Soma Dutt

Once you are married...you will be hounded with the most common and frequently asked question..." When are you planning to have Kids? Your 'age clock' is ticking". I am sure all of us must have had to come across such questions thrown at us by our over concerened family members, friends, neighbours and of course people who you might have just met during your wedding and can't remember their names when you meet them the second time .

When you are finally pregnant, you will get advises from every Tom, Dick and Harry!! and some suggestions/advises can embarrass you like never before(trust me its more embarrasing than what it must have felt when you might have just slipped and fallen "thud" in front of your school/college crush ). So when I became pregnant, I was hoping it would feel like what they show in movies (all hunky dory). I used to see my friends all glowing and cheerful and all geared up with their "pregnant bellies". To my utter dismay, I didn't feel any of that.. I was happy that I was pregnant after 2 miscarriages (yeah, I went through my share of pain and agony too). However, I was just waiting eagerly for my baby to be born healthy and cheerful. Those 9 long months of wait was nothing less than pain in the wrong place (literally). I was overtly huge (95kgs), ugly, always cranky (due to sleep deprivation caused because of various kinds of pain) and I was just limited to 2 kurtas to go out anywhere including the doctor's visit. . My feet had become 2 size larger.... ughhh...all in all I was in horrible shape. To top it all the only thing I craved for was sweets( can you believe that???) and yes of course, the advises and suggestions never took a pause... they kept coming like they were the only constant thing in my life and the only best friend to stand by my side without fail. . My pregnancy did not make me feel like what they show in movies unfortunately. If you ask me if I would want to go through the pregnancy stage again in future....my answer is going to be " Are you crazy? Of course not " !!

My pregnancy was so torturous that I was scared about how motherhood was going to be like.. I was dreading it by the time I was due. I was told I would have a normal delivery and I showed no signs of labour till the due date So I waddled to the hospital with my husband on the due date so that I could be "induced with labour".. Now, wait a minute "what the hell is that???" So they give/insert pill like things so that your contractions start. I was so ignorant . And finally when I was in labour, I had to calm my husband and mother down because they were scared. The attending doctors said that my baby was in distress and they were not getting the heart beat and that they had to perform an emergency c-sec. After all the excruciating pain that I had to endure since they had to repeatedly check if my dilation was at its optimum level to deliver my baby normally, I had to tell them please do what is essential to save my baby. So there I was all geared up for the c-sec and all though I was under the affect of epidural, I could still feel my abdomen being cut open and I could very well see the reflection on the steel board right above my head. My husband came in a little later to be by my side and then finally Icould hear my baby crying and my husband exclaimed " Its a boy!!!" Wow, and that was when I finally had my "filmy moment" of tears of happiness rolling down my eyes. My baby is finally here!!! And I will do anything to see him smile.

Motherhood is never going to be easy...Every stage of your child growing up is going to be demanding. The sleepless nights are going to continue even when your child is independent. So bye, bye sleep and welcome motherhood.