#Mumswithoutbabysitters: Prerna Lodaya Shares Her Story

Hailing from a small town gives you the wings to fly high in whatever field you intend to take up. It gives you a fighting spirit, and you emerge victorious in each task. This defines my family and me till now.

I am Prerna Lodaya, a mother of three-year-old twins--a boy and a girl. In my 20s, before I got married, I was raring to go, destined to make a difference in my life. I left my hometown in 2005 after earning an honours degree in textile engineering. I moved to Mumbai--where I stayed with my relatives--to pursue an MA in mass communication.

Mumbai is the city of dreams, and once you surround yourself with tall promises,  there is no way to get out. This happened with me too. I began my career at Infomedia 18 as an editorial executive in 2007, while I continued pursuing my post graduation. I learned about personal and professional growth, and even found my life partner at work.

Cut to the present. After receiving positive appraisals year-after-year, no one can imagine shifting gears and deciding to stay at home. I did that, because I wanted a positive appraisal in my personal life too. I was going to be a mother. Well, this just doesn’t come so easily. As the news broke that I was carrying twins, I had mixed feelings. Should I be elated, or sad--managing twins is no mean feat!

Right from the birth of my kids, we were unable to find a suitable maid, and from then on, my mother-in-law and I manage the kids, the house, and an invalid grandmother-in-law. My mother-in-law is a yoga teacher, and she resumed her classes 40 days after the birth of my children. And I, a journalist, started working from home 15 months later.

Yes, initially there were hiccups in terms of convincing my employers, as well as managing the changes at home with work. The decision to start working after a year was logical, because before this period, I couldn’t imagine life beyond pee, poop and breastfeeding.

Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to finding one of the best employers, who trusted me and let me manage the magazine from home. My mother-in-law was extremely supportive and watched the kids in my absence.

Now, everything happens at its own pace, as the kids are three years old and go to one of the best IGCSE schools in Mumbai. They learn and perform activities of their choice, and come back home happily, at around 4.30 pm. I get enough time to manage work, family and kids; it has been a ritual of sorts, and I can’t really think of a day without any of these. When they sleep, I go back to work, as I do writing this blog at 11 pm.

Women are the best multitaskers, and they know the value of time and efforts. In every walk of life, you will meet at least one such woman who is doing more than one task with perfection, and that’s how we have all been conditioned.

That’s the power of being a woman. Saluting the spirit of womanhood, and aiming to become one of them, I plan to start something of my own one day. This will give me another identity--that of a satisfied soul!

Do you have a #mumswithoutbabysitters story? Share it with us in a short post. Mail it to karuna@sheroes.in  Share your pics, videos, and stories with the hashtag #mumswithoutbabysitters and we will send a copy of Babies and Bylines to the most popular stories.