This Mother's Day was the first Mother's Day I was able to celebrate my mother AND being a mother. Its pretty incredible. Some may think I'm not a mother yet. But I disagree. My child has a beating heart, a functioning brain, and is by all accounts alive. My child is fully dependent on me and as this child's mom, I have the responsibility to nourish and care for this child the best way I can!
As I enter into my second trimester, my excitement is hardly containable- I AM A MOTHER! A HUMAN BABY IS GROWING MY BODY! The natural, beautiful, and ever challenging journey of pregnancy is experienced differently by everyone. Which is why I thought, hey, what the heck- this is my first child. Why not share my experiences.
But first, I should probably start off by saying, yes, we were trying to have a child, our baby was planned. I praise the Lord every day for allowing us the ability to get pregnant. It is not something I ever want to take for granted. Many women do not get the opportunity to have a child. Some women struggle to have children. I'm not sure why God allowed us this great opportunity, but I'm so grateful. I think these two are thinking "What the heck is about to happen?." My guess is that they aren't quite as excited as we are.
I have two goals in this pregnancy. First, grow a healthy a baby and second, try my best to remain positive and have a joyful attitude. I want to look back on my pregnancy and see joy and growth- spiritually, mentally and emotionally. While there are things about the pregnancy that can easily be seen as dreadful, inconvenient, or as though we are in bondage to this child, there is also a shift in perspective that can make those same things be seen as joyful reminders that God has given us a child to care for.
It is all about perspective.
Now, I'll be honest, I've had a pretty easy pregnancy so far. My first weeks after becoming pregnant I was constantly nauseous, I felt like wearing a bra was torture, and I didn't want to eat ANYTHING but pickles and salt and vinegar chips. Andrew and I decided that we would cut out processed foods, artificial flavors and colors, as well as preservatives for the health of our baby. That being said, even foods that may have sounded good, were off limits. But I wasn't constantly sick or bedridden.
At about week 9, I started vomiting pretty much daily and my food aversions became even stronger than before. Food I once loved made me sick: foods like chips and salsa, Chipotle, Chickfila, and dark chocolate, just to name a few. From the beginning, I was always exhausted, took frequent naps, and slept in. I could hardly make it a full 4-5 hours without needing to relax and take a nap.
It really wasn't so bad. I've heard of women who had it much worse than I did. Now, it wasn't exactly pleasant, but it wasn't awful and after reading that "morning sickness" was a sign of a healthy pregnancy, I "welcomed" the nausea and decided not to see it as a "side effect" or inconvenience, but as the beautiful reminder that my body is growing a child. It was especially welcomed when I wasn't quite showing yet and didn't look pregnant. Sometimes, and I know this is weird, as I was running to the bathroom to throw up my dinner, I would smile and thank God for our baby. I promise it wasn't like an everyday thing, my smiling as I'm about to vomit, because let's be real, throwing up is one of the worst feelings in the world. Even still, I decided to change my perspective. Through prayer for this child and realizing that this child was a gift from God, my perspective actually shifted. It wasn't just something I said to myself to make me feel like pregnancy was worth the end result. Pregnancy isn't just a means to an end, it is a time that can and should be enjoyed!
I've also been so blessed to be surrounded by wonderful friends who have already started showering us with gifts.
One of the first gifts I received was this devotional from our friends Mel and Stephen. If you are pregnant, or have a friend who is- get them this devotional. It is perfect.
We have friends who have already begun praying for us, a necessity. I've been blessed with a wonderful husband who is so excited about our baby. He serves me so well and doesn't complain when I ask for back rubs, don't cook dinner, or do anything, really- he serves me and loves me so well. We have a supportive family who has supported our decision to not birth in a hospital, but a birthing center so we could have a water birth. They have supported us in our non-conventional birthing choices, even if they don't agree with it. Our birthing center, Baby+Co, has been absolutely fantastic to work with so far and their staff and midwives are so friendly and helpful.
So, to all of the moms, new moms, pregnant moms, spiritual moms, and hopeful moms- thank you. This world wouldn't be the same if you weren't around to sacrifice for your children. Our children are precious gifts from God and we should strive to continue to change our perspective to reflect that fact. I know this will not be an easy change, and I'll have to constantly seek God's mercy in my life in order to keep this joyful perspective.
As my pregnancy continues, I'll do my best to keep this updated, but I'm not making any promises!
I have two goals in this pregnancy. First, grow a healthy a baby and second, try my best to remain positive and have a joyful attitude. I want to look back on my pregnancy and see joy and growth- spiritually, mentally and emotionally. While there are things about the pregnancy that can easily be seen as dreadful, inconvenient, or as though we are in bondage to this child, there is also a shift in perspective that can make those same things be seen as joyful reminders that God has given us a child to care for.
It is all about perspective.
Now, I'll be honest, I've had a pretty easy pregnancy so far. My first weeks after becoming pregnant I was constantly nauseous, I felt like wearing a bra was torture, and I didn't want to eat ANYTHING but pickles and salt and vinegar chips. Andrew and I decided that we would cut out processed foods, artificial flavors and colors, as well as preservatives for the health of our baby. That being said, even foods that may have sounded good, were off limits. But I wasn't constantly sick or bedridden.
At about week 9, I started vomiting pretty much daily and my food aversions became even stronger than before. Food I once loved made me sick: foods like chips and salsa, Chipotle, Chickfila, and dark chocolate, just to name a few. From the beginning, I was always exhausted, took frequent naps, and slept in. I could hardly make it a full 4-5 hours without needing to relax and take a nap.
It really wasn't so bad. I've heard of women who had it much worse than I did. Now, it wasn't exactly pleasant, but it wasn't awful and after reading that "morning sickness" was a sign of a healthy pregnancy, I "welcomed" the nausea and decided not to see it as a "side effect" or inconvenience, but as the beautiful reminder that my body is growing a child. It was especially welcomed when I wasn't quite showing yet and didn't look pregnant. Sometimes, and I know this is weird, as I was running to the bathroom to throw up my dinner, I would smile and thank God for our baby. I promise it wasn't like an everyday thing, my smiling as I'm about to vomit, because let's be real, throwing up is one of the worst feelings in the world. Even still, I decided to change my perspective. Through prayer for this child and realizing that this child was a gift from God, my perspective actually shifted. It wasn't just something I said to myself to make me feel like pregnancy was worth the end result. Pregnancy isn't just a means to an end, it is a time that can and should be enjoyed!
I've also been so blessed to be surrounded by wonderful friends who have already started showering us with gifts.
One of the first gifts I received was this devotional from our friends Mel and Stephen. If you are pregnant, or have a friend who is- get them this devotional. It is perfect.
Bethany, my best friend and the awesome photographer who took our announcement pictures got us these sweet gifts. Again, my friends know me so well.
So, to all of the moms, new moms, pregnant moms, spiritual moms, and hopeful moms- thank you. This world wouldn't be the same if you weren't around to sacrifice for your children. Our children are precious gifts from God and we should strive to continue to change our perspective to reflect that fact. I know this will not be an easy change, and I'll have to constantly seek God's mercy in my life in order to keep this joyful perspective.
As my pregnancy continues, I'll do my best to keep this updated, but I'm not making any promises!
