Quick shout out to my pal Stephanie who's due to have a baby any day now. Her blog is partly what inspired me to start my own. She's written so eloquently and honestly about being pregnant, about the hopes, fears, and questions that assail you throughout the process. I only wish we'd been pregnant at the same time so I could have enjoyed her writing as I was going through it too!
She posed a number of questions on her blog - questions I too struggled with during my pregnancy. It occurs to me that if we both had those uncertainties that there must be others with the same concerns. I hope to address some of the issues we both encountered during her pregnancy in the coming weeks here.
If anyone stumbling upon this blog has any pregnancy or baby questions, feel free to leave them in the comments. Like I've said before, I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I'm just bursting to share what worked for me. While I was pregnant, one of my neighbours, Sinead, took it upon herself to be my very own pregnancy elf. I would come home exhausted from a day at work, and she'd have left a bag of maternity clothes at my door for me to borrow, or some healthy snacks, or books and magazines. When I thanked her, she said something that I've found to be true as well:
"Once you've been through it yourself, you just want to help another woman on the same journey."
Sinead's kindness was utterly selfless and much appreciated. I can't pay it back, so I'll attempt to pay it forward.
Back in the "old days" there was, literally, a village of people to help with a new baby. Mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, aunts, shamans, well-wishers, the list goes on.
ReplyDeleteIn today's day of fierce independance, leaving the nest early to strike out on our own and no sense of "village" in a big city of skyscrapers, we forget that there actually IS help out there. Whether it's our mothers and we simply have to remember to include them, or friends like you willing to pass on wisdom, advice, and diaper covers! Yes, we CAN do it all on our own, of course we can, it's just that we don't HAVE to! This post serves as a great reminder of that.
I agree... but.
ReplyDeleteYou get SO much bad advice with the good advice. Sometimes fierce independence feels optimal. Finding the brains and heart to sort through the advice and 'help' can be exhausting.