One Night Achievement

I’m writing this without even brushing my teeth just after I woke up. You will know why by the end of this story. I’m an IT employee in my mid 30’s, happily married, blessed with a baby boy who is 2 years old now. I have been experiencing lightheadedness recently and more often and that made me visit a doctor. Listening to my symptoms, the doctor prescribed me to take around 6 diagnostic tests.

The first one on the list that I could take is 24 hrs. ECG. I never took this before. Out of curiosity, I googled it and it shows a small belt to be worn around the chest. On one side I’m not sure how it is going to be during this test, on the other I’m excited about taking something new.

In the city I’m living, it is hard to get an appointment for this and luckily I found one the very next day and I went to the hospital, waited for my turn and went into the doctor’s room. The doctor fixed a belt around my waist with a device in it. I thought it is even cool to have it around the waist than around the chest. Then the doctor took out some patches of electrodes and started fixing on by upper body randomly everywhere and I could find 7 of those on me. Then the restrictions started that I can’t sleep on my tummy, can’t take bath till next day (obviously who will take shower with such setup on the body?), can’t go to Gym (as sweat will make the electrodes come off the body) makes sense, most importantly be very careful with the device and there is a small light that glows every 5 seconds indicating that it is working. Then I was asked to leave.

But I had lots of questions in my mind. What if there is a problem with the device, whom shall I contact, what to do etc. The doctor said everything will be fine and before she could finish her sentence the device beeped thrice and the light went off. Then I gave a weird look to the doctor and doctor said now it has actually started capturing your vitals see the light is back again. I went home carefully and since it is a working day, I continued working till evening (Home office) checking the light in between and the electrodes every few minutes with the fear that if the light goes off then I have to go back to the hospital and get another device attached to me and have it on me for next 24 hours. Doctor asked me to be normal in my daily routine and I tried to be normal but somehow not very comfortable in my moves with this setup. I didn’t run a few steps to catch a missing tram while coming back home. The way I move or bend to access low lying objects or power sockets has changed. More conscious using restroom holding the device in my hand even though it is secured in a belt around my waist.

I felt that I started behaving like a pregnant woman. My wife prepared dinner that evening. After dinner, I thought if I could sleep this one night consciously without sleeping on my tummy or sideways in the middle of the night then I will be done with this. Somehow I managed to achieve this and woke up with mild back pain and great respect to all the mothers and pregnant women who go through this not for a day or a week or a month but all 7-8 months. DAMN!! How it feels to be with all the hormonal changes in the body causing mood swings, physical fatigue, vomiting sensations, sleepless nights, stress about the wellbeing of the baby (glowing light in my case), not being able or allowed to eat that they want, etc. Day of delivery is another big episode, I don’t even dare to compare or measure what they go through. If I call my one night as achievement, then what should I call this that a pregnant lady goes through. OH MY GOD!!

** A HUGE RESPECT TO ALL THE PREGNANT WOMEN & MOTHERS OUT THERE ** YOU ARE WONDER WOMEN !!

As a husband what we could do to ease their stress and pain is to be around them when they wanted most and stop giving unwanted suggestions on what to do or eat and support them in every way possible even though they may sound illogical or childish (remember there is a child inside ).

I’m not an exception, I didn’t give my best support to my wife and I apologize today as I think I understood 5% of what it is to be a Pregnant Mother. 

If you are a Man reading this you know what to do or not to do. If you are a woman don’t force your husband to get a 24hr ECG to understand you ☺. Just make him read this. Men are sensible!!

I will go brush my teeth now