Mamahood

I’ve been seeing a lot of pregnant women lately and I can’t help but think, “Damn I don’t miss that.” But, even though I don’t miss being pregnant in general, I do get nostalgic about some things. Just a year ago I was getting big and uncomfortable (I gave birth on January 19). At this time, I was taking prenatal yoga classes and was about to start Bradley natural childbirth classes. Here’s my list of the good and bad things about pregnancy.

BAD

- Fatness. Duh.

- Worrying. All I could do was worry if my baby was healthy or not. Of course, my OB at the time didn’t help–I kept getting calls about testing positive for something that might mean by baby had a birth defect. From then on I declined all further testing. Some things are best not to worry about.

- Sickness. This subsided in the second trimester and was replaced with aches, pains, and a constant urge to pee.

- People touching my belly.

- Learning how Republicans only care about babies in the womb (and they only care about you not having an abortion). After birth, they could care less about your child. I’m still shocked at how anti-family this country is compared to other industrialized nations.

GOOD

- Quickening. Feeling my baby move and knowing he was okay and safe.

- Ease. Babies are much easier to contain when in the womb.

- Abundance of slaves. Most people are eager to accommodate a preggo.

- Introspection. Fall always motivates me. This year I’m motivated to organize my house and scrub my bathroom. Last year I was ensconced in books about pregnancy and holistic, natural birthing. I remember I’d spend each Sunday reading while my boyfriend watched football.

Pregnancy is a strange time. It’s a bizarro life where you’re a fat, hormonal version of yourself. Of course, it’s very beautiful, but all in all, I’m glad I have my (healthy) baby outside the womb.