Model Behavior

I've read that when babies are around each other for the first few times, they are often confused that other tiny humans such as themselves even exist. The same concept applies to pregnant women.

Pregnancy often feels like an isolating state of being. I don't spend much time around other pregnant women, and when I do, I can't help but stare at them like Rubik's cubes that I can't quite figure out. It didn't take long for me to realize that every pregnancy is unique, but now I'm finding that the same is true of deliveries.

Today I went to the doctor for my 35-week checkup. Sitting in the waiting room with the other mothers-to-be, the conversation inevitably revolved around our impending deliveries. Naturally, I was the rookie in the room. One woman had a 17-month-old daughter at home, and another had at least two other kids. But the veteran, she was on baby number five. All of them were way ahead of me in experience.

"My baby is already too big so I've been on bedrest for the last ten weeks. My mother has to drive for two hours to bring me to these appointments."

"We're finished having kids. My husband is making an appointment with his doctor after this one."
"Yeah. My husband has been saying that for four years and I've had two kids since then."

"My last baby weighed nine and a half pounds and I delivered her vaginally."

I sat and listened intently to these statements and more, thinking to myself how lucky I must be that I don't have to deal with any of those issues. Eventually, they noticed me curled up like a pretzel in my chair and turned their attention to my pregnancy.

"You're 35 weeks?! How can you sit like that?"
"Well, I'm really short and my legs don't touch the floor very well in these chairs, so this is more comfortable for me."

"You're so little! You're going to have a nice, small baby."
"I hope so!"

"Have you had any false labor contractions? Any bedrest?"
"Nope."

The more I conversed with these women, the more I realized that I've been incredibly lucky to have such an uncomplicated pregnancy thus far. Sure, my Braxton Hicks contractions are frustrating at times, but at least I wasn't having real labor contractions at 29 weeks like one of the women I met today. Yes, my daughter kicks me in the ribs, but at least they're just kicks from a petite little five-pound baby, not a 9.5 pound beast. And I'll admit, I often feel paranoid and neurotic about not having any experience with being a mom, but I would rather be a newbie than have four other kids at home right now.

I'm convinced that I have a very well-behaved baby. She and I have a lovely understanding of each other. I let her stay in my belly rent-free, and she doesn't threaten to come out too soon. I promise to love her for the rest of her life, and she doesn't threaten to destroy my nether regions with excessive weight when she comes out.

Win-win.