When Babysitting My Baby Also Meant Babysitting The Nanny

Before the arrival of my baby, all through the nine months I googled information to keep myself well-informed and prepared. I came across a lot of people who said that the nannies they hired were such a ‘blessing’.

That’s it. I pictured myself actually enjoying motherhood without any physical stress. Flights of fantasy you see!! 😉 I contacted an agency and got one. ‘What a blessing’, I too said with pride.

Our bundle of joy arrived.

I bid goodbye to my husband who works overseas and welcomed the nanny.

I had already started having sleepless nights (and even days). So you know how ecstatic I must have been seeing the nanny.

My daughter was crying. As the nanny carried her, she stopped. I looked at my mom winningly and said, ‘Do you see my choice? She’s magic’.

Post-delivery discomfort and fatigue was too much for me. Taking care of a new life was so challenging.

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I told the nanny to feel at home and boy, she took every word seriously!!

Alas! My magical world now turned turtle!!

After the magic that she had done, it looked as if she lost her powers with just that statement of mine. I felt like a goof as she handed over her magical wand to me to do the magic.

During lunch, she sat on the couch in the living room and I was at her service. I asked her to serve herself but she told me to serve her. I mean, even if you are shy, you do know I went through a surgery and… anyway. I stopped my mind and did just that.

This was not the picture I imagined. In my fantasy world, I was having lunch in peace while the nanny took charge. Here, I was juggling between serving her and myself. Oh wait! she actually took charge (over me). As I sat to eat, my little one started crying. It’s like a buzzer we mom’s sit on while eating that makes a peacefully sleeping baby wake up. While the nanny enjoyed every morsel she pushed into her mouth, refusing to budge from her throne, mom gave me a look and said, “Is that your choice?”

Lunch was done. I took her plate and kept it in the kitchen to be washed. The so called ‘maid in heaven’ acted like a bridesmaid. After all she was a nanny. The kitchen was right in front of her and she didn’t know where to keep her plate.

I managed to catch up with some sleep while my mom took care of my daughter. I woke up and found the nanny chatting on the phone. Mom said that’s what she did all that while. Fragments of my imagination could be seen flying about, scattered around.

We had tea. Nanny showed no trace of being a childcare professional. Dinner time too, I played the magician while she sat like a monument. She was supposed to have been working as a nanny for five years and did not know how to put on a diaper for baby!! She even asked me to show her how to give baby a bath. Wasn’t she supposed to be a master of it all and me being the novice?

Night time was the real testing period. I yawned. Nanny gave a big yawn too. I justified to myself that yawning is contagious. She will be my knight in shining armor. My mom explained the work to her. I told my mom to sleep in the other room and not to worry as I now have help. While speaking those words I felt a lump in my throat and my conscience tried to stop me (I did not listen).

My mom went off. Me, baby and nanny in one room. Don’t know why but I was getting the feeling of being a hostage!

As she lay in her bed, she wanted a softer mattress. Luckily, I had a spring mattress available. I helped her with it as she said it was too heavy. I carried baby and walked slowly around the room still in pain. Nanny merrily went into her cosy bed. Did not offer any help. Then started her drama. She wanted an extra blanket (I gave her), three extra pillows (I gave her; one to hold and sleep, one to rest her legs, and one more pillow for her head). I brought water for her as she said she did not know to use the water purifier. While I changed baby’s diaper, made baby burp, changed baby’s clothes, sterilized the bottles – nanny gave another yawn like a lioness and told me to wake her up if I needed anything. What? Did I hear right? The word ‘if’? You were hired because you were considered proactive and skilled at what you do. Good gracious!

As she entered her Dreamland, I was brought down to reality. I could already see myself slogging through the night, alone. I had also sent my mom off to the other room.

At night she woke up asking for a thin bedsheet, as she started feeling hot with the blanket. She did not even take a glance at baby. I dragged myself out of bed and gave her a bedsheet. Then, she wanted more water. I gave her and the list continued.

I was babysitting my baby all this while and today I was also ‘babysitting’ the nanny.

I watched the sun come up. Yes, I waited for it. In no time I parcelled her off.

I took a sigh of relief. No more nannies after that. I made sure to babysit just my baby and no clumsy/ frighteningly hideous nannies.

The only pleasure I found was in building castles in the air and not on ground. 😉

Image via YouTube

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