Feed, Sleep, Clean, Repeat- the never-ending ‘DSP….N’ cycle.

Almost every human wants to break free from a monotonous routine in their lives. At least for a while. So does a Mom, especially a new one. But does she have the liberty. No, not only because she cannot be selfish, but also because she herself does not want to or perhaps, it could be vice versa. She wants but she cannot afford to.

Minutes after the joyous moment of bringing a baby in this world, every Mom signs up for a seemingly never-ending cycle of Feed, Sleep, Clean…. Repeat! I am sure most of the mothers will be able to relate with this cycle which I, an Indian Mom lovingly call as the ‘Doodo, Susu, Potti, Ninne’ cycle (the order is immaterial). In short, the DSP….N cycle. The letter ‘N’ is thoughtfully distanced from the remaining three. This is because the effect it has on a Mom is in total contrast to the others. Contrary to the three ‘DSP’ components which generate anxiety in Moms, the ‘N’ part provides a calming or a relaxing effect. Honestly, every mother will vouch for this ‘Neeni’ factor hands down for keeping her sane throughout the growing up process of her baby.

. I still remember. Me and your Papa were bringing you home when you were just 3 months ol in your first new car. En route you were drooling and blowing milk bubbles from your mouth. Whenever I wiped your mouth, you flashed a toothless disarming smile. That time, we decided, if in future you ever stand for elections, we will keep your election symbol a milk bottle with the caption ‘

In the ‘DSP….N’ cycle, the ‘D’ part is the most debatable one, ‘N’ the most sought after, and the 'S' & 'P' components hated by women until the day, they become Moms. I will not get into the finer details of these four acts as each of them plays a crucial role in a Mom’s life and putting them in one blog will be quite unfair. Right now, an overview shall suffice.

The first letter of the ‘DSP….N’ cycle is the most significant one. ‘D’..the ‘doodo’. Such a lovely word. I do not think I have used the correct Hindi for the word ‘Milk’ ever since my son was born. ‘Milk’ unknowingly and effortlessly changed to ‘doodo’ for the entire family. I am no one to judge a mother for the choices she makes for feeding her kid. She can choose breastfeeding, bottle feeding or a combination of both for her kid. It is totally her choice and I respect that. For all the ‘Moms-to be’, kindly do not expect the same from most of the women in your society. You will be judged at every step by your own clan. It is absolutely okay! Whatever choice a Mom makes, her little munchkin seems forever hungry, the Mom forever tired and the family forever inquisitive, did you feed the kiddo well ? Amidst all this, somehow feeding your own child is always a delight for all mothers. It somehow gives a sense of accomplishment and contentment every single time.

Once you are done with the ‘D’ part of the cycle, you look forward for the most anticipated ‘N’ part. If it happens simultaneously with the feeding, you get a sign of relief, but if in case the ‘S’ or the ‘P’ act follows (which happens way too often), you get a bit disappointed. This disappointment increases manifold when both the ‘S & P’ (Susu and Potti) acts happen in unison. Eventually, when you have cleaned and changed your bundle of joy into fresh sterilised clothes and sit back to admire your own creation or take a minute to relax, the baby gives a loud, rhythmic cry. Yes, you guessed that right, the ‘DSP….N’ cycle has started all over again.

The most frustrating part of the ‘DSP….N’ cycle is the time gap between the two cycles. It is so less (and at times overlapping), that we as Moms feel that this cycle is a never-ending one. The rapid pace with which this cycle happens, makes it difficult for mothers to keep a track of time. On retrospection, it is hard to believe for every Mom how hours changed into days, days into months and months into a full year by just repeating this cycle umpteen number of times. Time just flew by and the baby turned ‘One’- the most memorable milestone. As the baby grows, the gap between each component of the ‘DSP….N’ cycle increases, thereby decreasing the fatigue of a mother, even though at a minuscule level. Slowly as the child accomplishes more milestones, the cycle count reduces, and things start heading towards normalcy. At least they seem to. A Mom feels, it is time to relax a bit, but as new milestones start approaching, she gets geared up all over again. After all a mother’s job is round the clock throughout the year.

A successful completion of the ‘DSP….N’ cycle gives every new Mom a much-needed confidence boost to choose and do the best for her priceless bundle of joy. It also helps in building up or testing her patience level and making her pro at multi-tasking.

Best wishes to all new Moms and Moms-to be!

From

A Mom who is way past the ‘DSP….N’ cycle.

P.S: Dearest Son, Shri. I still remember. Me and your Papa were bringing you home when you were just 3 months old in your first new car. En route you were drooling and blowing milk bubbles from your mouth. Whenever I wiped your mouth, you flashed a toothless disarming smile. That time, we decided, if in future you ever stand for elections, we will keep your election symbol a milk bottle with the caption ‘doodo’. And if you happen to open a factory and turn entrepreneur, we will name it the ‘bulbul’ factory.

My child, you never gave me a real tough time with the ‘DSP….N’ cycle and today, Mumma wants to thank you for this.