It has truly felt like I have been pregnant forever. Nowadays, anytime someone calls, the typical question that they ask is “Are you still pregnant?”. Yep, as of Sunday, I’ll be 38 weeks and still carrying this baby. Though the first trimester was rough and the second trimester was probably the most easiest, this third trimester has been bittersweet. My entire third trimester has been in the heat which has made the tail end of it all hot and uncomfortable. But as each day counts down and I just keep thinking ‘I want this baby out’, I also think about what is to come once he arrives. It’s scary to think that I am about to become a mom. And honestly, the thought of it hasn’t really hit me until these past few weeks. He’ll arrive and I’ll be responsible for the entire life of a whole other person – a person that my husband and I made in love. It’s scary and exciting.
Each day, I wake up and convince myself that I’m ready and that I can do this. I can be a mom. But even in those mantras, in the morning where I am sitting in his nursery preparing all of the little thing, I think of every area where I can make a mistake. I even think to myself – ‘What if I have already done something wrong in my pregnancy and it has affected him?’ Each day I work to shake those thoughts away, and I it’s been a blessing to have my husband and mom talk me through these thoughts to rid them from my mind.
I find solace in the thought that I am not alone. From talking to other moms about the fears that they had before they gave birth, I know that these thoughts are normal. And that I wouldn’t be presented with anything in life that I couldn’t handle. People have told me that in having these fears just shows how much I love my baby already and how I want to be able to give him the world even though he is not even here yet.
So, if you’re reading this and you’re pregnant, know you’re not alone – feel free to share your fears and your concerns in the comments. And if you’ve had your own children, and you’re reading this, feel free to leave comments responding to the new mom’s fears or just leave your own words of encouragement and advice. There is power in community.
