Crunchtime
Yesterday, we attended the last day of our childbirth education classes. We have a certificate that states that we’ve completed our sessions, but suddenly, it feels like it was all too short. Those 6 classes, held every Sunday morning of 3+ hours each, had indeed proven to be helpful (no it’s not just about teaching you how to breathe during delivery), and we touched on everything from backaches to labor pains to breastfeeding. One of the best parts, I believe, was simply being in the company of people going through a similar thing, with similar doubts and apprehensions. It’s amazing to think that in about a month or so, we will all be new parents.
Armand and I, however, are due in 5 weeks. Or something like that. We are in our 35th week already… the end is so near! There is still stuff to do, since it’s been hard to find time to do everything. Our weekends have been very tight, they’ve been barely a break from our work weeks. But all is good.
We’ve yet to buy a crib (we were given a 2nd-hand playpen type that seems to be so popular these days, but I just don’t feel comfortable with it), some extra baby stuff, and the things that I will need! Today, I had to buy myself a pair of thong slippers because my shoe size has grown 2 sizes bigger, and my poor feet sure needed some relief. None of my clothes are fitting well (everything is too short over my bulging bump), but I don’t want to buy anything unless I really, really have to.
But yes, 5 weeks to go (3-7 actually, with the +2/-2 weeks allowance). I seem to be routinely answering questions, but that’s fine. It’s a very interesting time after all. On some FAQs: No I’m not scared, but I do feel a little overwhelmed. Yes, I’m still working, but I hope to go on leave in 2 weeks. And no, I don’t know if I am going to go through the whole thing without pain medication. No, we haven’t decided on a name yet, and we probably won’t announce our decision until we’ve put it on the birth certificate. No, I did not crave for anything in particular (I’ve craved for sweets all my life, and that didn’t change), but I do miss the things I had to abstain from like sushi, blue cheese, and wine.
I’m really more apprehensive of what happens after, because that’s the reality I will truly have to deal with: The responsibility of raising a new person, coupled with the most minute changes that his arrival will bring. Every decision I, we, will be making will be crucial. But I also know that this is a very momentous occasion-marking the rest of our lives-and not a burden laid upon us by the fates. At the end of it, we welcome the need to be deserving of the gift that is being given to us.
Even as I see my profile loom larger each day, and feel those insistent movements from inside, it is only now that I am feeling that it is becoming all too real. And in a few weeks, this new reality will be staring at us in the face!
Armand and I, however, are due in 5 weeks. Or something like that. We are in our 35th week already… the end is so near! There is still stuff to do, since it’s been hard to find time to do everything. Our weekends have been very tight, they’ve been barely a break from our work weeks. But all is good.
We’ve yet to buy a crib (we were given a 2nd-hand playpen type that seems to be so popular these days, but I just don’t feel comfortable with it), some extra baby stuff, and the things that I will need! Today, I had to buy myself a pair of thong slippers because my shoe size has grown 2 sizes bigger, and my poor feet sure needed some relief. None of my clothes are fitting well (everything is too short over my bulging bump), but I don’t want to buy anything unless I really, really have to.
But yes, 5 weeks to go (3-7 actually, with the +2/-2 weeks allowance). I seem to be routinely answering questions, but that’s fine. It’s a very interesting time after all. On some FAQs: No I’m not scared, but I do feel a little overwhelmed. Yes, I’m still working, but I hope to go on leave in 2 weeks. And no, I don’t know if I am going to go through the whole thing without pain medication. No, we haven’t decided on a name yet, and we probably won’t announce our decision until we’ve put it on the birth certificate. No, I did not crave for anything in particular (I’ve craved for sweets all my life, and that didn’t change), but I do miss the things I had to abstain from like sushi, blue cheese, and wine.
I’m really more apprehensive of what happens after, because that’s the reality I will truly have to deal with: The responsibility of raising a new person, coupled with the most minute changes that his arrival will bring. Every decision I, we, will be making will be crucial. But I also know that this is a very momentous occasion-marking the rest of our lives-and not a burden laid upon us by the fates. At the end of it, we welcome the need to be deserving of the gift that is being given to us.
Even as I see my profile loom larger each day, and feel those insistent movements from inside, it is only now that I am feeling that it is becoming all too real. And in a few weeks, this new reality will be staring at us in the face!