At no other time in my life have I felt the urge more strongly to hide under a rock than now, during this pregnancy.
Six months ago, when I discovered this new little person coming into existence, I just wanted to turn inward. I guess I had felt that way with the other two, but this time more so for some reason. Maybe the timing and my responsibilities and stress levels (none of which were terribly great or anything) coincided just so, or something caused me to want to retreat.
One thing is certain: I definitely relate to that desire!
In the beginning of my pregnancy, it was mostly due to lack of energy and constant nausea. I just wanted to stay home and be by myself (which I mostly succeeded at- well, of course with the addition of my two older children). This time around, for some reason, the nausea and "morning sickness" extended past the "requisite" 12 weeks. I think I had it up until 16 weeks or so!
Since then, I've been feeling pretty good for the most part. I've had some aches and pains, but mostly, I'm embracing and enjoying this belly and the baby inside of it.
Then, recently, the comments began.
"Are you ready for that little girl to be born?" (We decided to wait to discover the baby's gender).
"You've got what? Two more weeks to go?" (I had 14 weeks left until my due date at that time).
"Wow, someone is going to have a baby soon! When are you due?" And then when I said "June", the response was "June?! Are you having two?!"
Oh, brother! I can just imagine back in the day when Elizabeth discovered she was with child, some of the comments she might have encountered. People probably would have made comments about her age, and if we read further in the story, we see that people questioned their desire to name the baby John, so there likely would have been comments about that, too. I think Elizabeth was wise to hide herself, since pregnant women seem to be a huge target for all kinds of comments and influences. It is so important to guard yourself when you are expecting.
I know I will have the grace to get through this and savor this pregnancy. I just may have to stay out of the public eye a little to make that happen! Don't worry, I really don't mind staying home as much as possible anyway!
How did you feel when you were pregnant? Did you want to be around others a lot, or did you feel the need to retreat?
