Lunapads

While I’m not sure where that phrase originally came from, it seemed like an appropriate title for my entry this month. At 37 weeks pregnant (I’m 20 weeks in this picture) with less than 3 to go, I have finally found some time to reflect as this pregnancy winds to a close. It is so true that with your second pregnancy, things seem to happen quickly and rather unconsciously. Juggling the demands of running a business, volunteer commitments and keeping a preschooler occupied, fed, and happy means the pregnancy doesn’t get the attention it did the first time. Of course all the milestones during this pregnancy were important (like getting past the first trimester without miscarrying, hearing the heartbeat, etc.) but there hasn’t been much time to just reflect on how life will change in a few weeks.

I was reminded of this after attending a local “birthing from within” workshop where we talked about how life will change with a second child. Recently, I’ve felt some sadness at how the relationship between my son Aiden and I will change. He will no longer be the ‘baby’ and will become the big brother. I intend to be mindful not place too many expectations on him. I also wonder how I will share and make room to love another child. Either way, I feel incredibly blessed to become a mother to another child. And, I can’t wait to meet him/her.

I feel a certain sense of sadness knowing this is likely my last pregnancy. I have truly enjoyed my pregnancies and the feeling of abundance as a baby grows inside me. I want to honour this special time and the few weeks that remain.

It’s surprising to me all the questions that come with pregnancy these days. I cannot believe that almost everyone I meet (close acquaintance or complete stranger) will ask “do you know what you’re having?”. I am so tempted to just say “yes, a baby!” While it may be a harmless question people ask to make conversation, I can’t help but think of what it implies. Has it become standard practice to get an amnio or late term ultrasound and therefore learn the gender of the child? For me, I’m not one to take prenatal tests with risks, because at the end of the day, the results don’t matter. Yes, I want the baby to be healthy, but if it isn’t, that’s OK. We will still love him/her just the same.

I welcome your blessings on a safe birth. If all goes as planned, we will have our baby in the comfort of our own home, with Aiden watching his new sibling come into this world!

This entry was posted on Friday, August 4th, 2006 at 8:46 am by Suzanne and is filed under Birthing, Babies and Parenting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.