Title Details

Writing a book is akin to having a baby. You conceive of an idea, you carry it painstakingly through a period of gestation, hoping and praying for the best and finally deliver it with immense effort.

Though, as an obstetrician I have delivered thousands of babies the miracle of childbirth never ceases to amaze. The changes a female body makes to accommodate a growing foetus, the process of childbirth, the way a mother lovingly holds to her bosom the very being that gave her unbearable pain are marvels I never tire of watching.

I was prompted to write this book because everyone who becomes pregnant almost always asked the same set of questions. Though a galore of information is available on the Internet and innumerable books are available o this subject, few are written by an Indian for the Indians keeping in view our culture, traditions (specially in the chapter on ‘Myths’) and the practices followed in our hospitals. Having said that I would like to mention that, most topics are universal and apply to pregnant women all over the world. I hope the book serves its purpose and the mysteries of pregnancy and child birth have largely been unraveled by the time you finish reading it.

The baby is spoken of as ‘he’ throughout the book not because of any gender bias, not because of the subconscious desire of Indian mothers for a male child (girls I think are the sweetest creations of nature) but for convenience and all that applies for a ‘he’ automatically applies for a ‘she’ too.

‘Yoga in pregnancy’ has been taken up as a separate chapter because I am proud of its Indian origins and the way it has been accepted whole heartedly throughout the world. The benefits are many though spiritual contents like ‘the subtle connect between the mother and child’ may be beyond the comprehension of logically thinking minds.