Three Things Thursday [Vol. 12]

I am reading a great book right now that is very positive about pregnancy and birth as a natural process and empowering rite of passage (rah rah) and it emphasizes the importance of attitude and mindset in having a good experience – you know, embrace the process as you not only grow a new life in your womb, but as you change and adapt as a person in order to be a better parent. Group hug. Inspired by this attitude, I have decided to share my personal interpretation of how three common pregnancy symptoms pave the way for becoming a parent.

1. Fatigue – this trains you to prioritize naps over cleaning, socializing, and even basic grooming in preparation for when the baby arrives. At that point the baby will become the top priority and bump everything down one level, but by that point you won’t even miss brushing your teeth. Well-meaning people like to tell pregnant ladies “sleep while you can before the baby gets here!” forgetting that pregnant ladies need to pee all the time and wake up at least every 3 hours to do so. If you ever see a pregnant lady at the mall or in the grocery store, and it looks like her hair hasn’t been combed for weeks, chances are that she IS sleeping while she can, and offering up your place in line is better help than offering unsolicited advice. If she gets home early, maybe there will be time for a nap!
2. Clumsiness – this is partly due to increased weight and partly due to the shifting centre of gravity that accompanies it. Plus you have to account for general distraction, fatigue, caring less and less, and it’s allllll part of the system! The purpose of this symptom is two-fold: to slow you down so that if you drop your future baby it will not be at high speeds, and also to get you used to constantly wiping up spills. This gradual desensitization to mess leads up to the point in parenthood when babies begin feeding themselves, which many mistake as a developmental milestone for children; it is more significantly a parenting milestone, for what says acceptance of mess and living in the moment more clearly than, “Baby, here’s a bowl of pasta and sauce for you to eat with your hands”!?
3. Forgetfulness – also known as “mommy brain,” this delightful symptom eases the transition to parenthood by helping you to not remember that life was ever any other way. This in turn helps you “go with the flow” because instead of stressing out what on earth you walked all the way to the kitchen for, you can simply let it go, accept that you are there, and look for something to eat. Before you head back to the couch for a nap.