Manual for moms

Can a mother get a relaxed night of sleep? The book “Good Night & Good Luck” answers this and other questions

From sleepless nights and career pangs to jet-setting between London and Chennai with loving family members pulling her in every direction, nothing seemed to be going right for Kusumanjali Ravindranath, who had newly entered motherhood. All this turned her life into a circus but she realised soon with the intervention of a neighbourhood mom that though she cannot control everything she can at least get a good night’s sleep. She has written “Good Night & Good Luck”, a book that navigates the myths and truths of modern parenting.

Calling the book a “wake-up call”, the author says, “When Niharika (Chunmun) was one year old, I joined a course in creative writing, I always wanted to write a travel book but I could not go to the Himalayas with my child with me so I thought of writing a domestic book depicting the practical journey of my home.”

The book is helpful for mothers who want to understand sleep systems. The author herself discovered these while writing this book. Sharing her experiences, Kusumanjali says, “After sleeping a couple of hours only at night for six months continuously, I realised that I need some help. I brought all my experiences into play for coming out of this and I realised that there should be fun while sleeping.”

A lot of books have been written on how to make the baby sleep but the author claims this is different from others. “A lot of research has been done on sleeping patterns and many books are present on these but the knowledge given in the books presents different journey to different people. I think what my book highlights is parents should be prepared to adapt as every child is unique and best thing needs to be done for them according to the circumstances,” says Kusumanjali.

Speaking about the difference of being a mother in a nuclear family and in a joint family, the author says, “I would not be able to say exactly what it means because I have never been in joint family but I belong to Chennai and I find Indian families very unique and involved. Distinct from the West, Indian people remain interested in well-being of the new baby and all are stake-holders.”

Mothers often struggle with emotional and physical changes after childbirth. Suggesting ways to tackle these, the author says, “I would tell them to practice light exercises. New moms should be clear about themselves and can do whatever they find practically safe…”