A labour of love: Five miscarriages didn’t deter this techie—either from motherhood or her mission

Smita Pradhan left TCS to counsel pregnant women about breathing, positivity, meditation, diet and healthy practices.

5 min readPuneUpdated: Feb 18, 2024 03:33 PM IST

“As a techie I have always guided my team to deliver, but never so literally!” smiles the 36-year-old, who turned her back on a well-paying career to take up counselling women from fringe and urban areas on how to have smoother and successful deliveries.

It’s 10 am and Smita Pradhan is ready to switch on her laptop and get onto a Zoom call. Only, this call is nothing like the former TCS techie has been used to. For the attendees are not teams working in an IT company, but women from rural and semi-urban areas, in various stages of pregnancy. “As a techie I have always guided my team to deliver, but never so literally!” smiles the 36-year-old, who turned her back on a well-paying career to take up counselling women from fringe and urban areas on how to have smoother and successful deliveries.

“Motherhood is a cherished destination for most women, but very often due to lack of knowledge and guidance the path to it becomes fraught with trauma,” says Pradhan. And she should know. For, despite having both support and enough exposure, the girl from Odisha, now settled in Pune, underwent five consecutive heart-breaking miscarriages.

“I have always been a very cheerful and positive person who never took stress over anything. My father comes from a farming background and worked at a bank which meant postings in interiors of the country. I studied in village schools and eventually did my B Tech in IT and landed my first job at TCS in Kolkata,” says Pradhan.

In December 2012 Smita married Rabindra, also a techie, and they shifted to Mumbai. On their first wedding anniversary in December 2013, Smita discovered she was pregnant. While it was earlier than they had planned the couple was overjoyed, as were their families. “Life was as smooth as it could be,” says Smita, who continued to work.

As she now revelled in the joys of her long-awaited motherhood, a deep desire to give back to the universe also took root. She left her job at TCS and decided to go into counselling pregnant women in the rural areas of Odisha. (Express Photo)

At sixth week, to their delight, the doctor made them listen to the baby’s heartbeat. At eighth week she had some bleeding and went for sonography, only to be told that the heartbeat was not there any more.

Numb with shock, she went through the D&C (the procedure to remove tissue from the uterus) almost mechanically. “A hundred thoughts raced through my mind from how the family would react to guilt to what pain my baby must have gone through as it breathed its last inside me,” recounts Smita.

In November 2014 Smita conceived again. As suggested by doctors, she had lost some weight in anticipation of this and now followed their advice to the hilt. She crossed the eighth and then 12th week marks. At 16th week, she was asked to come for a sonography and then informed that the baby is no more, due to oxygen deficiency. Incredulous, the couple ran to other sonography centres to recheck, but the verdict was the same. Smita underwent a medical termination of the pregnancy and learnt it had been a boy.

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She had been diagnosed by now with an autoimmune disease, hypothyroidism, and was overweight. The doctors put her on treatment. But luck was not on her side. Her next three pregnancies also ended in miscarriages.

“Logically I should have been a wreck. But by now I had a newfound strength.” Much of it came from the doctors she had begun to consult —Dr Meeta Nakhare in Pune and Dr Anita Kharat and Dr Vinita Salvi in Mumbai- who became her guiding lights. Smita had also begun to document her journey of pain and perseverance.

The sixth time Smita got pregnant she put into practise all she had learnt. “I kept a positive mindset, did breathing exercises, chanted and watched Masterchef! Despite hiccups like a bad fall in my sixth week, I progressed well. My family and colleagues supported me as always, with my mother coming down to be with me and my office allowing me to work from home. My husband of course was my greatest pillar of support right from the beginning.”

On July 18, 2019, Smita delivered a baby boy, preterm but healthy. “As I held him in my arms the moment was indescribable,” she says. They named him Shivansh, a name she had thought of from her first pregnancy, if it was a boy.

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As she now revelled in the joys of her long-awaited motherhood, a deep desire to give back to the universe also took birth. She left her job at TCS and decided to go into counselling pregnant women in the rural areas of Odisha. “I teach them breathing, positivity, meditation, diet and healthy practices,” says Smita, who is also called by gynaecologists in Pune to conduct these classes in their clinics. She has extended the services through online classes for urban women too and is looking to journey into rural Maharashtra. “Living on one salary is okay, not sharing what I learnt with other mothers-to-be is not,” says the lady, adding that she now has a whole new identity of a MOM—Mother On Mission.

Sunanda Mehta

Sunanda Mehta is the Resident Editor of The Indian Express in Pune. She is a distinguished journalist, columnist, and author with over three decades of experience in the media industry. Educational background: A merit-lister in her 12 th in CBSE (5th rank in Humanities) Sunanda stood first in History in the Board for which she was awarded the Dr Tarachand Gold Medal. She is a triple-graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (History Honours) from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, Bachelor of Education, Delhi University (on scholarship) and Bachelor of Communication and Journalism, University of Pune. Professional Background Role: As Resident Editor, she oversees the Pune edition of The Indian Express, managing local news coverage, investigative features, and editorial direction for the city. Author: She is an accomplished author, known for her biographies. Her notable books include: The Extraordinary Life and Death of Sunanda Pushkar published by Pan Macmillan (2019). The book was long-listed for the Atta Galatta award for nonfiction and Auther award for best debut author. Majestic Musings - Translation of poems from 100 year old Badshaian from Punjabi to English (2023) Behind the Big Screen- the untold stories of child actors published by Bloomsbury India (2024) Focus Areas: While Sunanda has reported on various subjects from civic to political to investigative and crime, her forte remains long-form human-interest stories, heritage and gender issues. Core Column: "Against All Odds" Sunanda curates and writes a signature series titled "Against All Odds," which profiles individuals who have overcome significant personal, medical, or professional challenges. Recent notable articles (2025) The Story of Dr. Harinder Dhaliwal (July 2025): A Pune AFMC topper who became a neurologist in Canada despite becoming paraplegic. Jayoo Patwardhan’s Cancer Journey (Jan 2025): How the National Film Award-winning designer defeated cancer. Partha Iyengar’s Emergency mid-air (Aug 2025): The story of how Gartner’s India head survived a massive heart attack during a long-haul flight. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reportage continues to explore deep personal narratives and Pune’s socio-environmental landscape: 1. Personal Narratives & Closure "'I grieved for him 10 years after his murder, found closure to unsolved case'" (Dec 14, 2025): A poignant feature on Vineet Alurkar, son of the late Pune music legend Suresh Alurkar, and how digitizing his father’s collection helped him heal. "A 40-day journey home: how Christopher Benninger's partner gave him the gift of memories" (Nov 23, 2025): A moving tribute to the late acclaimed architect Christopher Benninger and his final trip to the US. "'After 38 years I finally met my biological mother'" (Sept 28, 2025): Chronicling the journey of an adopted daughter from Zurich searching for her roots in Pune. 2. Civic & Heritage "'Vetal Tekdi belongs to common citizens'" (Oct 20, 2025): An interview with environmental activist Dr. Sushma Date on the community-led protection of Pune’s vital green lungs. "'Military village' Apshinge recalls living through war days" (Aug 12, 2025): A report from a village in Maharashtra where nearly every household has a member in the armed forces, focusing on their legacy and current anxieties. 3. High-Profile Commentary & Investigations "Malegaon blast acquittals: 'I was expecting this verdict'" (July 31, 2025): An interview with former special public prosecutor Rohini Salian following the controversial acquittals. "Grounded, license cancelled... she decided to soar higher" (March 30, 2025): The story of Dr. Harpreet A De Singh, Air India’s first woman pilot from 1988, and her transition to leadership and meditation. Signature Style Sunanda Mehta is known for her empathetic storytelling. Unlike standard news reporting, her features often read like narrative non-fiction, focusing on the psychological and emotional resilience of her subjects. One of her articles in The Indian Express titled 'The Quality of Mercy' was converted into a film Rubaru Roshini produced by actor Aamir Khan. She is a strong advocate for Pune's heritage and environment, frequently using her platform to amplify citizen-led movements. X (Twitter): @sunandamehta and @ExpressPune ... Read More

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