“It was February 2020 when we found out we were expecting our first child, Zenna. We’d been looking forward to parenthood and the journey thereafter, so when we received the news, we were on cloud nine. The following month, there was a Coronavirus outbreak, and it got announced that borders will be shutting down for international travellers. What was our first reaction? We were scared. Excited. Anxious. Our initial days were filled with so much love, enthusiasm, and new conversations surrounding the baby, that it didn’t strike us how our family might not be present at the time of delivery. We were hopeful things would settle down in a few months, but travel restrictions started growing more crucial as the due date was approaching. My friend in Melbourne, who was also pregnant at the same time, was worried her folks wouldn’t be able to make it on time to Australia and she’d have to manage alone. We too decided to apply for my mom’s travel exemption which didn’t get approved despite having a valid visa. 

Once it got confirmed that our families would be missing out on meeting Zenna as a newborn, we braced ourselves for the big day. With the absence of hands-on help from loved ones, it got a bit wobbly, but at the same time, it changed us in so many good ways. It helped us bring out the best in our relationship. We allocated duties, communicated every anxiety, expectations and counted them tactfully. We started looking for baby essentials, attended zoom birthing and parenting classes, and our hospital bags were ready much in advance.

The cutback from seeing family, friends, and attending supportive engagements was distress, but we stayed connected through the screen. We got equipped with the best hospital services, where the doctors were extremely helpful, and the midwives were great.

The day Zenna was born opened the gates of gratefulness in a whole new way. One of the biggest lessons learned throughout this journey is that we can’t always control every aspect of our lives or the order in which it all happens. But we can cure the tides in our minds and manoeuvre all of the changes that arise from them.

Today we’re living our best lives. Zenna continues to keep us in awe each day. It has been the most humbling experience. Nurturing new roles have made us fall in love all over again.”