Colic - and new parents shudder

My daughter is colic. I discovered that word from the Bible for new parents - "What to Expect in the FIrst year".

This means that almost everyday she cries for no known reason for an hour or more. Reasons for colic are not certain - causes could be gas, over excitement, stress.. I think my daughter is colic because of gas. She writhes and stretches out her body as though in spasms - and cries continously. No amount of comforting helps. I spoke to docs and consulted books - it seems one just has to live with it. Meanwhile, one can try putting the baby on her tummy and things like that to relieve the gas. Has not helped my baby though.

I'm hoping she will be okay once she gets older. One thing I have experienced as a new mom - one gets used to all kinds of things, including a howling baby. Yes, I still want to tear my hair out on certain days, and cry myself when I see and feel my baby being in pain, but those days are not very frequent nowadays.

Meanwhile, I wonder whether tonight will be a quiet one?

Sad - Am far from Appa

Was travelling from Mumbai to Seattle with Xunjoni and Ma. Was so excited to meet Appa after a month and half of being apart. Wanted to see his reaction to X having grown up a little bit more and being so different since when he left when she was less than a month old.

My bag was stolen outside the Mumbai internation airport.It had my passport and visa. I could not travel.

I came back to Guwahati to get all the documents again. Can take upto a month or more. I'm sad to be far from Appa for so long. I know he is missing me and X a lot, he is lonely and that makes me even more sad.

Terrifying bomb blast

There was a bomb blast outside the office of the doctor I'd written about in my previous post. This is the 9th bomb blast in 2 months in Guwahati. This one was particularly powerful, 6 people died and close to 40 injured. There were gruesome images in the media. I shudder to think that we were at that very place two weeks back. People are now avoiding the crowded market places and commercial areas. Its like the Guwahati in the 90's. Terror in people's hearts, except this time the people want peace and nobody wants to be liberated anymore.

Experiences outside a "baby doctors" office in Ghy

A crowded street in the middle of a market known as Fancy Market in Guwahati. Fancy is the corrupted version - used to be "Faasi" meaning "death by hanging", which is what used to happen at the place long ago.

The area is full of godowns where Guwahati's groceries, clothing and what name you pass through. Full of trucks full of goods.

The docs office is through a pharmacy on a crowded street. Nearby are shops selling clothes, grocery, auto parts, you name it.

I get a small card with a number 8 on it. Wait my turn outside the docs office on the first floor. Outside, 7 marwari kids with parents wait. The doc is a Marwari.

Doc calls out the numbers one by one. Interesting to look at the kids. There is a year old girl with kohl lined bright eyes, payal on her tiny ankles, huge black bindi to ward off the evil eye.

A 2 year old precocious kid. Howls when entering the docs office, holds on to the door and refuses to enter. Almost drags everybody out of the office. Somehow comes out smiling.

Our turn to enter. Doc is wearing a small teddy bear on his stethoscope. Very cute. Good for entertaining kids.

Baby gets examined, all okay says Doc. I voice the thousands of concerns I have. None of which seem to be justified. They are all the this-is-what-life-with-kids-is-about variety.

All well, get back home happy with Baby in arms.

mother's day cake for my mother

Circumstances being different I may have forgotten this day. But hey, I am a New Mom.. and being a new Mom I can kind of guess the trouble my Mom must have gone through to bring us up. I felt like doing something special for her.. going out to buy something was difficult what with Xunjoni being awake. So I baked a simple cake for her.. I think she liked it. See the grin on her face :-)

38 infants die in Kerala hospital due to unhygienic conditions

A news item appeared a few days back - 38 infants have died in hospital in Kerala due to unhygienic conditions.

The Kerala CM makes the claim that these reports are baseless. His logic, people are still coming to hospital for delivery, so that proves that the conditions in the hospital are hygienic.

As a new Mom, the images of the little infants dead in the hospital was haunting. The CM's claim left me outraged. I feel strongly for the parents who had to deal with the loss of their child, and then the apathy of the govt.

A panel has been created to review the reason for the deaths. As with all other panels, this one too will file a report that will probably go unnoticed..meanwhile, the loss of a newborn will always be with the parents, whatever the panel report is.

Noyonika is whole of 1 month

We had a "Naam" at my parents house for Noyonika's one month celebrations. Naam is an integral part of traditional Assamese Vaishnavaite culture, made popular by Srimanta Sankardeva.

The Naam at our house was sung by 25 Gopinis, women who sing the Naam to the accompaniment of a "Nagara" or a set of twin drums, and Taal ( cymbals).

Noyonika loved the Naam, she seemed to listen intently to the devotional songs and music.

Interesting ritual: The Gopinis held Noyonika, and asked us to "buy" her back from them. Ma had to pay up to get her granddaughter back!