WriteFluence

Good news!

Shilpa aunty’s cousin’s daughter-in-law was blessed with a baby girl!

Yay! You’re too excited and you wanna go cuddle that new born sweetheart and take selfies and meet other relatives and friends who’ve also come to visit the new creature. You wear your best dress. You deck up. You’re all set with fruits and flowers for the new mother and baby.

Okay stop! Read!

As much as mothers are excited about their babies and them being visited and given all that attention, we also know that we don’t need to invite infection of any kind to ourselves.

“But I’m all healthy and clean and tidy!” you may say.

The least you can do especially when you’re educated enough is to understand that you’re no expert about how all this works. A new mother and baby may be several more times susceptible to infections by the smallest of your faults. A person as blunt as me may simply blurt it on your face to stay away but someone who’s softer with her words may silently endure your stupidity.

Here are 10 things you should AVOID if you really care about the new baby and mother.

1. Don’t visit them at the hospital if you’re not a close relative that they’re really hoping to see.
2. If you must go, wear soft cotton clothes. Avoid wearing anything with beads or sequences on it.
3. Avoid flower bouquets. I remember how irritated I had been when a worm had crawled out of a bouquet I had received. Another reason you should avoid a bouquet is because of the fragrance of the flowers. Some people are allergic to scents. It’s absolutely not a good idea to experiment with a new born in reference to that.
4. Ask if fruits are a good option or the hospital room has already been filled with fruits by other eager visitors as you. Remember fruits also have fragrances!
5. Do not touch the baby! Even if you’ve sanitized your hands, you’ve travelled to the hospital through all the rubbish outside and your clothes have pores that can contain dust particles in plenty. When you hold the baby close to your body, the baby is inhaling these! Why do you wanna be so savage?
6. Do not take selfies! It’s a hospital damn it.
7. If you do end up taking selfies, puhlease do not post them on social media… atleast not until you’ve asked the mother about it. Personally, I may take legal action upon you if hadn’t asked!
8. Put your cell phones on silent. The new mother and the baby is mostly still trying to adjust to each other’s sleeping schedules. Don’t barge in with your loud mouths and louder ringtones.
9. Don’t lecture the new mother. She’s already fed up with the advices since the last nine months.
10. Don’t visit at all during monsoons. Why would you want to walk in to a hospital and carry your muddy sandals along. Not just the new parents but also the hospital staff would be fried with you!

Common sense is something that probably gets overshadowed by one’s blind belief in their years of experience about life. See through the logic!