The child was born to 24-year-old Vinod Kumar and his wife, Sushma, in the town of Noida, which is 50km North East of New Delhi in Northern India. Mr Kumar admitted to being a little scared of the baby when she was first born. He said: "I had never seen something like this in my life, so naturally I was a little scared when I first saw her." However, he now admits that the baby is extremely well loved by his extended family. The baby’s grandfather emphasised this by telling reporters, "This child is very special to us."
Despite her severe physical disability, the baby is still managing to eat and breathe normally. Her father said: "She's fed through one mouth and sucks her thumb with the other. We use whichever mouth is free to feed her." In fact, the doctor present at the birth told the proud father that his child was fine, which has led Mr Kumar to shrug off the need for further medical help. Mr Kumar explains: "The doctor said everything is normal when she was born. So where's the need to get medical help?" However, D.K Gupta, a leading paediatrician with the All India institute of Medical Sciences, still believes that the child should be given a thorough check-up to see whether her disability will cause her any long-term problems. He said, "Clearly the child is in no immediate danger, but it has to be checked whether the oral and nasal cavity and other passages" are functioning properly.
The baby’s two faces are due to her having two skulls that are fused together. Because of the delicate nature of this area, Doctors believe that her condition is inoperable. D.K Gupta explains: "Since the heads are fused, separating them is not possible."
I know that people have strong opinions about co-sleeping but we found a happy medium. I strongly recommend using a co-sleeper that attaches/sits next to your bed for several months after baby is born. We used the Arm’s Reach Original Co-sleeper with both of our children. With our son we placed it right next to our bed. First on my husband’s side because I was recovering from a c-section so when he was hungry my husband would give him to me so I could breastfeed him. Later we moved it back to my side but I wasn’t able to get any sleep because he moved so much so we moved him back to my husband’s side.
Our son was in the co-sleeper for probably close to 8 months in The Original Co-Sleeper® Bassinet. We started transitioning him to the crib around 6 months but it took us about 8 months to get him used to his crib. For several months he woke up so often that it was easier for us to keep him in our room. (This waking up every few hours sadly continued until he was over 3 years old…he still wakes up to this day.)
When our daughter was born, we put the co-sleeper at the foot of the bed (because we had a different bed frame and there was no footboard). This minimized the disturbances from movement that all of us experienced. She slept so well that we transitioned her to the crib at about 5 months. She is still a dreamy sleeper. Thank GOODNESS! The Co-sleeper also makes a great pack-n-play which we have used often. We still use it when we have visitors (because they stay in the guest room where her crib is) or when we go stay overnight with people who don’t have a crib or pack-n-play for her to use. It’s easy to assemble…not so easy for me to break down…but the positives drastically overwhelm the breaking down challenges. If you are thinking of co-sleeping, I encourage you to get a co-sleeper. Some people are comfortable sleeping with a baby in their bed but personally, I was downright nervous or shall we say petrified that one of us or the pillows/blankets would accidentally hurt them.
Both Aandaleeb Singh & Aruni Gunasegaram are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Aandaleeb Singh has sinced written about articles on various topics from Current Affairs, Soccer and Current Affairs. Author:Aandaleeb Singh is from North India and enjoys writing about .. Aandaleeb Singh's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.
Aruni Gunasegaram has sinced written about articles on various topics from Current Affairs, Parental Care and Parenting. The author of this article, Aruni Gunasegaram, is the President/Founder of Babble Soft, which offers web and mobile software applications that facilitate communication between caregivers by helping them with. Aruni Gunasegaram's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.