Sidharth lied in his bed thinking what all he had gone through during the whole day. He cursed himself for taking the challenge. He was more concerned about the next surprise task.

He literally couldn't sleep thinking what bigger bomb his wife is going to drop the next day. He looked at her sleeping like a baby.

His thoughts - You destroyed my sleep and now sleeping like a baby? Sleep baby sleep. I pulled off the previous tasks, I can excel in the final challenge as well. Why the hell did you have to keep it a secret? Argggh..

He was twisting in bed, changing his positions. Sana woke up for her mid night snack. He pretended to be asleep. She went to washroom first. He was noticing the frequency of her going to washroom was increasing day by day as her tummy was getting bigger and bigger.

She then went and opened the fridge door, he saw her with little gap of his closed eyes. She took out a Sandwich from it, unwraped and heated a little before she started gobbling it. The way she gobbled, it made him chuckle.

She stopped eating and looked at him and she understood that he couldn't sleep. She smiled.

Sana: Baby, are you scared of the next task? You didn't sleep at all.

Sidharth: Yeah, your surprises are killing me. (Sat up straight)

Sana: (thinks for sometime and then tells) Okay, since you couldn't sleep tonight, I will postponed the task for next weekend. I want you to rest.

Sidharth: Really? Thank you baby!

His thoughts - thank God, she has become so considerate. I think I can rest well before, I start the stressful task again.

She finished her eating, she cleans herself and gets into bed. Sidharth was snoring already. She smiles and kisses his stubble. He opens his arm automatically for her to lie on even though he was sleeping. She comfortably adjusts her in his arms and sleeps.

The next weekend arrives. It was Friday evening when Sidharth and Sana come to their palace from office. Sidharth freshens up and comes out of the bathroom when he finds his wife, grining at him. It wasn't a normal smile but it looked like a cunning and devil smile.

Sidharth's heart was beating a bit faster as he didn't know what she was upto but he definitely knew she was upto something. He felt scared to make an eye contact with her. But before he excused himself giving some excuse to escape, she spoke.

Sana: My dear hubby, ready for the next task?

Sidharth: Huh? So early? Our weekend just started.

Sana: Yeah, I know but weekend is what we decided right?

Sidharth: Hmm.. okay!! Fine!!

Sana: Baby, I got this silicon pregnany tummy made specially for you. You have to wear it for the whole weekend 24 hours a day. It has an average weight which a normal pregnant lady carries.

Sidharth looks at her in surprise.

Sidharth: 24 hours a day? What about my nature calls, bathing and sleeping time?

Sana: Yes baby, you have to wear it even during that time. It's waterproof. And no cheating, you have to promise me that since I know you never break my promises.

Sidharth thinks - She surely knows how to trick me. I was already plotting to remove it hidingly at bath time. She can read my mind. That's the disadvantage of marrying a smart wife and a perfect soul-mate.

He unbuttons his shirt and allows her to tie the huge dummy belly on his belly. Since it was silicon made, it felt and looked soft like skin, she tightens it to form a perfect grip.

Sidharth: baby, don't you think it's too tight?

Sana: (glares at him) So what do you want? It to hang and fall? It's a part of your body now so it needs to hug you tight to stay without falling.

Sidharth stands there grumping. Once it was done, he tries to button his shirt but he couldn't. He frowns.

Sana: That's the first experience of being pregnant women, unable to wear you favorite clothes.

Sidharth: So do you want me to roam without clothes displaying this dummy tummy?

Sana: Awww, you are already acting like a pregnant lady, my baby. (Pulling his cheeks) So grumpy and irritated!

She goes to her wardrobe and gets a new pair of clothes.

Sana: Here, take this baby, it's 4 size bigger than your normal clothes.

Sidharth: (smirks) You seem to have already got all the things ready to torture me.

Sana smiles. At first, Sid didn't have any difficulty in wearing the weight as he was used to carrying weights in gym. But as the minutes became hours, he felt irritated and uncomfortable. However, he chose to not show it to his wife as he was adamant to win the challenge.

He didn't move out of his room since, he didn't wanted his maid or servants to laugh at him. Mahesh kept the dinner trolly outside the room. Sana dragged it inside. It had all his favourite dishes. He was so happy looking at it.

The moment he started eating it, he couldn't eat it much because of the dummy weight. He ate less then half of his capacity. He grew more irritated now.

Sana: Baby eat, you have to eat twice the amount, for yourself and (touching his dummy belly) for the baby inside.

He gives her a "I'll eat you raw" kind of stare. She smiles. He wanted to pee but there were lots of things he couldn't do comfortably, one among them was attending to his nature calls. The belly troubled him as he found it difficult to undo his pants and re do it. He remembers the promise he made, so he couldn't cheat as well. He somehow finishes his peeing and comes out.

He goes to sleep, but due to weight he wasn't able to sleep straight, he turns to the side and sleeps but he couldn't sleep for long before he had to change the sides. He kept tossing in bed.

Sana: Sidharth, you are irritating me, sleep properly and don't shake too much, you are disturbing my sleep as well.

He had the urge of pulling his hair in frustration. Since the pressure on his belly was too much he had the urge to pee a lot more times than normal and everytime he visited the washroom, it was a daunting task to undo his shorts.

Sana wakes up and goes to washroom herself as usual. Once back, she finds Sidharth looking at the shelves in the fridge, she knew he would be hungry as he could only eat less for dinner. He pulls out pizza slices, heats it and she joins him in. Both gobble the pizza funnily as they were super hungry yet couldn't eat fully due to the tummy. This time Sidharth's smile was lost which he gave looking at her gobble funnily as he himself was in that situation.

He slept somehow only to wake up early morning with a lower back ache. Sana comes with a spray for the back ache and sprays it on his back. He looks at her and wonders how she understood that he was in pain. When he notices her lifting her shirt to spray on her back. His heart wrenched at the sight, he didn't know all this time what she silently went through during her pregnancy. He takes the spray from her hand and sprays it for her.

She smiles and gives him a hug. This happens until Sunday morning and Sidharth was irritated to the core but he didn't wanted to give up his challenge as well.

Sana: Okay Sidharth, it's time to get rid of this belly. I must say you are doing good!

Sidharth was so happy as she undid his fake belly and thinking he was done with the challenge. He stretched his body to relax.

Sana: So now that you have warmed up, lets start the actual challenge!

Sidharth: (shocked) What? Warm up?

Sana: Right Sidharth, this wasn't part of the task. Last weekend, I wanted to give you a direct task but the way you laughed when I gobbled my food, I thought you needed some warm up before you take the final test.

Sidharth heart raced thinking about the actual test after the so called exhaustive warm up session.

Sana: Get ready Sidharth, we are going outdoor for this task. (Kisses him)

Sidharth couldn't think straight and was wondering what is that outdoor task. He gets ready and Sana asks him to drive, giving instructions by looking at the gps map.

They reached the destination. They go inside the building and are greeted by a lady. Sidharth was still perplexed as to what was his wife upto. The lady escorts them to an isolated room. Sidharth looked around in amazement. There were some strange looking equipment kept on the table and there was a bed. His questions were about to be answered.

Lady: Hi Mr. Singhania, my name is Jalaja, I am an endocrinologist and today I will be assisting you to experience labor pain.

Sidharth's mouth opened wide and he looked at Sana in shock. Sana smiles and presses his hand, she whispers in his ears.

Sana: Surprise! Your final challenge task.

Sidharth felt like running away from there but he thought about the challenge and stood there like a statue.

Jalaja: Are you ready Mr. Singhania?

Sidharth gulped, Sana whispered again.

Sana: Baby you don't have to do it, you can give up if you want to and agree that girls do go through a lot of pain.

He looks at her and felt extra challenged now. He nods to the doctor in agreement.

Jalaja: Ok Mr. Singhania, you will have to undo your shirt and lie down on this bed. I will be placing this pads on your belly on various spots. There are 8 levels of labour, we will be starting with the lowest one and gradually increase the intensity of labour pain until the 8th level. If, at any time, you feel that you cannot handle it, just say the word 'Epidural' and I will stop it immediately.

Sidharth: Epidural?

Jalaja: It is actually a treatment when a lady who is in lot of pain during labour would be given as an anesthesia for you lower body, to stop feeling the pain. We cannot stop the procedure for the actual labour right? Until the baby comes out. But most of the ladies pull off without Epidural.

Sidharth nods and disrobes his shirt. The doctor stares at his mascular body. Sana saw that and cleared her throat to bring the doctor out of the trance.

Sidharth lied on the bed and the doctor placed the pads on his belly and lower belly areas.

Jalaja: The contractions happens in the lower belly.

Sidharth nods.

Jalaja: Lets test the machine first. let me know if you feel the contraction.

Sidharth nods having no idea what does the contraction feel like.

Doctor operates the machine and Sidharth flinches and says a F word!

Doctor stops and looks at him.

Sidharth: (makes a puppy face) Sorry!!

Jalaja: (smiles) I know that it will get worst as the level increases. Just don't forget the word 'Epidural'. And gradually breathe in and breathe out with your mouth. It helps!

Sidharth nods! Sana sits near his head and places her hand on his forehead, caresses it and kisses his forehead. She left the lipstick mark on it. It had two purpose, one to show her concern and love to him and second, to remind the doctor that he is hers and not to drool over him. She then held his hand in hers.

Jalaja starts the procedure.
- Level one, 10 minutes duration, he somehow tolerates it.
- Level two, 8 minutes duration, it's painful but still manages to tolerate.
- Level three, 7 minutes duration and he was already twisting his lower abdomen when he got contractions, yet pulls it off.
- Level four, 6 minutes duration and he pressed Sana's hand while twisting his lower abdomen

Sidharth: What's the level, Doctor?

Jalaja: Fourth, you are doing good, four more levels to go, most men give up at this stage.

Sana's face was full of tension looking him going through pain. She didn't expect him to go through so much.

Sana: Sweetheart, please give up, I won't taunt you even if you give up. I promise. (Pinches the skin on her neck)

Sidharth: No, let me do it Sana. I want to see, how much I can take and how much you go through.

Jalaja smiles and Sana places another kiss on his forehead just to appreciate him. Sidharth pulls his hand out from Sana's hand and Sana feels dejected.

Sidharth: Baby, sit far, I don't want to hurt you or our baby unknowingly.

Sana was in tears now. She pulled the chair and sat a bit far.

Level five, 6 minutes duration. Sidharth was sweating, and yelling whenever the contractions came. He squeezed the mattress by holding it in his hand.

Level Six, 5 minutes duration. His legs were shivering not out of cold but out of pain. This was just out of control. Tears escaped his eyes unknowingly though he wasn't sobbing.

Level Seven, 4 minutes duration. He was punching the bed, using every swearing words in his dictionary. He twisted his legs. He noticed that the durations were longer and the gap between the contractions were lesser. It was intolerable.

Sana: Baby breathe in gradually and breathe out through mouth. Remember Epidural is the word. (She was sobbing like a baby looking at him)

Level eight, 3 minutes duration. He almost felt like fainting out of pain. He didn't have any control over any of his body parts, he was literally abusing unknowingly. His mind was just not in his control. The bed on which he lied was asking for mercy as he punched it harder and harder.

Sana: Baby breathe, breathe!!

Sidharth: Jusssst Shuttttt uuuupp..!! That doesn't heelllpppp!!! (He yelled)

Sidharth was trying to remember the word he had to say. He just couldn't remember it. After putting a lot of pessure on his brain finally he remembered it.

Sidharth: Epiii..(before he completed the word)

Jalaja: Congratulations Mr. Singhania, you just delivered a baby!!

The pain had stopped but he couldn't feel his lower body. He just couldn't remember what all he said when he was going through the pain but he knew for sure that he must have used a lot of abusive words.

Jalaja: (removes the pads) Just lie down for sometime. You just delivered a baby, you need few minutes before you get up and start moving.

Sana came closer to him and wiped his tears, while hers just didn't stop flowing down her cheeks. He looked at her. She was a mess, her mascara and eyeliner was all smudged and spread all around her eyes and cheeks.

Doctor excuses herself for 5 minutes to freshen up. The moment the door closes, Sana leans an kisses him all over his face and this still naked stomach.

Sidharth: I am fine baby. Stop crying!

Sana: I am sorry. I am so sorry Sidharth.. I know am very bad wife..

Sidharth: (hugs) No sweetheart, you are not! There is no one in the entire universe who could love me as much as you do. I am so lucky to have you. Now, go and wipe your face. (Hits her on her head slowly)

Sana smiles and makes her way to washroom. He gets up an wears his shirt.

Doctor enters the cabin.

Jalaja: That was good Mr. Singhania. You volunteered to go through the pain your wife would experience in few months.

Just to add Mr. Singhania, this is still not the 100% of pain you went through today. It was just around 50 minutes of labour pain. In actual the labour pain lasts for 8 to 18 hours.

Women go through menstruation, where you get similar mild contractions or cramps every month for atleast 3 days.

Also as your wife, would start her 3rd trimester, she will have hip pains as the bones and muscles loosen up as a process of getting ready for normal birth. And during the delivery, they also often get stitches due to perineal tears in the vaginal area.

The pain doesn't cease here, post pregnancy, when they nurse their child they get lot of pain everytime the new born sucks the milk. Not to forget those sleepless nights and unlimited diaper changes.

Sidharth was speechless. He stood there listening to her with all ears and heart. He didn't knew all this his entire life and wouldn't even had come to know if he hadn't experience a little pain he went through in the name of challenge.

Sidharth: Thanks doctor for this. I would put all possible efforts to make my woman comfortable for the rest of my life. And I am really very sorry for all the abusive words I might have spoken during the procedure.

Jalaja: Not a problem Mr. Singhania. We are habituated to this. Mrs. Singhania will be the luckiest lady to have you in her life.

Sidharth: I think its the other way round, I am the luckiest here, Doctor.

______________________________

Kudos to all the women reading this chapter. I myself am the mother and whatever I wrote here about the labour process, its out of my own experience.

I call the ladies "Tigress" because they wear the strips on their belly for giving birth to the life. Those stretch marks are our pride!!

To all the men, reading this, you compliment your counterpart and true man is one who understand what she wants and guides her.

♥️♥️♥️