The first thing she would do is check out her bump. She wore oversized cardigans and heavy coats during the winter anyway, and even if she had a bump it wouldn't show. Until she was able to figure out what to do, she decided she would remain non-committal. Imagine what would happen if she had a fake belly which failed her at a crucial moment. Meena shuddered at the thought of that incident. But, as she sat down in front of the talk-show host, suddenly, the bump appeared to fold in on itself. Beyonce appeared on an Australian TV talk show sporting her baby bump. Was she pregnant or was she faking it? And then, BumpGate happened. However, she appeared a couple of times on stage sporting a small bump. When singer Beyonce announced that she was pregnant, rumours began doing the rounds that she had actually hired a surrogate to have her baby.
Even while she was trying to decide what to do, Meena came across a Youtube clip of what the media had dubbed 'Beyonce's BumpGate'. So maybe she should also look at locally made bellies. This was nothing compared to the more than 100 to 200 pounds she would have to pay, per belly, if she were to get them from London. They cost only Rs 1000 for a set of three bellies simulating three, five and seven-month pregnancies or five, seven and nine month pregnancies. Radha (the doctor) told her about Hema Inamdar, a soft toymaker in Ahmedabad, who had now switched over to making artificial bellies. But the bellies from abroad were quite expensive. How do I go to the toilet if I have the fake belly on? The silicone fake tummies have poppers or hooks at the gusset that can be opened to allow for ease of access and wearability. This is for personal hygiene and health and safety reasons, as well as for the wearer's comfort. Should I wear underwear beneath my fake-pregnant belly costume prosthetic? Yes. This will also prevent fluff from sticking to the silicone surface. What can I do? A small amount of talcum powder can be applied to the surface of the belly to dull the shine a bit. She found the part about belly maintenance quite entertaining. Their website had an exhaustive and enlightening FAQs section. The skin colour could also be matched if required. What if they totally freaked out? The bellies marketed by an online UK store looked quite solid and life-like. She hadn't decided whether to tell her in-laws about the surrogate or not. As soon as she got back to the UK, after hiring her surrogate, she had started looking for prosthetic bellies. She had to decide very soon whether she wanted to use a fake belly or not. Back home, she rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out some brochures on prosthetic bellies. A woman who couldn't have a child was nothing as far as society was concerned. everything had come to naught because of her inability to reproduce. All her education, all the gold medals she had won for her academic prowess. There it was again, the importance of a functional womb. Of what use is that to me now? My womb earns more for me than my education did.' Meena's eyes filled with tears. 'The memsahib in the house, where my father worked as a driver for twenty years, made sure I got an education,' she said. Let me take care of Mini's education.' The younger woman looked at Meena squarely in the eye for the first time. 'I can never forget what you are doing for me.' She held her hand. How could she even begin to repay her for what she was doing? 'Alice,' she said suddenly, on an impulse. And, at the end of it, she was going to give Meena her most coveted possession - the baby. She was enduring all the physical pain and discomfort for Meena. Alice would have had to take hormone treatment. She had brainwashed herself so much into thinking of the woman's womb as just a container. Somehow, she had not imagined a surrogate would have morning sickness. But now that's over.' Morning sickness? Meena hadn't thought of that. What's there to take care of? In the beginning, I had several bouts of morning sickness. 'How are you feeling, Alice?' Meena asked. She sat cross-legged on her bed in the surrogate home with her little daughter Mini next to her. Until now, she had felt too embarrassed to even talk to the girl. By Gita Aravamudan Meena was having the first real conversation with her surrogate.