Pregnancy Thus Far

So, here I am coming up on 14 weeks! I can't say the pregnancy has flown by so far, because the nausea has really made things feel dragged out. But I am afraid once I feel better the weeks are going to fly and I'm going to be un-pregnant again before I know it.

Now, I LOVE the thought of my new little baby being born, but I also am looking forward to this pregnancy SO much. I can't wait to be sure I am feeling the baby move. I felt like I was feeling the baby last night but I was so groggy that I was just really excited and not really sure what I was feeling. I keep having flashbacks to when Aftasie was in the womb. I remember her position, and how her heels felt sticking out on the right side of my belly, and the glorious flips that occurred occasionally. I mean, I really enjoyed pregnancy last time once the morning sickness was over. I guess by the time the end has come I will be feeling that it was long enough, but I am still know that pregnancy is such a short fraction of life that it most definitely will fly by whether or not I pay attention to it, and I really don't want to miss it (especially the "easy" second trimester coming up!).

Another thing that may sound crazy is that I honestly am looking forward to labor. I can't wait! I know I've done this before. I can't say I remember the pain, because I can't feel it again, but I remember my thoughts and the feelings that went with it -- "OH, this is why women want epidurals!" and "I want my midwife here NOW," and not being able to talk during contractions, and goodness, the pushing. But it was like running a marathon. Sure, you don't feel comfortable during part of it, and sure, you have little flashes of doubt that you can finish, and sure, you are looking forward to the finish line, but dang, it is MAGIC! (Disclaimer: I've never run a marathon! I ran 10 miles once and then I decided my running career was coming to a close). I hate to admit it publicly because I may eat my words, but I had a fleeting thought that maybe my labor was going to be so short this time on account of being a second baby that I wouldn't really get to enjoy it. (Aftasie's labor was around 12 hours, one hour being pushing).

So, there's my confession. I'm sharing it on my blog because I think someone needs to hear this. Labor is extremely exciting, no matter how you look at it - you end up with a baby in your arms and your body goes through major changes to become "unpregnant."It is not (or doesn't have to be) horrific. It can be beautiful and empowering. Your body was made to do it, actually.