by Anna Maria Ryan

Created on: April 06, 2010

Pregnancy is a truly incredible, life changing experience. There are many highs and lows to go through over nine months, and nine months might seem like a long time, but you’ll be surprised by just how quickly it flies by. Every woman and every man who is with a pregnant woman will soon know all about the numerous pregnancy complaints there are, but the magical things of pregnancy cannot be mentioned too much. Here are my favourite things about being pregnant.

1 – The positive sign.  The most amazing, exciting, exhilarating and terrifying experience that can happen to a woman. After you pee on that stick, you place it flat down and wait anxiously for two minutes to find out your fate. So many thoughts go through your mind while you’re waiting for the result; you imagine having a baby, imagine not having a baby. You imagine telling everyone the good news and their reactions and then a little niggling thought comes into your head; don’t get ahead of yourself, it might not be positive. You finally steal yourself to peek at the little window and you see two lines: you’re pregnant. You cry, you laugh, you scream, you jump for joy. It’s the first important step on a long journey ahead.

2 – Your first ultrasound.  Sitting in a hospital waiting room with a full bladder, waiting for the first time to see your baby can be nerve wracking. You look around at all the other mums-to-be, searching for signs that they are as nervous as you. Are they showing yet, will you see them each time you go to the hospital after that, will any of them have twins, will you have twins? Then you get bored and look at the ceiling for the next twenty minutes until you’re called into the ultrasound room. The nurse puts some cold gel on your belly, tinkers around for awhile, and then says; “there’s your baby.” It’s an everyday experience for the nurse, but for you it’s the proof that you have a life inside you, a tiny little baby that you made and will love and look after for the rest of your life. That first glimpse at the blurry little black and white shape, that without a doubt resembles an alien more than a baby, makes you realise just what real love is.

3 – The first kick.  Lots of people say that you won’t be able to feel your baby move until about twenty weeks because it’s so tiny. I don’t think this is true. I felt my baby move from about eight weeks. It was only tiny little butterfly movements, but they were magical. I knew that it was not gas or indigestion or anything else. It was my baby. As the baby gets bigger, the movements get bigger, and the more excited at each one you become. When the baby finally gives you a good big kick at about twenty two weeks or so you want to shout it from the rooftops and for everyone in a five mile radius to come and feel how strong your baby is. It is absolutely fantastic. Well worth any pain or complaint that you may have during your pregnancy.

4 – Having things done for you.  When you are pregnant make the most of having your partner do stuff for you. From making you a cup of tea to vacuuming, it is lovely to be able to just sit back and watch someone else be busy for once. Try not to take advantage of course, but anything heavy or strenuous or dangerous for you to try and do, make sure you ask for your partner’s help. He loves the baby just as much as you do and will want to make sure you’re ok and you’re baby is ok by doing whatever he can to help you.

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