A little lost duckling

Being a full time mom is a lot of fun but I must say that it has it's fair share of challenges. One of my recent ones being that my five year old daughter who loves listening to fairy tales, folklores and fables, want to make sure she is a part of it. 'Twist the story mommy, I want to be in it,' she would say.
So here is my version of 'the ugly duckling'...with a twist of course.Thought I will share it with the other mommies who too soon might have to transform their little ones into super heroes, princesses or valiant knights.
                                                            A little lost duckling
                                                             By Aswathy Kumar

Once upon a time, a mother duck sat patiently on her eggs waiting for it to hatch. She was thrilled when one by one her shiny eggs began to crack and from it came beautiful yellow ducklings. But there was one fairly bigger egg that refused to hatch. Mother duck waited patiently giving it all the extra love, care and warmth.
Finally the last big egg popped open. But to the mother duck's surprise the duckling looked nothing like her other babies. Neither was she yellow nor was she pretty.
'You can't be my baby,' quacked the mother duck angrily.' 'You are too ugly. Go away.'
The poor duckling walked and walked searching for someone who would give her a home. She came across many other animals and birds but no one wanted to take her in.
 'Yeoow, you are so ugly, go away,' croaked the frog before disappearing into the pond with a splash.
'Those gray feathers are so not attractive...off you go,' said the flamingo before shooing away the poor little duckling away from her nest.
The poor little duckling kept walking, hoping to find a place to sleep that night. She felt cold, hungry and her tiny little feet had started to hurt.
The duckling looked around to see if there was anyone who could help her. By now,  she left the forest far behind and now stood in front of a beautiful bricked cottage. A little girl with long black curls was busy tidying up her toys from her sand-pit. She saw the poor duckling and quickly hurried towards the poor helpless bird.
' Hello there...aren't you the most adorable thing I have ever seen. I am Vedika by the way.' The little girl moved forward and gave out her hand.
'Adorable? Me?' said the little duckling looking around to see who the girl was talking to.
'Of course you are..in fact the cutest I have ever seen. Would you like to come in? I can make you some corn soup.'
The duckling felt so happy. No one had been this kind to her.
After a hearty meal and all warmed up in a cosy basket next to Vedika's bed, the duckling began to tell her new friend all about her sad story.
' Oh you poor thing. You will never have to feel alone ever again. You and I will be best buds forever,' said Vedika hugging her new found friend.
 Many many days passed. And the duckling was having a wonderful time with her new curly haired friend. They swam together in the pool and played all day long in the moist mushy lawns of the garden. But one day Vedika saw her little friend looking rather sad.
' What happened, my dear friend?' she asked.
' I know you have been a wonderful friend to me but I do miss my family?'
' But we are family,' replied Vedika, feeling a little hurt.
' I know we are...but I too want to get my mommy's kisses and hugs.'

Vedika understood. She knew how good it felt every night when she cuddled with her mommy as they read her favorite book. Her mommy would hug her till she fell asleep and wake her up the next day with a thousand kisses. The little duckling didn't have that and Vedika felt bad.
' My little duckling. I think it's time we went to look for your family.'

The next day Vedika filled her back pack with all her essential camping gear. She packed her purple folding tinker bell tent, a box of her favorite oreo cookies, her princess bottle filled with water, her favorite plush doggy and off they went to find her little duckling's lost family.
Many many days passed...but still no luck. On the last day of the search, Vedika awoke to the sound of birds chirping and a nearby waterfall splashing onto the rocks. Her little friend slept huddled right beside her.
But to Vedika's surprise, the duckling that had lay beside her the previous night looked nothing like her grey feathered friend with the deep black patchy eyes. She looked beautiful. Her beak had turned to a crimson red and her ivory white feathers glistened in the morning sun.
'Vedika excitedly shook her sleeping friend. 'Wake up, wake up, I know where we can find your family.'
They soon came by a beautiful meadow surrounded by blue snow capped mountains. Tiny drops of dew shone like little stars on its grasslands and pretty yellow tulips lay scattered all over the greens.
'Look you are home,' pointed out Vedika to a group of swans swimming majestically beside the raging waterfall.
'That's not my family. They are so beautiful,' replied the little duckling disappointedly.
Vedika smiled and pulled her friend closer to the lake. 'Look,' she said pointing out to the reflection.
The little duckling moved closer and peeped into the water. She was no longer the ugly duckling. She had transformed into a beautiful white swan, no different from the ones that stood in front of her.
The swans were very happy to get their sister back. The mother swan told them all about how an evil eagle had stolen her egg while she was sleeping and how she had been searching for her little one ever since.
Soon it was time for Vedika to go back home. They all gave her a ride home on their backs and Vedika had a lot of fun playing hide and seek behind the floating clouds.
'I will never forget you my dear friend, ' sobbed the little swan as she hugged her curly haired friend. 'And you would always be my best friend," replied Vedika. Though she knew she would miss her best friend terribly, she was happy that her little swan was home at last, right where she belonged.

                                                                         The End

Home Delivery!

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The Delivery

I am not a new mummy. My daughter is almost five and I am way past the burps, farts and the sleepless nights. So then…why start this blog now?

You are right! I, like most of my fellow blogger-mommies should have started the day I found out I was going to be a mom. The day I saw the two blue lines appear on my home-pregnancy stick…or when I first felt her roll around in my ever-growing belly. I should have atleast started the day I came home clumsily holding my three day old baby, clueless about how my life was about to change forever.  I should  have…

But between the burps, farts, dirty diapers and sleepless nights, sitting down in front of my laptop to pen down how wonderful my life had become was the last thing on my mind. It’s not that my daughter was a difficult baby. She was in fact the opposite. So calm and so peaceful, we couldn't help but think of her as something close to ‘divine’. She wasn't the problem.

The problem was that I wasn't among the lucky few who got to experience the whole magical feeling of giving birth in an elite hospital suite, holding my husband’s hand and listening to the kind words of my doctor assuring me that everything was going to be fine.

It’s not that I gave birth in a neglected hospital in some remote village of a third world country. In fact, I was in one of the best hospitals in the city and I was among the so-called VIP patients. 

The problem was that I was in a little state called Kerala. And here, things happened a little differently.

Men not allowed!

No matter how big a VIP you are or how well known your family is, child birth is something you have to deal with all by yourself, alone, in a grim ward that looks more like a set of some horror flick with several other strange howling woman. And it's so ironic, considering that finally when you do have the baby, people never seem to want leave you alone even for a brief second.
Unlike other countries, where your husband gets to stand next to you to help you through the process; here in this little state, the farther away your husband is from the delivery room, the better. And the only sounds you are ever going to hear are the moans from the other equally desperate, abandoned mothers in the cot next to yours or the nasal tone of angry nurses reminding you every single time you complained of a contraction pain that you are simply paying the price for the shameful act you indulged in nine months ago.

Forget delivery, your husband is not even allowed to sleep in the same room as you and your child for 42 days lest he may impregnate you all over again. (I still remember the horror on one of the nurses’ face when my husband planted a harmless kiss on my forehead after I came out of my delivery room.)

The Feeding

Paladai, a traditional
feeding device

Like most new mommies, it didn't take me long to figure out that there was nothing blissful about the whole breast-feeding experience. It was messy and I hated it. And the constant questions regarding my breast feeding skills by the numerous aunties who came to visit did not help either.

Especially because I suffered from breast engorgement and was unable to nurse. If it was for any other place, the problem would have been fixed by two simple solutions: formula milk or a breast pump. But not in Kerala, where you will be damned for even considering such an option.

I still remember the visit to the doctor’s. It was three days after my delivery and my baby had stopped feeding completely. My doctor, instead of giving me a breast pump had introduced me to what looked more like a medieval torture equipment than a feeding device. Meet, the ‘paladai’ (a bowl shaped vessel with a pointy sharp spout.) I was to sit and squeeze out my milk into this tiny spouted bowl and then pour it into the mouth of my bawling baby.  

Giving birth itself is tough but if you are in Kerala…then it’s a whole different ball game altogether. And if you do happen to be among the few unfortunate souls who end up in this beautiful green cove for your delivery, here are a few facts about this God's own country that you need to know...

1.   It might have produced one of the best doctors the world has seen, but till today, having a c-sec in Kerala is considered to be close to a death sentence. So never ask for it.

2.  Delivery is a very hush-hush process, so asking too many questions to your gynecologist is just not appreciated.

3.  Be ready to brave end number of advises regarding child birth. In Kerala, everyone has something to say. From aunties who will refer to the contractions as nothing but a mere constipation pain to others who will scare you with horror stories of how a forceps delivery left dent marks on the babies forehead.

4.    Don’t even think of feeding your baby in front of your husband. Though it’s completely fine to do the same in front of 50- aunties you barely know.

5.     Don’t ask for water. No matter how highly dehydrated you are or are suffering from a major UTI, drinking water is not an option as it is believed to make your belly pop.

6.  Be prepared to share intimate details about your breast feeding, bowel situation or any other personal matters to complete strangers.

7.  Get used to the fact that your newborn child will be kissed held and smothered by each and everyone who comes to visit (which is sure to be a lot).

8.   Be ready to answer the next big question; ‘When are you having the second baby?’

And here's the girl, who made it all so worth it...