Coronavirus scare: Ruslaan Mumtaaz recounts the horror he faced with his newborn’s health crisis

Actor Ruslaan Mumtaaz found himself in a tough spot when he was asked to leave the hospital soon after his wife, Nirali delivered their first child on March 26 amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Actor Ruslaan Mumtaz’s happiness knew no bounds when he become a father for the first time on March 26. But, he recalls how things soon turned into a nightmare when he, and his wife Nirali Mehta were asked to leave the hospital immediately due to coronavirus scare. Without much knowledge about how to feed the baby and with no nanny around, the actor recalls he found himself in a tough spot.

Actor Ruslaan Mumtaaz became father to a baby boy on March 26 and he his son, Rayaan.

“One of the doctors in the hospital had passed away due to Covid-19, so we left after a few hours. We had no nanny and no one to guide us how to feed Rayaan (his son) or how to make him burp. My parents told me to get a Japa maid who specialises in taking care of the newborns but that would have increased the chances of contracting the virus,” he says.

The next day, after they brought the newborn home, Mumtaaz shares that the baby slept the entire day and didn’t have milk for 14 hours. “We were told that if the baby was sleeping, we shouldn’t wake him up. Around 12 at night, he woke up and I was up till 3 am with him in my arms. Nirali and I decided to swaddle the ,baby so that he felt cosy in the cot. We saw online how to do it and wrapped him up tightly. And then, I slept for a while. When I woke up, I touched the baby and he wasn’t moving. I freaked out thinking I had done something wrong. It was as if I had lost him but after some time, he moved and I was relieved,” recounts the actor, 37.

Mumtaaz says he then decided to take the risk and convinced a nanny to be with them for the next three months. . “One of my friends, who lived near her place, helped us get her to our home. I realised that I might end up making a mistake due to the lack of knowledge. I hope people will understand my situation and not judge me for this,” he concludes.