The Long Wait to Motherhood

COVID-19.  What a strange catastrophe to hit at the most unfortunate of times. ' I hadn't ever dreamt of how I would be when I got pregnant. But once the news sunk in, I ordered pillows. I needed to sleep well. Our mattress at home in Bangalore was an old one, so I got a fluffy duvet, which would add some volume and fluff. I washed all the blankets and made them smell nicer. So that was it for now. Sleep. My mother and father came down. For them, this was the circle of life complete. They had adopted me . They always wanted me to have a baby, which was much like all the parents in India. They were intrusive about it, and eventually had lost hope. My last conversation with my mother had ended with her saying, adopt a child. That at least.  So, yes. They were down to fulfill their duties. I was happier because I could eat all the delicious food my mother cooked. She cooked well, really well. And all my cravings were tied to my childhood. Unni came down and spent his ...

I had come back from China...after a week of travel to Nanjing and Shanghai. With a renewed sense of wanderlust and freedom, I had walked around Nanjing and Shanghai, exploring every tourist destination, and savoring every local delicacy. It was cold and chilly to the bones, and after these long walks, a mandatory dip in the luxurious bathtubs in the hotels I stayed followed...my bones ached, my body shivering till the warm water enfolded me into a strange comfort. The day I landed back is when the news of Coronavirus broke from China. I didn't panic...even when friends asked me if I had gotten tested. A small fear had crept in, and I kept it locked. Why bother unnecessarily...if there are no symptoms. But here is a strange thing that happened...I was sleeping by 7:00 p.m. every day...deep sleep, kind of how you get knocked out after a couple of drinks. My breasts were soft, swollen and it pained when I pressed them. My periods were delayed. I attributed all of this to the stres...