays back in the nursing home till past 10 pm that night with Deepa and the little one. Ajit finally has to leave the nursing home. He goes with a heavy heart, waiting to come back the next morning and enjoy the feeling of parenthood, of being with the newborn.
Comments