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Challenge: Life Changes

Being a Mother When You didn’t Want to: The Reality Check

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I still remember when I took my first pregnancy test. I was on the edge and wasn’t ready for a baby. I was scared of the most obvious thing that MY LIFE WILL CHANGE FOREVER.

I wasn’t ready to quit my habit of going to late night parties and drinking. I wanted to be able to hang out with my office colleagues and buddies whenever I want to. I didn’t want to leave the comfort zone I had created. But as they say, life begins at the end of your comfort zone, my life was just there, but sadly I wasn’t ready for it.

After a couple of counseling sessions with my mother and doctor (whom I can’t thank enough), I finally decided to go ahead with the pregnancy and I am glad that I did.

While I was trying to cope up with the bouts of morning sickness and in controllable bladder, my husband was there all the time supporting me, scooping my hair back and pulling it when I bent over the toilet lid. He’d put flowers all over the house, especially in the bedroom to elevate my mood. Imagine waking up to the pretty beautiful roses and knowing that you have a strong shoulder to lean on!

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Photo Credit: Arena Flower Store at Chennai, India.

It is not that I took the pregnancy phase easy. I still lose temper and curse myself for listening to my mother and doctor. And it is not that I love every moment of it now and has embraced motherhood the way they show it in the movies. My breasts hurt and I am the crankiest best at times. And guess what, who falls prey to it? My husband! And yet he still never forgets to decorate rooms with flowers.

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Photo Credit: Arena Flower Store at Chandigarh.

While every book you read and the advice you receive on childbirth is limited to the day when your child is born, there is no practical and sound information to make the innocent mothers understand what postpartum phase is like. When you are sore, your body hurts and are going through a depression that only you can understand! But in your heart you know that your baby needs you. You’ll have to nurse her, feed her and take care of her. And that’s all which matters.

Most importantly, you’ll have to time your schedule in accordance with your baby. I take bath when my baby is fast asleep or when I know that my husband is around to take care of her. I can’t remember when I literally had good night’s sleep. I am sleeping in intervals and I catnap when my daughter sleeps.

My night outs are now limited to the star gazing with my husband and to my surprise, I find it more adorable than screaming my lungs out in a pub.

My whole body juts out from my old clothes and I cannot begin to tell you that how horrible I looked in the evening gown I bought last year. But you know what, my baby and I wore matching t-shirts last Sunday and we looked adorable!

The pain of pregnancy is huge. And postpartum is something which they don’t even have started to depict real. But one thing is for real, motherhood is just worth it.

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