The Blogger Mommie

My toddler son screams! He does it when he's happy, angry, excited, when I take something away from him, when he feels like it, when, oh my God! There's no stopping him. Sometimes it’s high-pitched, deafening, sometimes short and screechy. But wait, I already knew this and countless other pieces of advice (that I never really listened to).  You hear about sleepless nights, how life will never be the same again, tantrums that are sure to leave you red-faced and wondering who’s in charge. It's endless what you will hear and in your mind you might think it will never happen to you. Fat chance! I wish someone told me how the sleepless nights will seem less annoying when I see a big toothless smile or feel tiny fingers reaching out to grasp mine. How a tantrum (as frustrating as it may seem) will be less relevant when a tiny mouth plants a million kisses on my cheek in an attempt to say sorry. How after an exhausting day with a messy house, I'm ready to burst and the...

Milestones! The most exciting moments for any new parents and most definitely for me (and the husband) was seeing our son achieve these important stages in his growth and development. Each exciting moment brought many surprises and left us anxious for what to expect. From lifting his head, to rolling on his tummy, sitting and eventually crawling, he soon wanted to explore his surrounding all by himself. What we did learn though was that as he achieved all this, his curiously increased tenfold. The first thing he learnt to master was picking up anything minuscule from the ground and putting it straight into his mouth. His pleasure was quite evident and very soon we discovered that when something went into his mouth, his naughty, pleasurable smile would give him away. So it became very important for us not only to fuel this curiosity but ensure a safe environment where he was free to learn and explore without any fear. It meant being extra cautious of any little thing lying...

Controversial question indeed! Coming especially from someone like me who has decided that the family mantra will quite definitely be "we 2 ours 1". However, I just had to write about this because quite recently, I bumped into an ex-colleague who almost brainwashed me with her views on having another baby (and she felt that it's much better to have babies close together in age). Getting back to the topic of discussion, my colleague had her second child after nine years and noticed a slight disconnect with her kids because of the age difference. The older child preferred different games, activities, fun stuff and just about everything which left the smaller one no choice but to entertain himself. The only pro she felt in her situation was her elder son’s eagerness to assist with everything 'help' related. The result: more patience and no worries because the elder one is always watching out for the younger one.  I recently had the chance to experience someth...

As your tummy grows bigger, you will begin to slow down and feel a slight discomfort as the third trimester looms large ahead. You might expect the next couple of weeks to go quickly (almost like the last few). But the last trimester will lag so much, it will seem like forever and you will be waiting for it to be over. It's important to discuss a birth plan with your gynecologist. Labor is never a perfectly planned situation so it's good to be well informed on what to expect with a normal or c-section delivery, pain medication, other labour specific situations etc. The most important thing is to be prepared for less and disturbed sleep (in positions that will sure leave you feeling like a clock). The weight of your growing tummy on your bladder will cause frequent visits to the wash room (so always keep an eye out for the nearest restroom wherever you go!) Planning a baby bump photo shoot? The third trimester is the best time to make an appointment and capture some bea...

Your body and mind will be much more relaxed and at peace for the next couple of weeks. As you embrace your new role, the second trimester will be THE absolute best among the three that will see you up and about. Face, hands, feet and so much more to see. Even if you cannot tell the difference who cares. You might spend hours looking at the Ultrasound image but rest assured, those tiny parts are meant to look exactly the way they do even if you can't figure them out.  Remember:  gender determination is legal in some countries so alert your doctor if you don't want the gender to be revealed. Antenatal classes, yoga classes, any classes that spell "pregnancy preparation" and more will form a large part of your thoughts in the coming weeks. It's good to confirm what exercise you can begin with. Look for to-be-moms in groups that you belong to and get as much detail about the classes you might be interested in.  Remember:  these classes are mostly avail...

So you've taken a home pregnancy test and it looks positive. You almost jump and stop short because "nooo" you can't jump now. In fact your happiness is now replaced with worry. Did you just eat a big piece of Papaya for breakfast? You colored your hair last week (will it be okay)? A thousand things run through your mind. Feels familiar? Well, I can vividly remember most of those beautiful days spent waiting to hold my bundle of joy. So, with the idea of decoding "what to expect", for all you to-be-moms, I've chronicled the three trimesters of pregnancy with some tips that might help you through this beautiful journey. What To Expect: The First Trimester (week 1 to 12) An appointment with a gynecologist for a urine and blood test called Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) to confirm your pregnancy. Don't forget to make a note of the first day of your LMP (last menstrual period) as your doctor will ask you this. You will have the first ultra...

Dear Mom-to-be! Congratulations! and welcome to the most beautiful prelude to motherhood. While you bask in your new-found happiness and enjoy being pampered by every single person you know, there are a couple of things I wish to share with you (and I hope you'll spare a few minutes to read). The nine (or so) months ahead of you are going to be the most emotional roller coaster ride you will ever experience. Before you even know, well-meaning friends, relatives and people like me will flood (sometimes overwhelm) you with suggestions that can certainly leave you confused and bewildered. It's perfectly okay to listen to some (or none) of it and go with your own research or plan. Pregnancy, however, will bring with it a plethora of myths and that my dear is exactly what will leave you worried about whether you're doing the right thing or not. So I'm here to share my experience with the hope of giving you some much-needed assurance to deal with these so-called ...

I have always believed that some suffering is necessary to achieve something, so one of my birth plan statements was definitely: "No Epidural" (bold, underlined, whatever!). The biggest pressure for mothers-to-be is to make sure they do everything possible for a normal and pain free delivery (yes, you might even be fed food with gallons of ghee in the hope that the baby will slip out with ease). Everyone will tell you that shortcuts like pain medication are never the easy way out and the side-effects! They will rattle off a list of the many they can cause.  The first time I paid attention to pain medication; specifically the epidural was at my antenatal class quite early in my pregnancy. The pamphlet was crushed and I was certain I wasn't going to take that route. The husband was in awe, could not stop praising my choice and nevertheless chose to support my decision (come what may). That was a big mistake because knowing and yet choosing to ignore, this so-called ...