The First Born

Ok. I am doing this. This has been doing rounds on facebook, so I am picking it up and doing it here. And because M4 tagged me too.

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?
Yup and for a while too.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
BigGeek says yes. Ofcourse we were! We are Indians. Are you telling me its possible to have babies without being married?

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
Delight. Excitement. Anxiety. Contentment.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
Absolutely not. No matter what the results of the Down’s test said.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
Very old. 29.

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
Blood test. At the doctor’s office.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
I got the call at work from my doctor’s office. Called BigGeek right away. And we both were speechless. Called my parents the next morning (they were living in Germany at the time) and told them just as they came out of a museum bookstore. And then called the other set of grandparents.

8. DUE DATE?
May 21, 2005.

9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
Just general all-day nausea.

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
Sweets and read meat. I would look at baby back ribs and hotdogs and salivate. Mind you I am a vegetarian and did not eat the meat despite everyone telling me otherwise. A few months ago, I met a Chinese woman at a wedding and she told me according to Chinese folk lore, if a pregnant woman’s cravings are unmet, the child is born with a birthmark on their backs. Guess where Chip has a birthmark? On this back.

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
That the in-utero Chip treated my bladder as a 24-7 trampoline. And my commute. It was so long that I had to stop mid way at BigGeek’s office to use the restrooms there. He was the only guy to have a copy of the women’s restroom’s keys. He got teased a LOT for that. If I weren’t pregnant at the time, I would have been sympathetic.

12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?
Boy.

13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
Not really. I always thought I would be a better mom to a boy than a girl.

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
About 20 and they stayed a long time with me.

15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
Oh, yes! I had two. One was thrown by my friends. I knew about it and it was a girls-only affair. They decorated with flowers everywhere and even made jewellery out of fresh flowers in the proper Maharastrian style. And made all my favorite food. Made me feel so special. The second one was thrown by BigGeek’s aunt in New England. That was a surprise and boy was I speechless. She had invited my uncle and aunt and cousins and friends from New England that I had not met in ages. It was very sweet of her. Just thinking of it makes me break out in a big grin.

16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
Look above.

17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
Low progesterone. They also detected a mildly elongated QT interval in my heart and was prescribed beta blocker which I did not take.

18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
In a hospital. Where else?

19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
Twelve. Contractions started around 4:00 am in the morning, Chip was out at 4:45 pm in the evening.

20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL/BIRTH CENTER?
BigGeek. At around 12:30 pm. We were all very chilled. My mom accompanies us, ofcourse.

21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
BigGeek and my mom. The OB-Gyn and two nurses.

22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
Natural.

23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
At the very last moment. The pain wasn’t bad, but I did not know how bad it could get when I started to push. So I said yes to the epidural and promptly napped for an hour.

24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
7lb 7oz.

25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ?
Exactly a week before my due date. On May 14.

26. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN THE DOCTOR ANNOUNCED THE SEX OF THE BABY?
Well, for one, the sex of the baby was announced 5 months earlier. By a radiologist or whatever they call those doctors that look at sonograms. And we were thrilled ofcourse.

27. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REACTION ON SEEING THE BABY?
Relieved that he was not a fish. Throughout my pregnancy I dreamt I was carrying a fish. So it was a great relief to see a bonny human baby.

28. DID YOU CRY?
Naah. The adrenalin had kicked in. I was on a high.

29. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM?
Chip, ofcourse :)

30. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY

120,253,591 Seconds and counting. Ok. He is 3 years 9 months and some days.