Joy amidst the struggles

I just finished working three nights in labor and delivery and I have to say, I see it all. I see the patients who sail through pregnancy without an ache or pain and I see the patients who seem to get every symptom under the sun--they are so over being pregnant that they can't wait to have the baby and be done with it all. I'm lucky.  

I fall somewhere in between. I'm neither symptom free nor am I riddled with the plight of every ailment in the book. However, I am finding that leg cramps are interrupting my sleep lately...they hit you like a ton of bricks and all you can do is bolt upright out of bed to stretch.

The joys of it all....
Although on the flip side, I'd say I'm in that sweet spot of
pregnancy. I'm now 27 weeks and I don't feel pregnant most the time
and then the baby kicks and I'm suddenly reminded, 'oh yea, there's a
little person growing inside of me.' It's pretty cool. I am reveling
in the times when the baby moves. I even pulled my scrub top up at
work the other day and sat and watched my belly (it was pretty slow at
work). All my coworkers gathered around me eagerly saying, "awww I
want to see!" and they all put their hands on me to feel the baby kick
and acted as though it was the first time they'd ever witnessed such a
cool thing. Mind you, every one of them has had children and works in
the business of having babies...But that's just it. It never gets old.
Each one there would chime in with "I didn't love being pregnant but
wow do I ever miss that feeling of the baby moving" or "That was my
favorite part of pregnancy" and "Isn't it just the BEST?" One of them
even went on to say "See...men will NEVER know this feeling. Isn't it
awesome to be a woman? Look what our bodies can do!" It was a special
moment for me. I felt surrounded by utterly amazed women who have all
been through this process before but yet who all still have such awe
and admiration for the woman's body and creation in general.

I feel so blessed to have the ability to carry a child and to know the
special feeling of life growing inside me. As women, we are capable of
so much. I hope this has made you relive the moments when your baby
kicked inside your womb or has made you yearn for the day when you get
to experience it. Because no matter what, I've yet to meet a woman who
regrets doing it or wouldn't go right back through it and do it all
again. It's a wonderful ride!