Real Pregnancy Stories: 5 Mums Share Their Pregnancy Journey And It’s A Must Read

Nine months of pregnancy, extra body weight, morning sickness, and aches and pains are just a part of bringing a little one into the world. But it doesn’t stop there because pregnancy and childbirth not only change your body but your life as well. Besides learning to take care of a new baby and nursing their body back to health, some women also face postpartum depression. 

No matter how prepared you may be for your pregnancy journey, nothing prepares you like actually experiencing it. Each pregnancy is different and every woman experiences a different journey. BabyChakra spoke to five mums, who share their pregnancy experiences and give us an insight into what to expect when you are expecting.

Real Mums Share Their Pregnancy Journey In Their Own Words

These real pregnancy stories from real mums are an eye opener. 

1. Pooja Khanna

Advocate For Change for neurodiverse individuals

Mumbai

“In the 19th week of pregnancy, I started bleeding profusely and I did not know what was happening I was alone at home”

“As far as my pregnancy goes, I’ve had a lot of issues. In the earlier pregnancy that I had, I went into a miscarriage as my uterus was not aligned correctly to hold a baby. So my doctor suggested that I go through surgery to change the shape of my uterus and align it correctly to hold the baby for the next pregnancy.”

“I got pregnant a second time after that and when that happened, after a few weeks, I realised that I have an incompetent cervix and that was probably because of the surgery. I was continuously bleeding throughout my pregnancy in the first few weeks and I was advised some medicines and injections along with complete bed rest.”

“I took a lot of injections to make sure that were no other complications. I was on complete bed rest for seven months of my pregnancy and that took a toll on my body. I could not get up. My husband bathed me every day dress me up and put me in bed, my mom would take over once my husband went to work and give me food and take care of me. I watched a lot of movies, read books and stayed positive because those were seven hard months.”

“I figured different ways to entertain myself, listened to chants, spoke to my friends, watched series, caught up on my books and time just flew by. My daughter was born prematurely in the 31st week. In the 19th week of pregnancy, I started bleeding profusely and I did not know what was happening I was alone at home.”

“I called an Uber, went to the hospital got myself admitted and then called my family; my mum, dad and my husband. I didn’t call them before because I did not want them to panic because I would panic if they did.”

“I was told that the baby was okay but they needed to stitch me up, they stitched up my uterus to make sure the baby stayed intact. I received a lot of injections so that my daughter Nora developed her lungs earlier and not prematurely because they were hoping that I would stick to 37 weeks of my pregnancy. But that did not happen as she was born on the 31st week and she was born with a diagnosis as well. She has down syndrome, which took another toll but I knew I could handle that. I was extremely blessed to get the support throughout my pregnancy and I am grateful for the time I got during pregnancy to ponder over things.” 

2. Priyanka Menon

Author, copywriter, editor

Kochi

“A pregnancy after a miscarriage can be really nerve-wracking”

“A pregnancy after a miscarriage can be really nerve-wracking. Add the COVID-19 pandemic into the mix, and you’ve signed up for nine months of anxiety and constant worry. Soon after we learnt we were pregnant, the world went into lockdown. I couldn’t satiate any of my pregnancy cravings because there was no food delivery. And even if I cooked something for myself, by the time I would load it onto a plate,I would lose my appetite.”

“My husband couldn’t accompany me to the doctor appointments and scans. I remember being so nervous and afraid of the 13-week NT scan. In our previous pregnancy, it was during this scan we learnt that we’d lost our baby. After pleading with the radiologist, my husband was finally allowed to sit for the 20-week scan. It was such a beautiful moment. Our rainbow baby was healthy and so real!”

“In the sixth month, I moved to my parent’s place. My husband was posted to Mumbai. Because it was peak COVID, we decided it was best for me to be with my parents rather than worry about the hassles of shifting houses. Fortunately, I met the most wonderful gynaecologist in Pune, Dr Nina Mansukhani.”

“She allayed all my fears and made the last few months of my pregnancy so easy for me. She was able to understand just how isolating this pregnancy has been and was always encouraging me to exercise, eat well, and stay positive.”

“Because of our previous miscarriage and my hypothyroidism, I was expecting to not make it to 40 weeks. But we almost made it to week 40. Our rainbow baby was born three days before his due date. My husband managed to wrangle 2 weeks of leave, and I went into labour the same night he reached Pune. We even had a bit of a Rachel and Ross moment just before my pains began #IYKYK”

“The most important lesson I’ve learnt while being pregnant in the pandemic is that all things have their own way of working out in the end. Just remember, you’re carrying your silver lining with you!”

3. Ankita Sahani

Pre and postpartum fitness coach

Bangalore

“I attribute my healthy pregnancy to the religious walking that I did during pregnancy”

“I am a mom to a three-year-old daughter and work as a post-partum fitness coach, helping moms stay healthy and the fittest version of themselves during pregnancy and beyond. My focus is on helping moms strengthen their bodies and work on their mobility, be strong to take care of the babies and not so much on weight loss. Though weight loss is an offshoot of everything we do and a healthy BMI is a requirement.”

“But obsessing over weight loss soon after a baby or regretting the weight that one has gained during pregnancy is not healthy for the body and mind and that’s what I discourage.”

“My pregnancy journey was fairly smooth. I got pregnant in May 2019 and had my baby in Jan 2022. Of course, the hiccups of nausea, acidity, the growing baby and the aches and pains happened but largely it was pretty okay.”

“The only scary part was when I had dengue at 16 weeks of my pregnancy because I couldn’t take all the medications needed, as it would affect the baby. Barring that I was working out till the last day that I went into the hospital for delivery. “I attribute my healthy pregnancy to the religious walking that I did during pregnancy.”

4. Sujata Biswas

Entrepreneur, Owner Suta

Mumbai

“It was post my pregnancy when I had postpartum depression because of too much stress at work”

“I was pregnant when I was just two years into starting Suta, so there was tremendous pressure because everything was handled by me and my sister Taniya along with a small team. From the first month of my pregnancy till the last month I was shooting so was in front of the camera mostly.”

“ I did shoots even with my bump because we were just starting out and couldn’t hire a model. I did have a lot of aches and pains but that was manageable, I even travelled a lot during pregnancy.”

“It was post my pregnancy when I had postpartum depression because of too much stress at work to handle and my baby was the first baby in the family, I didn’t know how to handle it. I overcame it by talking to my family, it was a difficult phase managing work, a baby and my depression.”

5. Taniya Biswas

Entrepreneur, Owner Suta

Mumbai

“Till I got home from the hospital after delivery, I didn’t feel connected to my baby”

“I got pregnant in February 2020 and then COVID-19 happened immediately after that. We were eight people living in one small house. We had no help and did all the chores ourselves.”

“Even exercising during pregnancy was a challenge with so many people in the house, we would keep bumping into each other. Managing photoshoots for the company, getting little or no sleep so that we could run the company, we were also onboarding weavers around that time.” 

“We didn’t want the staff to worry about payments etc. We turned the house into a studio, we used different corners of the house for photoshoots. Even during childbirth, only my husband was allowed to be there at the hospital.

“The hospital was sort of empty and it felt weird. I had no pain etc. it was a normal pregnancy and delivery. But till I got home I didn’t feel connected to my baby, I didn’t feel like I was a mum to my baby.”

From physical recovery to emotional adjustments, pregnancy can be challenging but holding a lil’ one in your arms makes it all worth it.