Birmingham Mom Collective :: Introducing Shreyasi

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Hello, all beautiful mommies out there! It is a tradition in India for the expectant mother to go to her mother’s house for childbirth. I was born at my maternal grandparents’ house in a small town called Nabadwip, West Bengal in India. Soon thereafter, we moved to Mumbai, one of India’s largest cities, where my younger brother and I spend most of my childhood. I had a nuclear family, where both my parents worked but made sure we had dinner together every night, and board games was a Friday night routine. 

Birmingham

I moved to Birmingham at the start of this year at the peak of the pandemic. With everything being shut around the city, we have not been able to explore much, but Birmingham, to me, feels like home already. The greenery, the humidity, the afternoon shower reminds me of the place where I was raised. After moving around quite a bit from East coast to West coast, we have finally decided to settle down in the South. Birmingham has the feel of a big city without being overwhelming. With the new highway opening up and all the new projects coming up, Birmingham has the potential to grow even bigger. UAB, being one of the largest employers, attracts the best talent. We have been fortunate that my husband’s first job as a practicing oncologist has been at UAB. The downtown area in Birmingham is very thriving, with numerous restaurants including really good Indian ones. Our favorite, of course, is Bay Leaf. It has a dhaba (street corner) type interior and thali served with different Indian cuisine. The Magic City definitely has a great heritage, which is reflected in its welcoming community, the civil rights museum, the art museum, Railroad Park, and other attractions. So far, the zoo and the botanical gardens have been voted favorites by my daughters!

Mom

I am Mom to my amazing twin daughters, Teesta and Torsha. My husband chose their names, named after twin river sisters flowing from India to Bhutan. They are my rainbow babies. After my first miscarriage, we were heartbroken. I prayed; I believe there is a higher power watching over us. My prayers were answered. My second pregnancy, I was blessed with twin girls. In my heart I know, my baby girl got back her lost sister with her to US. They were born on April 14th, 2017.

They are three years old now, and as they grow, I am still learning to be a mother. There is no peak to motherhood. It is a flow, a trial and error process. Every day we make a conscious choice to make someone else happier than ourselves. We do the right thing, not knowing if it is the right thing to do. Some days we succeed. Some days just pass by. We forgive ourselves. We keep at it, hoping to ace motherhood

Collective

It takes a village to raise a kid — I am here looking for my tribe. As a contributor at Birmingham Mom Collective, I want to share my experiences and struggle as an immigrant of raising my kids in a country, a culture, I was not raised in. I want to be involved and understand this beautiful community of motherhood. I look forward to reading all the beautiful blogs other moms have to share.