great with child

so, it's true, when you become pregnant, once the initial congratulations subside, you are bombarded with 'horror' stories of other women's pregnancies, 'warning' you of the huge varicose veins you are to get, the nausea, the insomnia, and there are even tragic stories about a friend-of-a-friend's pregnancy that are 'shared' with you. In fact people, women in particular, seem to stop talking about the miracle of life quite soon after their initial reaction, to your pregnancy, and instead talk about the 'torture' that is pregnancy. maybe mother's do this as a way of reminding themselves, and others, of their own strength, of the struggles and sacrifices they overcame to create life, maybe it makes them feel proud, and maybe i will catch myself doing the same thing one day, but i hope that if i do i'll remind myself of the way i felt in those first few months, as my body, life and hormones were uncontrollable, and how all those stories just added to my worry. i hope i choose to share stories of hope.
upon recommendation from joanna goddard, here, i recently finished reading great with child; letters to a young mother by beth ann fennelly. what a beautiful book.
this book is made of letters from a young mother to a mother-to-be. they are letters of reassurance, hope, humor, and love. it is, in my opinion, a wonderful read for any young mother or mother-to-be.

"we should have see-through belly buttons, a little lighted window into the warm oven where we bake that sweet roll so high and firm." - beth ann fennelly