It’s hard, it’s exhausting, it’s painful, enough to bring you to tears. But here’s the thing—I love being pregnant.
I know plenty of women who absolutely despise the 9+ months…the swollen feet, the restless sleep, the feeling like a beached whale. I get it. With a tiny human growing within you, it’s normal to be uncomfortable.
But I love being pregnant. As my daughter snapped this picture of me today, I didn’t see the flaws—I didn’t look for the dents and spider veins, or the 25lbs I’ve gained so far. When I see this picture, I see a woman basking in the pregnancy glow, confident and happy as she embraces her ever changing body.
Pregnancy has been no walk in the park for me. I’m a statistic, one of the millions of women who didn’t experience the perfect pregnancy and who would give anything to reach full term. I spent years facing the heartache of infertility, praying each month that the pregnancy test would finally be positive. After becoming pregnant, I faced the anxiety and fear as medical setbacks caused me to go into premature labor. And within two months, I experienced a parent’s worst nightmare—two of my triplets passed away.
I never planned on becoming pregnant again, the fear was just too much to handle. But here I am in the final weeks of carrying this bonus baby, and I couldn’t be happier.
I love being pregnant. Even during my previous pregnancy, I never complained. Maybe it’s because I know how lucky I am to be able to carry a child. So many women long to be pregnant, but infertility and other circumstances get in the way.
For me, each day that this baby stays tucked safely within my womb, I feel blessed. I was robbed of my previous pregnancy and my memories of the delivery room are filled with heartache, not the beauty of bringing a new child into this world.
Some women love being pregnant, others hate it. There is no right or wrong way to feel. One thing we can all agree on—growing, nurturing and delivering a baby takes so much strength. It truly is the miracle of life unfolding before our eyes.
So as the final weeks of my pregnancy unfolds, I plan to embrace my swollen feet and the sleepless nights. Soon I’ll be cradling a newborn baby, which makes the extreme challenges of pregnancy well worth the wait.
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