Whats in a name

Naming a child is a task in itself. A task you can never be sure that you will succeed. For one, the name might become so common that your child will grow up to find his namesakes everywhere and for another that it might be so unique that every time you tell it to someone, they will never get it right atleast the first time around.

Dhairya and Vihaan come in the second category maybe and precisely because Swetha and Ashish come in the first. As such, children cannot name themselves, so the parents, or the aunts or the grandparents or as whoevers custom is, should name them, not predicting that the child will grow up to like or not like their names.

Have you watched the movie Namesake or read the novel on which the movie is based on?? Goggol - does not like his name and understandably so. So how are the parents to decide what their child is going to grow up to like or not like. Yet they have to !!

My mom kindly named me what she did, a nice and unique name in the late 70's. But I guess most mom's thought the same way then. I grew up with having 3 namesakes in a classroom with 50 children for the whole decade and then 4 in my next institution. Thankfully not many Swethas chose to do engineering esp in BMS EEE. I was saved thereafter that there was no namesake from then on till now ...none in the class and none at work :)

At an Indian restaurant in London on a frightfully crowded Sunday, the waiting list announced three Ashish in a row, all of them puzzled to know which one was who.

Well, there is a great advantage with having a common name. You do not have to repeat it for anyone, in fact sometimes if you fill half of it on any application form, someone could complete it. Also most of your neighbours or aquaintances will be able to remember your name and just because your name might remind them of someone very close to them or someone who has really hurt them and left a reason for them to be remembered. Pray you fall in the first category lest names can make people prejudiced against what they feel about you.

We named Dhairya and Vihaan on their moon signs respectively. For Dhairya, we considered Dheer, Dhaval and Bhavya also but at last settled for Dhairya. Vihaan was a choice out of a list containing Vishw, Veer, Vismay, Vansh.

Even new names have sometimes become such rage with people they hardly take time to become so common. Aryan, Aayush like Rahul and Rohan a few years back. I wish that babies came with a name tag when they were born, so we did not have to go about looking for a name for them which we can never be sure they will appreciate once they grow. But since that cannot happen, let us just cross fingers and hope.

Arrival Vihaan

Childbirth is an amazing feeling. Does that sound familiar. Then try this. Childbirth is the most painful yet the most satisfying feeling of the world.

Those who have experienced childbirth are sure to agree with these phrases and many more, if there are.

19 Jan 2008 - exactly three years and three months after 19th Oct 2004 ( Dhairya's Birth) - Vihaan was born. Another small bundle of joy, Vihaan, for us his birth has been another out of this world experience. For one, it was an absolutely normal birth (except ofcourse the vacuum suction they used) but it was a normal after a c-section the first time around.

Vihaan like Dhairya is an overdue baby. Dhairya was just two days overdue when the doc decided she would intervene and went for a c-section. Vihaan was 6 days overdue and they planned to wait for another 4 days atleast. Dhairya was a c-section baby and my chances for a second c-section kept increasing as the days went by. At my first consultant visit, I was pressing on for a repeat c-section but the Doctor explained to me that there was a 70% chance of a normal birth etc etc ...he almost. convinced me to try normal this time around.

Ashish was not convinced until we went for a VBAC session during my 36th week. VBAC - Vaginal Birth After Caesarean. We also went to a antenatal class to understand more about labour.

I was waiting since the onset of my 9th month, almost 2nd week of december, did all the house chores, exercised, walked kept myself as active as a busy bee. Although my EDD was the 13th of Jan 2008, nothing happened. Yes, nothing, no signs of any labour, any pain , absolutely nothing at all. On the 14th, we were booked for a VBAC session where the midwife was kind enough to try stretch and sweep, only to find that there was hardly any dilation. My hopes for a normal birth were halved. On the 16th , the consultant confirmed my fears saying that the chances diminish as the days go by. I was now more eager to bring an end to this pregnancy thing and get the baby in my hand. She booked me a c-section for the 23rd of Jan. It felt like an age later to me. :)

On the 18th, My midwife tried yet another stretch and sweep. With all my hopes lost, I was less than half optimistic about this trial. Although she told me that it has been much better than last time, I had half the heart to believe her. My mind was now set on a repeat c-section.

That afternoon my waters broke slightly. I had tricking water which stopped after a while. Although I was not too sure about it then. We rang the hospital around midnight and then went to the hospital for a check. No waters broken, was the duty nurse's reaction. We came back.

I just slept a couple of hours when i could feel slight pains every now and then . I waited for an hour and more without disturbing Ashish. I woke him at 4:30AM when my pains were actually timing every 7 minutes or so. We woke up mummy around 6. I was on my fours, not able to bear the pain. We reached the hospital by 7 and she took me in.

After what seemed to be a life time, Vihaan finally started appearing at around 3 15 that afternoon when the midwife encouraged me to push. The pains were not too strong and due to the previous c-section, the doctors could not wait longer or me to push. So the doc got a vacuum suction pump and there .....Vihaan was in my hands at exactly 4:01 PM -19th Jan 2008.

My first reaction - as you can imagine - Yipeee....it was a successful VBAC.

Vihaan was born 10 toes, 10fingers, one pretty nose, little hair too and 3.64KG. At a distance when he was places, he looked to me just like Dhairya....a carbon copy :)