Our little one had become the centre of our universe from the day he arrived. He was without a doubt the most important part of our lives. I didn’t want to leave any stone unturned in caring for him. At the same time, I didn’t want him to be the reason for any sacrifices. Nurturing my son was to me an added responsibility but not a reason to give up on my dreams and ambitions. Such sacrifices could lead to bitterness and I wanted none of that. So while my daily routine changed completely after the baby, I made it a point to focus on myself too. I didn’t have the luxury of a long maternity leave as I had to keep my business running. But at the same time, I had tons of flexibility as I was my own boss.

During the first month after my son was born, I used to quickly run to work for an hour or two to check on things at the studio while the baby was sleeping. It took a lot of meticulous planning to make it all happen. I planned all my designs at home, give instructions over the phone and give specific requests for what needed to be ready during my quick visits. I used to finish up a few important tasks and run back home before the baby woke up for his next feed. Having my studio just 5 minutes away from home was such a blessing. In fact, my husband insisted on keeping the distance in mind while choosing the studio property 2 years before the baby even arrived. I couldn’t be more glad that he did! When you are a new mom running a creative and challenging business, any time saved is important.

As a Designer, there’s only so much work you can get done over the phone. All the work is personalised to suit the client’s tastes and it’s hard to get things done without being physically present. Also, designs continue to evolve from one stage to another and they need constant tweaking. I had to really get creative if I wanted to be around at work and my baby as well. I was lucky to have all the resources and support I needed to make that happen. So from the second month onwards, I made all the preparations to take my little prince to work with me.

It was an awesome project converting parts of my studio into a play area for my son. Half of my office was transformed into a colourful nursery, looking so bright and cheerful. It was so much fun to work with him in the room. Also a lot more convenient and less stressful than running back home just to make sure he’s fed on time. I could easily feed him every two hours at the studio itself and get back to work right away. When he was awake and playful, I used to show him colourful fabrics with different textures. I remember how he used to fix his gaze and stare at the different colours for long. The colours and textures were extremely stimulating for him at that age.

As he was growing up, we continued to add on to the fixtures at the studio. We got another crib, playpen, swing and so on near my office. We even made a small sand pit, a water tub, a maze, see-saw, slide – it was like a mini park in the backyard of the studio. There was enough and more to keep him engaged and happy. And what kept him comfortable made my job easier too.

My client meetings also end up being quite amusing with Dheva either crawling or swinging around making cute and funny sounds. None of them ever had an issue with having him around in meetings, in fact, some of them used to come back just to see him. It’s strange how some of the things we might worry about turn out to be just the opposite, in a good way!

One other aspect of my life that was very important to me was fitness. I really wanted to get back into the routine that I had after the break for 12 weeks. It didn’t really feel that new to me as I had trained through most of my pregnancy. I was obviously taking it slow in terms of both duration and intensity. I first started with 3 days a week and slowly went to 5 days a week. It took a couple of weeks but my stamina and endurance were back to the pre-pregnancy levels soon. I also felt like I was lactating better after I starting my regular workout regime. On the whole feeling a lot happier and in control, exercise always does its magic.

Life had changed. But continued to just get better each day. The joy that a child brings into your life is unparalleled. Add to that the feeling of being content with yourself as a parent and as an individual was wonderful. I always knew I didn’t want to have any regrets as a mother. At the same time, I didn’t want to discount myself or my relationship with my husband and other family members. I made it a point to create situations to work around the stage of life I was in rather than compromising on anything that was important to me. Nothing stopped, but things kept moving along with my baby as a part of them. The most eventful year of my life was in front of me and I was feeling nothing short of fit, fashionable and fabulous.