by Joanne Smith

Created on: January 20, 2010

Pregnancy for many women encompasses feelings that are unexplainable, and new.  There is a sense of panic as her body has suddenly become the host for a living, growing thing.  Her doubt over her ability to house this growing seed and her fear of doing something to harm it is over whelming.  There is a sense of pride over having accomplished something.  She has been successful at creating life.  There is a great sense of accomplishment for getting that far.  There is the resentment over her changing body in the beginning, when clothing is simply tight, but there is not enough there to show that she is actually pregnant.  There is the elation that she is going to be a parent.  There are even feelings of being a part of a secluded club of mothers.

As a pregnant woman begins to prepare for her baby her feelings about that baby are not simple.  She is not thinking about a odd shaped fetus growing inside of her, she is imaging images she has seen in magazines depicting beautiful growing babies.  As her hands slide over the fabrics of newborn baby clothing her mind is already dressing her newborn infant.  Fantasies on where her baby will wear that clothing is always in her mind when she buys her unborn child an outfit.  

Setting up the crib is not a step taken simply because of the necessity of it but rather a treasure object that confirms that the dream the mother to be is feeling is really happening.  It is a place in her real world where she can tangibly touch something meant for her baby.  Her mind visualizes a perfect baby laying amongst the soft teddy bears, cooing at her every word.  She sits in the rocking chair imaging how her hands will scoop the baby up, and how the baby will smell next to her face.  The images the mother to be conjures up are not the images of her own baby, but the fantasy playing out inside of her.

When her baby begins to move around in her stomach she is already beginning her life long journey of being this baby’s mother.  She is learning the likes and dislikes of her child.  She knows when she eats certain foods the baby will react.  She knows when she is in a bath her child calms down and when it is bedtime she is already being kept awake from the babies movements.  Her baby is a secret to the world, her secret.  Only the mother knows her child because she is one with the baby.  She has a sense of purpose knowing her

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