Suddenly Married!

Couvade Syndrome

"Ed, what's wrong?" anna asked when she saw Edgar in a hurry to go to the bathroom. 

It has been three weeks since Anna was reported to be pregnant, now the gestational age is six weeks. Anna seemed fine during her first pregnancy, only Edgar was troubled.

Edgar washes his mouth with water in the sink, then exits the bathroom. "Today my stomach is not good" said Edgar, sitting next to Anna. 

"You're throwing up again?" 

Yep. Yesterday morning Edgar was nauseous and now he is. I don't know what happened to her, but this was the first time she felt her stomach was so strange. 

"It's still morning, but my energy is drained" said Edgar. His face was slightly pale after his return from the bathroom. 

"How about we call Dr. Bryan? Looks like you're gonna have to get checked out, Ed."

"Not now, Anna. I'm almost late for college. Today there's a regular lecturer meeting, I have to go there immediately." Edgar could not delay his work just because of nausea. He's a man, would do very well if he lost to his pain which is said to be nothing. 

"Must now! If you don't comply with my wishes, then I won't allow you to sleep in this room!" threaten Anna. Edgar is an overprotective guy, he wouldn't want to sleep apart with Anna.

Edgar muttered for a moment, he could not understand why Anna could threaten him with those words. "I'm gonna call Dr. Bryan right now" he said quickly. 

Anna's smile expanded instantly. Health is the most important thing and should not be underestimated. Because healthy is expensive.

Anna pecks Edgar's cheeks at a glance. "So much better, hehe."

Edgar picks up his phone on the table and calls Dr. Bryan. He was forced to be absent from the meeting because he had to be examined for his health. 

Sometime later, Dr. Bryan came up with his set of medical devices. The middle-aged man examined Edgar with a stethoscope and pressed down on Edgar's stomach at some point. 

"Your body is fine, there's nothing weird about it when I go through it" said Dr. Bryan. 

"That's weird. Didn't you misdiagnose? These two days my stomach is very uncomfortable and I always feel nauseous in the morning" Edgar explained. He doubts if Dr. Bryan mis-examined him. 

"You're just sick in the morning? What about other times?"

Bryan's doctor seemed to know something, but before he started telling Edgar and Anna, he had to ask one thing for sure. 

"Yes, I'm just sick in the morning. My waist hurts too."

For someone who always exercised until his abdominal muscles were formed, Edgar felt astonished because he had a backache. He often exercised and he was young, he could not have a sudden backache if there were no problems with his health. 

"I think you're having morning sickness."

"Morning sickness? Doesn't that happen to pregnant women?" Edgar was shocked. He's a man, where maybe he's experiencing morning sickness symptoms. 

"Morning sickness is one of the symptoms of couvade syndrome. This condition is considered to be a sympathetic pregnancy in which a husband has worries about becoming a father."

"My wife's pregnant, but I'm having morning sickness?" edgar muttered while shaking his head.

Perhaps this was the answer to why Anna never became nauseous in the morning. It seems that Edgar replaced Anna to experience morning sickness which is very torturous for pregnant women. Morning sickness occurs in 80% of pregnant women and it seems like Anna is part of the 20% who does not experience those symptoms. 

"When will these symptoms appear?" ask Edgar. 

Edgar took a long breath. It seemed like he had to start getting used to the nausea that attacked him in the morning. 

***

Anna chuckles as she recalls Dr. Bryan's explanation of Edgar's couvade syndrome. She thought, was Edgar so worried about her pregnancy that she had the syndrome? It's so unbelievable. 

"You why?" grace asked as she raised one eyebrow up, she was astonished to find her friend chuckling to herself. 

"I was laughing at Edgar. My husband had morning sickness in my place."

"so apparently. I've heard that a husband can experience morning sickness when his wife is pregnant, but I never thought that Professor Edgar would."

Who would have thought if a lecturer who is famous for cold can experience morning sickness? Grace couldn't even imagine it. 

"Yes. Morning sickness is a part of Couvade syndrome. He said Edgar was having it because he was too worried about my pregnancy and because he was going to be a father." 

"Kofad syndrome or something, but I feel sorry for Professor Edgar for having to experience it. He must be very tormented." Because to the knowledge of Grace morning sickness is very torturous, pregnant women always complain about it. Especially if it happens to men? 

"Hn, you're right! I shouldn't have laughed at that." Anna lowered her head for a moment, she regretted not thinking about Edgar's morning sickness. "Oh yeah, what about the development of your love with Professor Kevin?"

It's been a while since Grace said she was going on a second date with Kevin, but Anna hasn't heard any stories from her friend.

Grace took a long breath. "Nothing special. I will date her one more time and confirm her feelings for me. Professor Kevin is nice, he always follows my wishes on a date. But ... I don't know what she feels for me, Anna."

Anna wants to understand Grace's feelings, but can't. She has never felt as complicated and ambiguous as Grace because she and Edgar were aggressive.

Aggressive? think Anna. 

"Why don't you act aggressively, Grace?" chirps Anna calling out her thoughts. 

"Whatchu mean? I've asked Professor Kevin out on a date first and even dominated our dates. Am I not being aggressive?"

What else should Grace do? How could she suddenly kiss Kevin or take him to bed together? Oh, it seems that it's too much and very unlikely for him to do. 

"Yes, you can kiss her first. If Professor Kevin returns your kiss, it means he likes you." Anna said it was because she had experienced it when Edgar kissed her suddenly on the playground. Although it was very sudden, Anna enjoyed it and returned Edgar's kiss. 

"I thought you were going to say that, Anna. But I can't do it!"

"Why? You can do it!"

Grace may be able to do it, but she is afraid that Kevin will turn around to hate and stay away from her. The action suggested by Anna was too risky, she did not want to do that. 

"I'm not forcing, just suggesting. But, when are you going on a third date?"

"Maybe saturday tomorrow. I haven't talked to Professor Kevin about this." 

If Anna were the goddess of love who could control how people feel, she might help Grace and Kevin come together. 

"Hopefully your feelings are reciprocated, Grace." Anna patted Grace's shoulder slowly. His gaze was then shifted to someone special in his heart - Edgar, the man had just walked out of the meeting room. "Ah, that's Edgar and Professor Kevin ...."