Me,Myself & My Son

Mumbai-based dentist Shibani Kumar is a single mum and has no qualms about it either. “It truly is not the end of the world,” she says. Despite a tumultous split from her then husband, she believes it worked out for the better, for both herself and her son Shlok

- KRISELLE FONSECA

We were dating for nearly a year when we decided to take our relationship to the next level. I was thrilled that things were working out exactly how I’d imagined. I’d met a great guy from a great family, my career was on track, and my parents were happy. What more could I have wanted? We had a big, fat South Indian wedding and I couldn’t have been happier. By the time our first anniversary approached, I was already four months pregnant. And that’s when things began to go south.

My then husband had just joined a new job. He started being a little distant, and I guessed it was probably the pressure of a new job, coupled with being a new dad that made him act that way. Our conversations were kept to the bare minimum. I craved the comfort and affection that everybody does during their pregnancy. To top that, I was diagnosed with hyperemesis which left me perennially exhausted—I was throwing up the whole day almost! So I sought solace in the one person who’s stood by me through thick and thin—my mother.

I think somewhere, the strain of our relationship took its toll on me majorly, and my son arrived almost four weeks prior to my due date. My beautiful, healthy baby boy had changed my life. Those initial few months were the toughest. Breastfeeding, mastitis, sleepless nights and a colicky baby—all of it was slowly getting to me. I felt like he was trying, but somehow he wasn’t around as much as I would’ve liked him to be. So I spent most of my time at my parents house where I had all the help I needed, and could easily catch a break.