“I Thought I Was Ready. I Wasn’t.” - A Story About What Comes After Delivery

Hello and congratulations on your growing family! I’m Dr Riya Elvyn, author of the upcoming handbook “READY FOR BABY – What to Buy, Wear, and Know for Delivery & Postpartum.”

Everyone talks about pregnancy. The glow, the cravings, the baby bump photos, the endless advice. And so, when I was expecting my first baby, I thought I had it all figured out. I had read the blogs, packed my hospital bag, folded tiny baby clothes into neat piles. People kept telling me how magical those nine months were going to be, and, for the most part, they were right.

What no one prepared me for, what no one really warned me about, was what came next. After two very different pregnancies, I realised that most advice stops at labour- but real life starts the moment your baby is placed in your arms.

I still remember coming home from the hospital, my baby swaddled beside me, and suddenly realizing I had no idea what I was doing. My body was sore, my mind scattered, and sleep? That became a long-lost dream. The house was the same, but I wasn’t. Everything felt unfamiliar, including myself.

In those hazy, sleep-deprived days, I found myself scribbling down little notes- reminders of what helped, what didn’t, what I wish I had packed, and what made me feel just a little more human on the toughest days. At first, those notes were just for me. Then a friend asked for them. Then another. Soon, what started as my personal way of coping began circulating among friends and colleagues, a quiet lifeline for new mothers who also found themselves overwhelmed. My scribbled notes on bras, feeding pillows, sitz baths, and baby essentials snowballed into a practical guide for friends. Their feedback (and frantic late-night texts!!!) showed a clear need for no-nonsense, India-specific advice. This blog is the natural next step: a living, searchable companion that grows with every shared experience.

During my second pregnancy, I returned to those notes. I added more- things I had learned the hard way. Slowly, those notes grew into something fuller, deeper. Something I felt might help others the way it had helped me.

And that’s how this book, and eventually the website and blog came to be.

It’s not a textbook. It’s not perfect. But it’s honest. It’s what I wish I had read before I found myself crying at 2 AM, trying to figure out if I was holding my baby the right way, if I had ruined breastfeeding by missing a feed, if I was a bad mom because I desperately wanted just ten minutes alone even if just to rest my eyes.

Through this space, I hope to talk about those real me moments. Not the filtered, picture-perfect, but messy, beautiful, strangeness that is motherhood.

You’ll see many product recommendations not because someone asked me to share them, but because they truly made my life easier. From one mom to another…

If you’re here, reading this, know that I’ve been there. And while your journey may look different from mine, I hope you find in these words something that makes you feel a little less alone...

Welcome to ReadyForBaby. I’m so glad you’re here. Lots of Love.

With warmth,

Riya E.

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