Arti Deo

  My second pregnancy was as different from my first as could be. It was like black and white. It was a very difficult period for me physically as well as mentally. I spent about three months on bed and often times I would be plagued with doubts about the health of my unborn baby. The second delivery was a planned C-section, 15 days before my due date. I remember my gynecologist telling me later that after the baby was born, I was not bothered about whether it was a boy or a girl. I just kept repeating like a drunken idiot asking if the baby was fine before I slipped into blissful oblivion under the influence of the anesthesia. Everything this second time around seemed so different. My first baby, my son, Arya, a healthy ten pounder, was always smiling and playful. Whereas my daughter, Tanaya, seemed to be born with a frown on her face. She rarely, if ever, smiled. I remember my mother jokingly saying that it looks like she is angry because we got her 15 days early into this worl...

  My first pregnancy was the best period of my life. I was showered with love and affection by everyone and the birth of our son,   my bundle of joy, caused our cup to overflow with happiness and bliss. I went to my mother’s place in Pune, at the beginning of my ninth month, for the delivery. My first visit to the doctor and she said, I would not have to wait too long. I had put on a lot of weight; my tummy was huge. (I could actually use it as a table to keep my cup of tea). She thought I would deliver before my due date, but the exact opposite happened. Well past my due date, there was no sign of the baby coming out, so they decided to induce labour. Despite that, the baby refused to come out and finally, it was decided to perform a C section. I have never felt so scared or vulnerable in my life. Lying there on the operating table, two people holding my hands, two holding my legs, a fifth pushing a needle in my arm, it was a nightmare. I felt so helpless. I wanted to run...