Wednesday 28 December 2011

Birth Notes - second time

My due date was Xmas Day - 25th Dec 2011.From the very beginning of my second pregnancy i was not sure whether i wanted to have a natural birth due to my traumatic first pregnancy.However i knew that having a C-Sec does not mean that things are going to be straightforward as it is a major abdominal surgery and there can be various complications in having get that done. I was assigned a Consultant ( S Chakarvarti) and i saw her after every few weeks. When i met her for the first time she referred me to a Counsellor as she felt that i am carrying a lot of excess baggage from my first experience and i need to get that out from my system.
I saw my Counsellor ( June Mitchell) throughout my pregnancy and that did made things a bit calmer for me. I was getting prepared mentally for a natural birth as my Consultant also believed that having a C-Sec will be more unsafe as i will have high chances of blood loss.

However as time approched i realised that i do want to go for C-sec as i felt that i will be in more control of things as compared to last time.

So on 8th Dec 2011 i met my consultant and requested for a C-sec and she referred me to a Senior Consultant - Dr Richard Howard. I was not sure whether i will be granted one as NHS does not support elective C-sec. But Dr Howard was quite understanding and he mentioned that it is quite natural for me to feel scared because of my last experience and he is happy to perform the surgery himself. So the date was decided and i was told i will have my surgery done on 19th Dec 2011.

On 19th morning i reached the Postnatal ward in the Green Zone of Queens Hospital.I was seen around 8 and was asked to change to Hospital clothes and get ready for surgery at 9 am.But after some time we were told that there are few emergencies and there is no bed left at the Recovery Room therefore either my surgery will be delayed or postponed to another day.

We were sent to a Postnatal room and we stayed there till 12:30 pm.All this time i was quite sure that my surgery will be postponed and we might have to come next day.

Then one of the doctors came at 12:15 pm and told me that they are ready to perform the operation and i should be heading towards the Ops Theatre. My process started at 12:30. There were approximately 10 people in the room and each one of them were doing their assigned jobs. I was given spinal block and also Anti Infection Antibiotic.The atmosphere was quite overwhelming for me in the beginning and within seconds of injecting the spinal block i could not feel any sensation from the waist down below.

After few minutes Ashish was allowed into the theatre and that helped me to calm my nerves but i was feeling very dizzy and disoriented. I mentioned this to the doctor and he did something on the machine and suddenly i was not feeling dizzy anymore. Me and Ashish decided about the name right there on the operating table. At 12:59 pm our daughter was brought into this world. She was handed over to Ashish while my rest of the process was finished. At exactly 1:30 pm i was out of the Ops Theater and shifted to Recovery room.

Introducing Nishka

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Two Already!!

Aayush turned two and we can see noticeable changes in his behaviour.He is more responsive and playful but also cranky and sometimes stubborn as well. He loves to play with pots and pans and is extremely passionate about cars and trucks. He loves to sit behind the steering wheel and manouver it.He does say few words and his vocabulary includes"mom";"papa";"cooking";"bus".He can make us understand whatever he wants and can easily explain us with his hand gestures or expressions.He loves to play with small pebbles and collects them and hides them in the storage section of his truck. I wish i could turn back the closck and make him baby again when he could come in my lap and used to feed and sleep again.!!!

Sunday 27 March 2011

Little Things


  • Finished reading "My Feudal Lord" by Tehmina Durrani and currently reading " Eat Prey Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.

  • Cooked an elaborate lunch for friends - made Dum Aloo Banarasi , Gobhi Kasoori , Paneer Makhani , Hyderabadi Subz Korma , Oriental Stir Fry and Angoori Raita with Parathas and Naan.

  • Aayush started his swimming lessons every Saturday morning at our local leisure center.

  • Bought various cookbooks by Tarla Dalal and Nita Mehta on my trip to India.

  • Watched " Music & Lyrics " and " Serendipity " on recorded televison. Currently watching "Caroline Quentin - A Passage to India " on ITV.

  • Witnessed a historic win for India in the Cricket World Cup.

  • Recent meals cooked were "Nawabi Curry" ; Jamie Oliver's Spaghetti ; Rajma, Chocolate Fudge.

Saturday 8 January 2011

Sharm el-Sheikh

To begin with i never even heard that there is a place called Sharm el-Sheikh in this world.We wanted to go to a place for a week and my first choice was "Tenerife" but since we got to know that Tenerife will be much colder as compared to Sharm el-Sheikh we opted for latter.This was a holiday of lots of firsts in our lives... first time to Middle East;first time living in a beach resort;first time as a family with the little one;first time on a holiday with no plans to sight seeing anywhere.Also it was a bonus to go particularly at this time of the year as London was experiencing the worst Winter ever with freezing temperatures almost all of December.
  • Aayush was an absolute angel on the flights.He slept most of the time and kept himself busy when he was awake.
  • After a very very long time i visited Gym and did running and cycling for a hour everyday.
  • We realised very soon that Aayush need a "Push Chair" and so Ashish went to Old Market Town and bought one.
  • Again after ages i finished reading a book .."P.S.I love You " by Cecelia Ahern.
  • Saw "Fantasia" - a very beautiful place to have dinner and watch belly dancing but of course since being with a kid we just did a quick round and went off.
  • Ras Mohamed National Park was amazing.Blue skies and crystal clear water with no soul in sight.Since Snorkeling was banned due to shark attacks there was no one in the waters and that was a bonus.
  • Had moreish Mexican Dinner and refreshing mocktail drinks at the hotel Aqua Bar and dinner at Acupulco Joe's.Lunch facing the Red Sea from our Hotel's Restaurant.
  • Due to heavy snow in London our flight was cancelled and re-booked next day -Sunday.Apart from few hours delays we reached London Gatwick midnight amidst freezing temperatures of -11c.

Sunday 2 January 2011

Resolutions 2011


  • Blog more frequently.
  • Do some form of exercise atleast 3 times a week.
  • Eat more sensibly.
  • Watch good television.
  • Be more in touch with friends and family.
  • Be more patient.
  • Stop buying the same outfit endlessly.
  • Practise diarising day to day events.
  • Be more groomed.