I am having twins!

Nov 6-Nov 21, 2005
Chennai, India

And the day finally arrived! I went, walking slowly, scared to crush the petals beneath my feet, supported by my husband into the scan room. And, the first thing the doc said was...'Wow! You are having twins!' Thanks doc, but I knew it all the while. Somehow, during the horrific sessions of vomiting, I knew that I was going to have twins. Just a premonition, a feeling that I was harbouring more than one life in my womb. I had mentioned it to my mother who refused to believe me, and I gave her the thumbs up on returning from the scan. You should have seen her eyes popping out. Both hub. and I were excited. Two at one go..what more could we want? Especially after all we had been through.

So, I called up my office and asked them for another month extension, of course, loss of pay, but what the hell..I was going to have twins and anything would do for that. Gynec had asked me to be extra careful, no walking fast, lie down most of the time and eat well. I was doing everything except the eat well part...I was still vomiting like no end and my harried mother would try to change the menu every meal to see if there was just something that would not rebel and stay inside. But no, seems the new born embryos just didn't want anything other that what was already in my blood stream, so I said fine, you get what you want and started putting in just what would stay inside, sugar, pongal (a south Indian preparation), puttu (a Kerala delicacy) and avail( another Kerala dish prepared with a whole lot of veggies). No tea, coffee, nuts, fruits, spices, tamarind ..nothing that an expectant mother is supposed to eat. I was worried it would affect my kids (in fact, every single thing I did, like just turning over, slight pin prick near my belly and a tablet I ate which my Gynec herself prescribed would trouble me) by my grandma, who'd had twins in her second pregnancy (and went on to have 9 more kids!) told me that she survived the first three months on just soda..and my uncles were fine for all the under nourishment they got while inside.

So, I continued doing just that and going for my injections twice a week. The doctor taking the injections used to feel for me. Sometimes I would vomit outside her clinic, some times before leaving from home, but whenever it was, she could see I was suffering. She would tell me how she had never vomited for her pregnancy and I would leave the place with a halo around my head feeling martyrish for all I am going through.

Hub would come every weekend, and he continued it till my delivery, missing just one weekend when he fell sick. It surely is no joke, travelling from Bangalore to Chennai every Friday night and returning back to an empty house. But those two days were my life line. I used to lie in bed counting days till the next Friday and being overjoyed when it was Wednesday..yes!! Half the week done, just another half left. And he would treat me like a queen those two days...take me out very carefully (driving our old and battered omni at 20kmh) and buy all kinds of delicacies for me, not that I could eat all of them, but that he bought them for me! And Sunday afternoon I would start my feeling sorry for myself session.

And then, he bought me the one gift that carried me through my pregnancy......