My triplets are playing outside in the evening. I am very careful they do not put their hands anywhere near their mouths or nose. They know now that healthy habit includes washing one's hands before eating or putting it in the mouth, so they are careful too. I let them play in the sun (we need vitamin-D, immunity) and sometimes in slight rain too. Not a problem usually. We have Mily (pet dog) and Goldy (pet cat) and some of Goldy's friends visiting. They are exposed to animal hair. Again immunity to allergens. Not a problem. They wash hands after they play with and touch the animals. I am proud of them.
But today,it is particularly dusty. The strong breeze (Palakkadan kaattu) brings loads of dust. Also the mosquitoes have started to swarm. They sneeze at times. I ask them to stop the play and get inside. They are waiting for the moon to come, street lamps to come on, and the baang vili from the nearby mosque. At long last, by 7 pm I am able to get them inside. We rush to the bathroom. I give the trio a long, nice, hot bath. They play together, with the many toys in the water in the bucket, laughing all the way. Now they are clean, fragrant like the flowers they are, and we rush to the next stop- a dinner of dosa (rice pancakes). They sit in their respective seats and eat two dosas each. Today is a fairly good day, at times there is big fight between me and them over food. they just won't eat. But not today. They eat to my heart's content.
After the pancakes they play inside for a while, Ramesh arrives, all four of them play, or go out for a short drive, giving me enough time to finish my own bath and prayers. After they are back, they have a few spoonfuls of rice porridge (kanji) and sometimes a bit of seasonal fruits. The toys are scattered everywhere. They help me or my mother to put them back in the shelf (Not so easy- requires a lot of yelling to get them to do it, sometimes it feels better to do it ourselves). By now Ramesh has finished walking and feeding Mily, and the cats, and his bath too. I brush the trio. (They like to brush, but getting each one near the wash basin needs another round of yelling). Then again they have a round of a brief body bath, after which they are taken directly to the bed. Now it is about 9.30 pm. We take turns finishing our dinner and sitting on the bed with them while they jump around on the bed. The sneezing keeps coming back, it worries me. It is cold outside, so we close the window, but it is very stuffy inside. The humidity is building up.
They go to sleep one by one by around midnight (no kidding, they are yet to learn to go early to bed and early to rise), and I sit with my computer- checking mails, and other things. I have a class tomorrow, and also discussion with the two thesis students whom I am guiding, who have a viva coming up next week. I prepare for both and go to sleep by around 2 am. Ramesh is asleep, he has to get up at 4.30 am and leave for office.
I wake up in the morning and find that Balu has a cold. His nose is running. So no play outside for anyone today. I go to college, my parents look after them. I am back at lunch time, and find that Balu is crying. Kutty's nose has started running too. Raman is seeking attention. All three whining. My parents exhausted and angry. I give them lunch, sit with the trio while my parents eat. Afterwards it is nap time. The only hour during the day when my parents can rest. So my mother takes Balu to his cradle, rocks it. He starts coughing. I am rocking Raman's cradle with one hand, and holding Kutty and rocking her in my other hand. My hand is hurting, but usually she sleeps in fifteen minutes, so I carry her till she sleeps. This is the only way she would sleep. After a few minutes she throws up all over me and all over the floor. Raman was half asleep, now he wakes up fully. I rush Kutty to teh wash basin so she can complete what she started. All the lunch which was fed so painstakingly, telling stories and all, is on the floor and in the wash basin. I clean her, lay her on the cot, clean myself, change my dress and wipe the floor. By now Balu is coughing away, and mother lays him next to Kutty. All three are awake. No plans to sleep anymore. I am needed at college, but I don't think I can go now. So I take the afternoon leave, and ask my thesis students to meet me at home in the evening. I sit with the three by now, very sick and very irritable kids.
Now they all want the same toy, all want something that is kept on the berth, all want to go upstairs. Tears flow down, along with litres of running nose. Eyes are swollen, faces red. Coughing crying all around. I want to pick up each one and hold and soothe, but not possible as I can't carry all and all three want to be held. So I sit down with them trying to hug, but no point. They wriggle out, keep crying, and start throwing toys everywhere and at each other. Three of us adults have no option but yell at the sick babies. Now we have some medicines, so we give cough syrup and syrup to relieve mucus. We hold each to the electric steamer. Things settle a bit but still the crying continues. This goes on till late night until they finally go to a very cough-disturbed sleep. Afterwards we, the adults, gather the scattered toys, clean up, have dinner, do the dishes, have bath and are ready for bed. All of us are exhausted. Kids are in bed with Ramesh. It is around 12.30 am. I quickly go through my class notes etc. and get to bed downstairs. I am in a coma when suddenly I hear Ramesh calling for me. Kutty threw up again, now on the bed and floor. We pick up the now-crying Balu and Raman, sit them on the downstair bed, clean up Kutty, change her and place her also with them. She wants to cling on to us. Ramesh holds her while I change the bed sheets and wipe the floor. Again we lay all three to sleep. I go to dip the bed sheets in water so the vomit does not dry on it. I get back, Kutty is asleep, Ramesh is rocking Balu. I pick up Raman, rocks him for half an hour and he also sleeps. We lay them gently and I get to bed finally and call it a day by 3 am. Thus starts a week (minimum)of sickness, crying, running noses, coughing, sometimes fever, sleepless nights, stress at the workplace, yelling at home, feeling disappointed and angry all the time.
In the first few months the babies were extremely protected as instructed by the doctors. But once they gained enough weight, we made sure that they got enough exposure to the sun and elements (a little bit of rain, dust, pet hair etc), to develop their immunity, and get enough vitamin-D. Whenever they got a cold, or a fever, we followed Akka's prescriptions. Usually just 2-3 doses of Paracetamol for fever (Fepanil), Mucolite and Tixylix combined with steam inhalation for cough and Cetzin, if any possibility of allergens in the air. When they were babies, steam inhalation was done by placing a pot of boiled water (with tulsi, panikkoorka (Indian Borage) etc) in their room. Once they were a year old, they started inhaling steam from an electric steamer. For fever we also apply small pieces of cloth dipped in warm water on the forehead. For mucus, it is good to have a bit of onion juice mixed with rock candy. Only once we had to give antibiotics as the cough and cold came recurring.
But today,it is particularly dusty. The strong breeze (Palakkadan kaattu) brings loads of dust. Also the mosquitoes have started to swarm. They sneeze at times. I ask them to stop the play and get inside. They are waiting for the moon to come, street lamps to come on, and the baang vili from the nearby mosque. At long last, by 7 pm I am able to get them inside. We rush to the bathroom. I give the trio a long, nice, hot bath. They play together, with the many toys in the water in the bucket, laughing all the way. Now they are clean, fragrant like the flowers they are, and we rush to the next stop- a dinner of dosa (rice pancakes). They sit in their respective seats and eat two dosas each. Today is a fairly good day, at times there is big fight between me and them over food. they just won't eat. But not today. They eat to my heart's content.
After the pancakes they play inside for a while, Ramesh arrives, all four of them play, or go out for a short drive, giving me enough time to finish my own bath and prayers. After they are back, they have a few spoonfuls of rice porridge (kanji) and sometimes a bit of seasonal fruits. The toys are scattered everywhere. They help me or my mother to put them back in the shelf (Not so easy- requires a lot of yelling to get them to do it, sometimes it feels better to do it ourselves). By now Ramesh has finished walking and feeding Mily, and the cats, and his bath too. I brush the trio. (They like to brush, but getting each one near the wash basin needs another round of yelling). Then again they have a round of a brief body bath, after which they are taken directly to the bed. Now it is about 9.30 pm. We take turns finishing our dinner and sitting on the bed with them while they jump around on the bed. The sneezing keeps coming back, it worries me. It is cold outside, so we close the window, but it is very stuffy inside. The humidity is building up.
They go to sleep one by one by around midnight (no kidding, they are yet to learn to go early to bed and early to rise), and I sit with my computer- checking mails, and other things. I have a class tomorrow, and also discussion with the two thesis students whom I am guiding, who have a viva coming up next week. I prepare for both and go to sleep by around 2 am. Ramesh is asleep, he has to get up at 4.30 am and leave for office.
I wake up in the morning and find that Balu has a cold. His nose is running. So no play outside for anyone today. I go to college, my parents look after them. I am back at lunch time, and find that Balu is crying. Kutty's nose has started running too. Raman is seeking attention. All three whining. My parents exhausted and angry. I give them lunch, sit with the trio while my parents eat. Afterwards it is nap time. The only hour during the day when my parents can rest. So my mother takes Balu to his cradle, rocks it. He starts coughing. I am rocking Raman's cradle with one hand, and holding Kutty and rocking her in my other hand. My hand is hurting, but usually she sleeps in fifteen minutes, so I carry her till she sleeps. This is the only way she would sleep. After a few minutes she throws up all over me and all over the floor. Raman was half asleep, now he wakes up fully. I rush Kutty to teh wash basin so she can complete what she started. All the lunch which was fed so painstakingly, telling stories and all, is on the floor and in the wash basin. I clean her, lay her on the cot, clean myself, change my dress and wipe the floor. By now Balu is coughing away, and mother lays him next to Kutty. All three are awake. No plans to sleep anymore. I am needed at college, but I don't think I can go now. So I take the afternoon leave, and ask my thesis students to meet me at home in the evening. I sit with the three by now, very sick and very irritable kids.
Now they all want the same toy, all want something that is kept on the berth, all want to go upstairs. Tears flow down, along with litres of running nose. Eyes are swollen, faces red. Coughing crying all around. I want to pick up each one and hold and soothe, but not possible as I can't carry all and all three want to be held. So I sit down with them trying to hug, but no point. They wriggle out, keep crying, and start throwing toys everywhere and at each other. Three of us adults have no option but yell at the sick babies. Now we have some medicines, so we give cough syrup and syrup to relieve mucus. We hold each to the electric steamer. Things settle a bit but still the crying continues. This goes on till late night until they finally go to a very cough-disturbed sleep. Afterwards we, the adults, gather the scattered toys, clean up, have dinner, do the dishes, have bath and are ready for bed. All of us are exhausted. Kids are in bed with Ramesh. It is around 12.30 am. I quickly go through my class notes etc. and get to bed downstairs. I am in a coma when suddenly I hear Ramesh calling for me. Kutty threw up again, now on the bed and floor. We pick up the now-crying Balu and Raman, sit them on the downstair bed, clean up Kutty, change her and place her also with them. She wants to cling on to us. Ramesh holds her while I change the bed sheets and wipe the floor. Again we lay all three to sleep. I go to dip the bed sheets in water so the vomit does not dry on it. I get back, Kutty is asleep, Ramesh is rocking Balu. I pick up Raman, rocks him for half an hour and he also sleeps. We lay them gently and I get to bed finally and call it a day by 3 am. Thus starts a week (minimum)of sickness, crying, running noses, coughing, sometimes fever, sleepless nights, stress at the workplace, yelling at home, feeling disappointed and angry all the time.
In the first few months the babies were extremely protected as instructed by the doctors. But once they gained enough weight, we made sure that they got enough exposure to the sun and elements (a little bit of rain, dust, pet hair etc), to develop their immunity, and get enough vitamin-D. Whenever they got a cold, or a fever, we followed Akka's prescriptions. Usually just 2-3 doses of Paracetamol for fever (Fepanil), Mucolite and Tixylix combined with steam inhalation for cough and Cetzin, if any possibility of allergens in the air. When they were babies, steam inhalation was done by placing a pot of boiled water (with tulsi, panikkoorka (Indian Borage) etc) in their room. Once they were a year old, they started inhaling steam from an electric steamer. For fever we also apply small pieces of cloth dipped in warm water on the forehead. For mucus, it is good to have a bit of onion juice mixed with rock candy. Only once we had to give antibiotics as the cough and cold came recurring.
 |
| While using electric steamer be careful to keep your hand over his face, so you know when the heat becomes too much. |
When they were about two years old, they got Hands-Foot-Mouth disease. This is just a viral disease, with blisters on the skin. Very uncomfortable, but not dangerous or painful (unless it affects inside of mouth). They had some Homoeo medicines for this, and the it got cured in about a week. Akka said it would have gone anyway, after the virus ran it course, but we just wanted to comfort ourselves thinking that we are giving some medication.
Kutty and Raman both got deep cuts on their forehead after falling on sharp surfaces. Three stitches for Kutty, done by a plastic surgeon (so that there will not be any mark left on the face- but the faint scar remains now also- cost us Rs.4000/- for the plastic surgeon), and four stitches for Raman (normal stitching- Rs150/-, scar almost similar to Kutty's!). I still shudder at the memory of blood gushing out from the wounds(some eight months between the two injuries).
A minor problem we faced was occasional constipation. This was usually cured when they had some fruits, but as Raman was a fussy eater, it was more difficult with him. We had to use suppositories at times. But a few weeks back we started a routine of making him sit on the potty at a fixed time everyday, and this solved the problem entirely.
A minor problem we faced was occasional constipation. This was usually cured when they had some fruits, but as Raman was a fussy eater, it was more difficult with him. We had to use suppositories at times. But a few weeks back we started a routine of making him sit on the potty at a fixed time everyday, and this solved the problem entirely.
