Oscar had left for New York early that morning.

‘I’ll miss you, but I’ll cope,’ I’d said as he stopped for a moment and asked whether I was really feeling okay about him going off and not coming to The Baby Group, especially when my due date was getting so close. He had reassured me that his phone would stay on all night and he’d drop everything and come home immediately, if anything started to happen.

As he’d walked away from me down the hallway to retrieve his shoes, I’d watched his slightly gangly walk, and marvelled at how I’d ended up with a man so kind and considerate, albeit lanky.

Then he came back into the kitchen, shoes on, and gave me a peck. ‘See you in a few days – I’ll go straight to the office probably, I’m on the red eye. Proper kiss?’ He lifted my head to his lips. He was a good kisser. But I couldn’t press my body into his like I used to do when kissing him. I ran my fingers over the front of his trousers and he ran his over my bump.

‘I really wish I didn’t have to rush off this morning,’ he whispered.

And then we kissed again. When our lips pulled away, he was still holding my head in his hands. He fixed me with a look; a look of lust mixed with wonderment.

‘You’re having a baby!’ he cooed.

I smiled and shrugged. It was wonderful to see him genuinely engage with this pregnancy – a scenario I once feared would never happen. I pulled my chin from his fingers, conscious that time was ticking and I needed to get ready.

He hesitated. ‘Good luck today. WhatsApp me when you get out, tell me how it goes, and if there’s anyone you’re considering being friends with. I’ll be able to reply from the plane.’

After the break, Maggie tried to make us believe that the delivery of a baby through a surgical incision in the abdomen and uterus was a barbaric torture involving a long recovery process and thus should be avoided at all costs. I closed my ears and kept quiet for most of it, having already decided on an elective C-section. It was surprising how judgemental people could be about childbirth, when surely the aim was just to have a healthy baby, however it might be born. Half of me wished Oscar was here now; he would have struggled to keep silent and would likely have challenged Maggie on that. I wondered if there were any other secret caesarean sisters in the room. Carol’s expression had failed to give anything away all day, although my guess would be her as the most likely candidate.

During the afternoon break, I nipped to the bathroom, took the red lippy out of my prized handbag and topped up my lips with three strokes in the mirror. Perhaps Gucci had been a bit too fancy for today.

‘You’re so glamorous,’ said a quiet voice at the sink next to me. Lost in thought, I had barely noticed Aisha come out of the cubicle. She turned on the tap beneath her and we smiled awkwardly at each other in the mirror.