Starting A Family
#USA
Post#8
Starting a family :
Once I got something into my head it would be hard to convince me to do otherwise.
I was determined to waste no time to start and thereby complete my family before I turn 30.
Late April 1991 ,when I was 3 months short of my 26th birthday, I got a positive home pregnancy test . Both of us were elated. Within minutes of the test we dialed home to share the news with our parents.
My parents were ecstatic when they heard it. It was going to be their first grandchild. Girl or boy didn’t matter.
It was different on Abhay’s side. He is the youngest of 5 siblings and the eldest sister is 13 years older than him. Abhay’s mom had 6 grandsons by then; the oldest was 21 and youngest was 5, and she was proud of the fact that they were all boys. She was confident we would also have a boy !!
And exactly that was my fear ! I wanted a girl so badly that I was scared of the family’s trend of only boys ! I prayed to God “ Krishna, this family needs some change 🙏🏼🙏🏼“
As days went by the morning sickness kicked in. I couldn’t keep anything down. Barely ate some bread. The bread sticks from Olive Garden restaurant were something that I managed to eat without getting sick. So three times a day for several weeks Olive Garden bread sticks it was !!
Someone recommended an Indian origin lady obstetrician at the nearby Rush Medical Center/ St Luke’s Hospital. Got established with her and regular follow ups started. I would walk by myself to these visits because Abhay would be at work. The walk was quite comfortable in the early stages of the pregnancy . Also favorably it was springtime then. I weighed barely 110 pounds at the time and the forceful winds because of which the city gets its name Windy City could have easily flown me away . I remember having to hold on to some poles or benches on the street when the wind got too strong. Or “ Gone with the wind “ would take on a literal meaning 😀
There was an initial ultrasound,and then a few more. Baby’s growth was optimal each time. But whichever way the technician tried, the baby kept holding the thighs tightly together. Just couldn’t tell girl or boy. Not until delivery. Both my MIL and I held on to our hopes ( I knew her preference but never disclosed mine 😉)
Despite me being an avid fish lover,during that pregnancy I absolutely hated the thought of anything nonvegetarian, right until the delivery. Until then I used to think pregnancy cravings (dohale) are myths. But seriously I went the whole 9 months without touching meat which was simply unnatural for me. Fast forward 3 decades and my first born is a self committed vegetarian! I reverted back to my seafood love in no time after the delivery.
Since I am walking down memory lane I am trying to choose sarees that date back to those times and preferably ones that have connections to the particular post.
Saree for this post is a Madurai sungudi cotton that my younger mama had got from Madurai for my mom when I was doing my residency in Mumbai. She passed it to me because I was so fond of sarees. It remains one of my favorites.
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