It was not planned this way. Amrita was due for May 6th. And that was a great day - after all, it was the birthday of Karl Marx. Who could argue with that? But I was surely and secretly hoping for Lenina to arrive on the May 1st. May Day has always been special for me after all - all my life, starting with early childhood.
On 29th April, we reached the Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan to check Amrita in since she was in labor, but she was initially advised to come back the week after. However, upon further examinations, they asked us to stay back, just in case. Very soon though we were told there will be normal delivery and it was good we were there, since the baby would arrive anytime that night. The evening of the 30th was the worst in our lives. The pain was excruciating, since Amrita refused epidural and she wanted as natural a birth as possible even if that meant she underwent the torture. So much pain that we decided right then and there that we shall not opt for another child in life. That was the only thought in our minds. Neither of us was thinking about Lenina at that time. It was just a hope that all this pain and blood and screams would reach a standstill soon.
Hospital staff and the nurses were obviously tired, and the doctors busy with multiple duties. Amrita and I were in a room trying to figure things out. I was even capturing her pain on video. She was given one last chance to take epidural to endure the pain better, especially considering her frail frame, but Amrita absolutely refused. And the hours seemed like ages, the minutes seemed like hours. Until about 2:30am (early morning of May 1st) when the doctor on duty (Dr. Anna Barbieri) appeared to just casually pass by the room, and decided to tend to Amrita. And what a fabulous doctor she was! Assisted brilliantly by her team, she performed a magnificent feat and I witnessed (and videotaped) the entire process until I was asked to also hold the scissors and cut the cord that released Lenina to the world.
Dr. Anna Barbieri
What a privilege and what sheer pride that engulfed me then. All the thoughts about the pain and tribulations suddenly faded away. I thought of my parents and how they must have been excited about my birth over three decades ago. My father had even written a beautiful poem when I was born (just as he had written for my sister). I was sure he was writing one for his grand daughter now. All I could think of at that moment was the joy for my father.
Right After the Birth
Lenina was taken to a table where she was measured and cleaned up and warmed. Amrita was visibly relieved and was managing a faint smile. I was just excited to break the news to my father. And so I called him up and aired the news. The staff left us alone after a while and left to attend to the next mother I guess. For new parents, such an event means the world. For the hospital staff working midnight hours, it was business as usual - and yet they took care of each client as though they were the only ones in the world during that delivery phase. Kudos to all the doctors and even more importantly the nurses!
And welcome, baby Lenina!