A friend asked for “more photographs” of the little Tiger, and I found myself answering that we don’t have any more.  That’s when she – a mother of two – pointed out: “It’s different with the second one, isn’t it?  You don’t find yourself going out of your way to record every little movement of his on camera, like you did with the first one, right?”

And that set me thinking… Is it, somehow, any less important an event this time?

There is, of course, less apprehension and anxiety, this time around.  Especially since this is not our first time as parents of an infant…  Each time he hiccups or coughs, we don’t get scared, as we did when Pumpkin was born.  Each time he sleeps longer than his typical time, we don’t worry ourselves to death, or check if he is still breathing…  We’re more relaxed as parents, now that we’ve been through all of it before.  But, that’s not all there is to it, is there?

A number of things could have gone wrong in the pre-natal stage and, as it turned out, a number of things did go wrong! 

The triple marker test showed an increased possibility of potential chromosomal abnormalities.  Ultrasound scans could not confirm or deny it, so an invasive procedure called amniocentesis was required.  Several weeks of agony followed, but fortunately, the genetic tests confirmed that there was no cause for worry.  Just as we were beginning to celebrate that little victory, we discovered that the cervical os had opened up prematurely.  That meant another week in the hospital, a surgical intervention to arrest the problem, and several months of bed-rest in a head-low position!  The baby had to stay in the womb for as long as possible – That would be the best chance for his survival!!!

Slowly and steadily, secure in his mother’s womb, the baby began gaining in weight and size, dramatically increasing his chances with every gram being added.  Over the span of the third trimester, the weight of the baby went from about 500 grams to nearly 2.8 kilos! 

Finally, on the 16th of October, Tiger was born…  A healthy, screaming baby boy, brought into this world through a “normal” delivery.

It’s only in the medical world where “normal” often means something quite extraordinary!  Here is this little human being, weighing less than three kilos, and not yet able to stand or sit.  He is not even aware that he has hands and legs and fingers and toes – his awareness of his own extremities only begins after a month or so. He still has a soft head because the plates in his skull haven’t yet fused together, to make it easier for his large brain to be delivered through a woman’s birth canal…

According to one anthropologist, the human baby actually has a gestational period of 18 months – 9 spent inside the womb and 9 spent outside!  All this is necessary just to maintain Evolution’s fine balance between an upright walking man/woman (and hence, the necessarily small size of the pelvic bone) and the intelligence he/she is endowed with (necessiating the extra-large size of the brain)!

Even today, after the so-called “normal” delivery, the newborn infant demands constant attention.  The smallest of problems can become insurmountable when the human body is not yet developed enough to combat it.  Not to mention, inexplicable phenomena like SIDS that can strike without a warning.  But that’s what Life is really about, isn’t it?  Surviving against all odds… evolving from strength to strength… making it all happen!

One day, if all goes well, this living mass of tissues now unable to hold his own neck up, will stand high among his fellowmen, and face all that Life has to offer… And then, one day, when he unites with a partner, he will himself become a channel for a new life to begin… And so, the dance of Life will continue…

If that’s not a miracle, what is?!