I was a few weeks pregnant in 2016 when the Narendra Modi government announced changes to the Maternity Act of 1961 which increased maternity leave for mothers from three months to six months. I was pretty chuffed about this, but at the same time I, someone who considers herself a workaholic, was wondering if six months was really needed? When I finally announced that I was pregnant to my colleagues, they expressed just how lucky I was to have a six-month paid vacation, and I have to admit I kind of agreed with them.
Till I had a baby…
As a first time mom, I had no clue what was coming. I had a normal delivery – which led to stitches which have to be cleaned after every pee and poop. Not to mention, the periods that I had missed for the past nine months came back with full force. This meant I wore thick maternity pads, disinfecting that area after every change and wearing granny panties. I can’t imagine what it is like for women who had a C-section, which has a longer recovery time, with stitches that need to heal and the fact that they can’t even bend for the first few months.
At the same time, I had to learn how to breastfeed, and by no means is breastfeeding as easy as they portray. The baby has to latch correctly to your nipple and it is only then does he or she feed properly. I learned this the hard way, which led to a crying baby and cracked, bleeding nipples which also left me in tears. The fact that there was no distinction between night and day, every two hours when the baby had to feed was taking a toll on my body and my mind – which spilled over to my relationship with my husband.
WHO recommends exclusively breastfeeding one’s baby for six months – and that was something I followed religiously. Breastfeeding helps the mother and baby bond and also help build the child’s immunity.
If you look at what a vacation entails – period of relaxation, meeting new people, visiting new places and sampling new cuisine – none of these aspects remotely figure during your maternity leave. Your maternity leave is primary for nothing but to heal your body from the trauma of childbirth and to spend time getting to know this new human you have created. The first few months of motherhood are rough; mothers I know have to deal with colic, extreme postpartum depression, and also trying to balance the home and a new baby without any extra help.
So if you have a pregnant colleague and are jealous of that six month maternity leave – think about what she will have to go through before passing such a judgement.
