Rina and Raju Dedhia had settled into happy matrimony a year ago. Thirty-year-old Rina, a financial analyst-turned-homemaker, and her 33-year-old software consultant husband are now expecting a little bundle of joy. The couple shares the highs and lows of their first pregnancy...

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR PREGNANCY?
She: I did a home pregnancy test. Incidentally, I had done the test twice before, but the results turned out negative. I did my second test just five days before the third one. So I was a bit apprehensive the third time. We had planned for a baby just a month before. And this time, when the result came positive, I was taken by surprise. I seriously didn’t expect it to click at first while I took the test. But after that, my entire life changed.

He: I will always remember that night when she came to inform me about the test. Rina preferred to keep the decision of taking the test as a secret, as her second test just five days ago was negative. She thought a negative result the third time might worry me, so she went ahead with the test without informing me. After she told me  that the third test turned out positive, I told her that three has always been her lucky number and so she got lucky the third time. To confirm the home pregnancy test, we rushed to the doctor the very next day. When the doctor confirmed the pregnancy, we were overjoyed. We were feeling on top of the world!

WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL REACTION AFTER YOU DISCOVERED THE PREGNANCY?
She: I still hold the memories of that night, close to my heart. With two negative results, it was hard to believe my eyes the third time. I closed my eyes, prayed to God, remembered my mum and then dared to see the strip. When I saw those two pink lines, I just could not believe it at once I was speechless and didn’t understand how to react. When the feeling of awe subsided, the next thing that came to my mind was, ‘How do I share this news with Raju?’. I was trying hard to come up with some very special ideas to break this news to him. But I was turning impatient with every passing moment. Finally, I could not wait so I went to him straight away and told him about the test. I waited for him to sink in, come back to his normal senses and then hugged him. It was midnight, but we rushed out of our room to inform the rest of the family as we could not wait till the next morning.

He: I was speechless when she told me. I just could not believe what I heard. I was zapped. I wanted to get pinched to believe that it wasn’t a dream. For the initial few moments, there was pin-drop silence all around us. Finally, when I sensed that everything said and heard was real, we hugged and kissed each other out of joy. And that moment brought tears to both our eyes. I kept on singing ‘Saala mein toh baap ban gaya!!!’ to myself the entire night and the line refused to leave my mind!

WHAT ARE THE CRAVINGS SHE HAS HAD DURING THESE MONTHS?
She: Till my second trimester, it was a smooth pregnancy without any cravings in particular. But thereafter, I developed this Pica syndrome where one has a strong affinity to eat weird things that are not consumed otherwise. I craved for chalk! I forced my mum to find a small piece for me every time the craving took over. When it became uncontrollable, I got a box for myself to counter my cravings. Believe it or not, I bit into the chalk pieces, chewed them and swallowed them! Initially I thought it could be due to calcium deficiency. But a consultation with the doctor revealed that my calcium levels were normal and such cravings do happen during these months, though very rare. I still have a box of chalk with me and eat a small portion of it daily!

He: There was no such food she craved for till her second trimester. One thing she preferred in her plate was roti, as it made her full. She liked to have rotis for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Lately, she has developed this craving to eat chalk. Although it annoyed me in the beginning, I eventually gave in to her cravings. 

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST EXPERIENCE SO FAR?
She: During my sixth visit to the doctor, he asked me, “Do you experience any movements inside?” And I was unable to answer this. Because, for the past few days, though I was experiencing something unusual happen within me I wasn’t able to recognise it as a kick or movement of the baby. That night, I almost felt like a message came from inside, “Yes Mamma, I am there inside and soon I’ll be entering  our big family. So keep waiting and I will make you realise my existence inside you soon.” Soon after, I started feeling the kicks. Now, whenever he kicks or moves, it turns out to be the best experience of my pregnancy. Today, when he kicks, he kicks so hard that my stomach literally starts to bounce! My niece and nephews at home simply enjoy the kick whenever they feel it. At times, they fight among themselves as to who will feel the kick first.

He: Ask any man who is about to be a father and you would get the same answer – that it’s feeling the movements of the baby. But during these nine months I could hardly experience it. Whenever I used to put my hand on the bump, the baby would stop kicking. I would always turn to Rina and say, “I have such an obedient baby, the baby never kicks me!” But of course, seeing those tiny feet and hands on screen during the sonography and then hearing the heartbeat makes me feel special and proud.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE WORST EXPERIENCE SO FAR?
She: With a life growing  within you, everything is a unique experience. You cannot call them best or worst experiences. I see my morning sickness, the frequent vomiting as a part and parcel of my pregnancy that will last till the end. And they are not troubles, they are the reminders you get at regular intervals that say ‘soon, we are going to have a tiny baby in our arms’. Of course, due to hormonal changes, there were mood swings too. But every time I was feeling low, Raju or my family members always tried to pep me up and those low phases are the most memorable ones today.

He: For me, the entire experience was fun. Except that I had to give an attentive ear to Rina each time she felt low. Though I don’t count it as my worse experience. Listening to her was the least I could do to ease her restlessness, but then I thought to myself , ‘do I have any or better option than that?”