Thoughts On Childbirth
I'm in Phase 3. What are the phases, you ask? I'm talking about the phases of Apprehension of Childbirth for Been There Done That (BTDT) Moms. I made these phases up myself.
Phase 1: You find out that you are pregnant. There are lots of emotions and thoughts. You imagine life with 2+ kids. You're picturing your current child(ren) with a younger sibling. You're starting a list of baby names. You're gagging at the smell of freshly-brewed coffee. And somewhere, in the back of your mind is the thought, "This baby is going to have to come out of me" but that time is so far away that you can pretty much ignore it.
Phase 2: Skip ahead to about 6 or 7 months pregnant. You're not too uncomfortable yet, but you can feel your child. You're starting to realize in a greater capacity that you're going to have to give birth again. You go on playdates and start bringing up birth stories with your friends. Because you're in the thick of it, you recall details such as, 'water broke,' '5 centimeters,' 'and then I lost my cookies,' 'pushing,' 'stitches,' and the dreaded 'uterus massage from the nurses.' Your friends nod, wide-eyed, and give their versions. But it's not the same for them because most of them are not pregnant, so they are still in that innocent and ironic phase of childbirth amnesia that the Lord grants us. They may recall their children's birth stories to some extent, but until you're faced with actually having to do it again, the details of the process seem a bit hazy. But you yourself have a very real moment of self-actualization about this whole thing and know that in 2-3 months your friends may well be sipping margaritas poolside while you're doing 'something akin to doing the splits on a keg of dynamite' (to quote Gilmore Girls).
Phase 3: Around 8 months pregnant, you just don't care anymore. You want to meet this kid. You want his feet that have been lodged in your ribs- well, OUT of your ribs. You want to know if the heartburn really has caused hair. You want to be able to roll over in bed without waking up each time. You want to put in a pair of pants that doesn't have elastic in the front. 9 months gestation was really a very appropriate timeline. You know that childbirth is going to be hard but you're somehow ready for it. You'll grit your teeth and pray for grace and do your best!
I'm in phase 3!! Come on, Baby P! :)
Phase 1: You find out that you are pregnant. There are lots of emotions and thoughts. You imagine life with 2+ kids. You're picturing your current child(ren) with a younger sibling. You're starting a list of baby names. You're gagging at the smell of freshly-brewed coffee. And somewhere, in the back of your mind is the thought, "This baby is going to have to come out of me" but that time is so far away that you can pretty much ignore it.
Phase 2: Skip ahead to about 6 or 7 months pregnant. You're not too uncomfortable yet, but you can feel your child. You're starting to realize in a greater capacity that you're going to have to give birth again. You go on playdates and start bringing up birth stories with your friends. Because you're in the thick of it, you recall details such as, 'water broke,' '5 centimeters,' 'and then I lost my cookies,' 'pushing,' 'stitches,' and the dreaded 'uterus massage from the nurses.' Your friends nod, wide-eyed, and give their versions. But it's not the same for them because most of them are not pregnant, so they are still in that innocent and ironic phase of childbirth amnesia that the Lord grants us. They may recall their children's birth stories to some extent, but until you're faced with actually having to do it again, the details of the process seem a bit hazy. But you yourself have a very real moment of self-actualization about this whole thing and know that in 2-3 months your friends may well be sipping margaritas poolside while you're doing 'something akin to doing the splits on a keg of dynamite' (to quote Gilmore Girls).
Phase 3: Around 8 months pregnant, you just don't care anymore. You want to meet this kid. You want his feet that have been lodged in your ribs- well, OUT of your ribs. You want to know if the heartburn really has caused hair. You want to be able to roll over in bed without waking up each time. You want to put in a pair of pants that doesn't have elastic in the front. 9 months gestation was really a very appropriate timeline. You know that childbirth is going to be hard but you're somehow ready for it. You'll grit your teeth and pray for grace and do your best!
I'm in phase 3!! Come on, Baby P! :)
Love the GG quote! Excited for you and glad you're on to phase 3!
ReplyDeleteI'm personally most excited by phase 4 - having Scott and Jess meet the baby!
Jess, I KNEW you'd appreciate my GG reference- yay!
DeleteI want Phase 4 too- everything all behind me and holding me boy, introducing him to everyone!
Hehehe! Also love the Gilmore quote.
ReplyDeleteI have no advice on this since my first came at 29 weeks - and my second at 34.
You will do great!
Oh my goodness. I love this post. I think you hit the nail on the head with everything you wrote.. though I'm not pregnant.. :-P
ReplyDeleteLove GG's!!!
Lol....sooo true! I tell Brett all the time that I want to have a big family, but without most of the pregnancy and the labor part. Babies are worth it all though!!!
ReplyDelete