DATED – 19th July 2017
Last night we had a terrific family time. We were expecting that Arpita should have delivered a couple of days back. But there were no signs – no cramps, no leaking of water in the womb. She was perfectly fine, smiling, hale and hearty! We chatted until 12:30am, and wanted to still carry on without sleeping. But we all needed rest.
As we went up in our room, it was about 1-1:15am when we slept. Around 3;30am, a felt a little shake in my body and heard a faint voice – ‘Buddy …. Get up. I think the water bag is leaking.” I immediately said – “Nothing has happened. Go to sleep. We will see the doctor tomorrow morning.” A firm voice came back – I said the water is leaking. Get up NOW. We must leave …..” The firm voice got me awake. We immediately picked up the bag we had packed for her.
Mom, Dad, Arpita and Me left for the hospital. The nurses immediately checked the hearbeats of both the babies. They couldn’t find one. It made us a little anxious. They simultaneously started preparing for her delivery. Dr. Sunita Lalwani came around 4:15am. She immediately did a sonography to find that both the kids heartbeats were fine. But the baby had turned from a head down position. Meaning a normal delivery was out of question. She summoned her staff to get ready for the C-section, which will be done at 5:30am.
Arpita was all smiles. A room was allocated. Around 5am, the nurses asked her to accompany them to the Operation Theatre (OT). She walked into the OT as if on a normal visit to a doctor. The yoga she did through her pregnancy had kept her health in best of conditions. Around 5:15am, the anesthesia doctor walked in the OT, followed by Dr. Sunita and Sanjay Lalwani’s 15 minutes later.
All of us anxiously waited outside praying that all should go well. Whether it was two boys, two girls or one each wasn’t important at all. What was important was – both kids and Arpita should be in good health.
About 20 minutes later, Dr. Sanjay peeped out of the door. He made a gesture for me to come to the door. A little scared, I walked near him. My mom-dad followed! He asked me – “Do you want a boy or a girl?” I was in no sense to give him any answer. He broke the news – “Elder one is BOY and younger one is a GIRL!”
Oh my God – is this for real? I am a father of twins! The excitement came out in form of tears that trickled down. This was one of the best news of my life. Mom-Dad and me hugged each other with tears in all six eyes.
Even now when I think of that moment when Dr. Sanjay broke the news, my eyes are filled with tears. What an unforgettable moment in life! WOW!
