MOM TO MOM-TO-BE

Becoming a Mother

No, it was not love at first sight for me. Am I ashamed to even say that? No. After a long 23 hours of labor, I was exhausted. I wasn’t prepared for how slimy she looked, and I was worried sick about whether or not she was healthy. I thought I was prepared for this moment, but I was not. Honestly, I don’t think anyone is fully prepared for the birth of their first child. However, this magical feeling everyone had talked about didn’t come to me until later the next day.

From the day I saw “pregnant” pop up on the stick, we were so excited about having a child. My husband will forever call her our most expensive souvenir from Hawaii. Being pregnant was, well, different with an ever-growing belly and random cravings. Every day brought something new, exciting, or painful to the mix. You see, my pregnancy stirred up kidney stones, and to be honest, I am not sure what hurts worse: the actual delivery process or the pain from one of the many stones.

Don’t get me wrong, I had lots of happy days during my pregnancy. I remember the day we found out we were having a girl. That shock hits you like a big sack of potatoes. For me, I didn’t have a feeling of whether a girl or boy was growing in my belly. But a girl? Oh, Lord. All I could think was, “please do not let my mother be right!” Well, 14 years later, and guess what? She is still correct. My daughter is a mini-me through and through; she’s just a few inches taller than me now.

Being pregnant can feel like a lifetime, but in reality, it’s over before you know it. For 40 weeks, you get to grow the most precious gift in the universe. Even if you do not enjoy being pregnant, I recommend you try to savor these moments because you will miss them. You will find yourself looking back one day wishing you still had her in your belly and not spending hours watching her debate over what she should wear for the day.

Amy L. Foreman Associate Publisher