It is hard to believe that we have delivered more than 15,000 test tube babies since the day we delivered Harsha. She has remained an integral part of my life and I am very happy for her today, said Hinduja.
The woman who was Mumbai's first test tube baby and India's second delivered her first child on Monday at Jaslok hospital. Harsha Chawda Shah (29), a Matunga resident, had made headlines on August 6, 1986, when pioneers in infertility treatment — Drs Indira Hinduja and Kusum Zaveri — delivered her in KEM hospital.
Harsha said, "I am on cloud nine. This is the best day of my life."
Co-incidentally, the team that performed the C-section on Harsha and delivered her baby is the same that had delivered her all those years back. On Monday, Hinduja didn't have the words to express her joy.
"It is hard to believe that we have delivered more than 15,000 test tube babies since the day we delivered Harsha. She has remained an integral part of my life and I am very happy for her today," said Hinduja.
Harsha's baby boy, who was conceived naturally, arrived at 10.30am, said hospital authorities. Harsha's husband Divyapal, a businessman, said he is excited to be a father. "I am very happy and can't wait to take Harsha and the baby home." The couple had tied the knot on May 14, 2012.
He added that Harsha was admitted to the hospital on Sunday. "During a routine check-up 20 days back, the doctors suggested sonography, which showed that the baby was upside down and she would require to undergo surgery. Since her delivery date was close by and we had the liberty to select a day, we decided today's day as it was auspicious," said Divyapal.
Hinduja said, "There is no reason why test tube babies cannot conceive normally. In Harsha's case, we had to do a C-section because it indicated a breach presentation."
Harsha is the first scientifically documented test tube baby in India. However, in 2005, Kanupriya Agarwal alias Durga from Kolkata, who was born in 1985, was recognised as the first test tube baby in India.
"Harsha's mother, Maniben, had suffered from tuberculosis, which had permanently damaged her fallopian tubes. She was desperate to have a baby; when we explained the new technique to her, she agreed to it immediately," recalled Hinduja.
Zaveri said, "We did the procedure and spent the next few days praying that it would be successful."
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