Scarlet Writes

I just spent the last one hour trying to decide if I should start reading a new book or finish reading the newspaper or continue chatting with my cousins or get some sleep since I couldn’t complete my usual 8 hours’ of beauty sleep last night (not because my 1 year old son kept me awake but because I was watching a silly teenage drama on Netflix until 1:30am). Arghhhh! Everyday feels like an eternity, no different than the previous day. Wake up. Clean. Feed. Do the dishes. Laundry. Eat. Play. Wait for the next nap hour. Change the diaper. Take classes. Think about snacks all day. Work on my lesson plans. Check Assignments. Walk to the fridge 100 times a day. Repeat. And in between all of that when the baby decides to sleep, I cannot decide what I want to do. That’s exactly how the past 2 months have been for me. This lockdown has created an exhausting routine especially for women both emotionally and physically. Working from home while you are working at home doing dishwashing, ...

My son was only 11 days old when we had to take him to Teaching Hospital. The doctor did few tests and we had to wait for few hours until the results came in. So were in a room with a woman and her son who was there for his appendicitis treatment. 11 days postpartum with my child in an emergency room, I already had a lot of things to worry about when this woman asked me why I wasn't breastfeeding my child. She did have a lot of other questions such as why I wasn't wearing a patuki . Why I didn't have a shawl or a scarf covering my head? I didn't care to answer all her questions or dwell on what she was saying until the senior doctor showed up and asked why I wasn't breastfeeding. I don't know why but I felt like I needed to explain to this doctor that my 11 days' old child was struggling to latch properly and although I wasn't breastfeeding, I was still giving him breast milk. The doctor didn't look convinced with my explanation and asked which ...

I reach my school late every morning and most of the days I reach right when the children start singing National Anthem which means I have to stand still for a while and it’s utterly embarrassing that the children face towards the parking lot during their morning assembly. Well, that’s how the day starts for this new working mommy. My day progresses calling home at least 2 times before lunch break. And as soon as the clock strikes 12, I rush home to feed my little one who has been unwell for the past three weeks now. First, it was cough and cold then it was vomiting and diarrhea. Why did nobody ever tell me before how sick kids get after reaching a certain age? Going home to feed chora during lunch break sometimes means this mommy has to skip meals and survive on my never ending stock of fruits and junk food that I store in my office desk J It has almost been a month since I joined a new school and the weeks have passed smoothly. I only left work in the middle of the day ...

Before I gave birth to my little one, I had a very rosy picture of motherhood. I imagined that we'd live happily ever after and we'd be a complete family once the baby arrives. Everything seemed to be going well until the time we were at the hospital. But I had a reality check as soon as I came home and realised how my life had changed completely, in a way I could have never imagined. My little one has completed five months and in these five months, I have discovered how strong and determined I can be as a mother and at the same time I have realised how weak and fragile I am. I have been overjoyed with chora reaching his milestones while I have also spent some nights crying alone, staring at the ceiling for reasons that seem stupid on other nights. There have been times when I have been jealous of my husband simply because he can go out to work, have a drink with his friends without any guilt and come home near the midnight and carry on with his life as if nothing has c...

When he sleeps… I make some tea for myself and simply put my legs up on table and drink it slowly, hoping that he wouldn’t wake up before I finish my tea.  When he sleeps… I wash the nappies, fold the washed clothes and put it back in its place. When he sleeps… I try to read few pages and make an attempt to write my journal. When he sleeps… I try to get some sleep and most often fail to sleep for more than 15 minutes. When he sleeps… I endlessly scroll through my newsfeed on facebook and Instagram. When he sleeps.. I send ‘Hi’ messages to friends hoping to get a reply from someone who isn’t too busy at work. When he sleeps… I send memes to my husband so that we can laugh together when he comes back home. When he sleeps... I dream about the next weekend with my friends and family. When he sleeps… I stare at him and wonder how I created this beautiful human being. When he sleeps… I think about all the good things and the bad things that could ...

I gave birth to this adorable little boy on 2 nd  May this year and needless to say, my life has changed completely. Well, that’s something every mother says that her life changed completely when she gave birth to her child. To be honest, I never understood the gravity of that statement. There was a phase in my life when I thought motherhood was over hyped (whatever that means). To understand what it means to say life has changed completely, you actually have to live it. You can read books, read blogs on the internet, talk to the mothers but nothing, literally nothing prepares you for motherhood. Disclaimer: I am not trying to frighten to-be-moms but just sharing my experience to open discussion on joys and pains of motherhood. Also, if you think you are one of those people who will end up saying “as if she is the only who has become a mother”, may be this blog isn’t for you. Let me start with the joys of motherhood. As I write this blog, my mother is giving oil massage ...

Being pregnant is a beautiful experience. 32 weeks into my pregnancy and I have understood that it is a unique experience for every individual. But what seem common are discomfort, anxiety and excitement. May be? I have been meaning to write a post on pregnancy for a very long time. Even my otherwise ignorant husband suggested that I should write one. As I am in the third trimester, I believe now is the best time to write the post that I would love to read in future. So here is how I would like to remember my pregnancy… a.        Everyone has an advice about food When I say everyone, I actually mean everyone: from a random stranger to your colleagues to your relatives. Everyone has a piece of advice. Ginger is not good. Too much honey shouldn’t be consumed. Don’t eat Papaya. Eat banana. Avoid chilies, baby will not like it. Eat ice cream. ‘Gundruk khana hunna’ ‘Tama khanu hunna’. 32 nd week and I still can’t figure out what to avoid and what no...