They take the baby so that they may fix me where they cut. They give me something that makes me sleepy, delivered through a mask pressed gently to my mouth and nose. My husband jokes around with the doctor as he holds my hand.
How much to get that extra stitch, he asks. You offer that, right? Please, I say to him. But it comes out slurred and twisted and possibly no more than a small moan. Neither man turns his head toward me.
The doctor chuckles. You aren't the first.
The Husband Stitch-Carmen Maria Machado.
Bhanupriya, 23, from Bengaluru, developed pain in the abdomen in the 36th week of pregnancy. "As I wore my gloves to examine if she was going into labour she wept, screamed and refused an internal examination," said Dr N. Sapna Lulla, lead consultant, obstetrics and gynaecology at Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru.
Bhanupriya was married to a sari merchant from Rajasthan. She said to Lulla that obstetricians like her are the reason for her trauma. "It was only then I comprehended what I was dealing with," said Lulla, who asked Bhanupriya to meet a psychiatrist.
Bhanupriya told the psychiatrist about the husband stitch, which was an additional stitch she was given following a vaginal birth. This was to enhance sexual pleasure for her husband. The tears that ran down Bhanupriya’s cheeks gave Lulla a peek into her emotional trauma. She refused a normal birth in fear of tightening the vagina to give her husband more pleasure during sex. It took a lot of effort and counselling and assurance to get her to agree to a normal vaginal birth,” the doctor said.
This story is from the February 05, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 05, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PEP'S CUBS
Pep Guardiola moulded two Ballon d'Or winners. And he had different methods for Messi and Rodri
She sets sail
While the number of women in the Indian maritime sector is growing, experts call for a safe and supportive ecosystem
Taking the sea ashore...
...and into space. Commander Abhilash Tomy's take on how lessons from sailing can be applied in diverse areas
FAIR WINDS
THE WEEK's Maritime Conclave 2024 saw movers and shakers from the sector talk about reclaiming India's ocean legacy
Leadership vacuum
With Palaniswami struggling to establish a hold over the AIADMK, calls for the return of expelled leaders grow stronger
ISI working with pro-Khalistan elements in Canada
Once celebrated as a land of opportunity for Punjabi immigrants, Canada is turning into no-go zone over allegations that violent crime, gang networks and extremism are gaining root in the country. As Canada comes under scrutiny from Indian officials who claim it has become a ‘safe haven’ for criminals and separatist elements targeting India, the outcome can have serious repercussions. India believes that Canada is harbouring dangerous individuals and groups with strong ties to organised crime and pro-Khalistan networks. Punjab has felt the consequences most acutely.
Return of the native
As Canada makes life difficult for immigrants, Punjab witnesses a reversal in brain drain and a possible change in political equations
Ladies first
Why the major parties in Jharkhand are going all out to woo women this election season
WOO AND WIN
Recent developments have split the Maratha vote. The party that better articulates its engagement with the community's concerns stands to benefit
Countdown to a north-south issue
Aastha Arora, India’s one-billionth baby, turned 24 on May 11. The world's eight-billionth babies will turn three on November 15. There were two claimants—one born in the Philippines, the other in the Dominican Republic.