My Little RiRi - Rian



What happens when you wake up one morning a learn that you are going to be a father again?
One moment you feel overjoyed and on top of the world and then the next you are consumed by a volley of questions and concerns-
What is he / she gonna look like? Is everything okay? What doctor do I contact? How is it going to change our lives? How do we start preparing ourselves? etc etc..

Though everything was planned , it still kinda catches you unawares :-).

The next few weeks went in a blur with the doctor's visits and planning for the arrival of the baby. In June-July we found that our baby was a BOY and not the GIRL that we were expecting. Hmmm.. interesting. Maheena wanted a sister, but I'm sure she will be understanding enough to settle for a little brother instead.

It was of course fantastic to watch my little boy floating around in his little cocoon. And I and Arti had this disbelieving look on our face when the technician told us that it was a boy. We could not but help smile at the surprise that life had yet again thrown at us.

We prepared ourselves for this new addition to our family. Our colleagues & friends here at Wilmington threw a baby shower for Arti. It was a beautiful gesture. Later Arti's parents joined us @ Wilmington to help and support us.

On 22nd November 2010 at 07:00 AM Arti was wheeled into the surgical room at Christiana Care at Newark - Delaware. Her Gynaecologist - Jennifer Barlow operated upon her as part of a planned Cesarean.
07:37 AM - She took little Rian (RiRi) out. RiRi weighed 7 pounds & 9 Ounces and was a cute little baby with very well formed forearms and calf muscles. He also had a head full of hair :-)

But little RiRi got off to a bad start. The doctors could not get him to expel the fluid out of his lungs as he would not cry and the oxygen levels in his blood was rapidly deteriorating. The immediately supplemented him with an oxygen mask and rushed him to the neo natal care unit.
Arti was sedated and confused and asked me what was the problem and I lied to her saying that he had some minor breathing problems and that they had taken him to the neo natal care unit for observation.

Rian stabilized soon but the doctors continued to keep him in the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit and under observation. Once they took arti back to the Periop, I went down to check on Rian and over the next few days made several trips down to the NICU. I fed RiRi for the first time from a bottle down in NICU. It broke my heart to see my new born lie in a tangle of tubes and wires.

They performed several tests on him before confirming that everything was normal and finally discharging him. Rian joined us as we went back from the hospital to our home.

Little RiRi is now 6 months old and already standing up by himself. 

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