For My Husband--the Blessings of Pregnancy

"Pregnancy" by Lisa Runnels

My husband begged me if there was anything I thought was positive about pregnancy. Well, let's see...I have a baby come out in 9 months. Isn't that the point?

He said I enjoyed feeling the baby move inside me with the other pregnancies. Yes, and that was about it.

So for my husband--I will write the positives of pregnancy.

Positive Pregnancy Experiences

1. I can get pregnant. I feel bad that other women struggle for years with infertility. I don't know what to say to them because the longest I've ever waited is 10 months to get pregnant. 
2. I can feel the baby move...and sit on my bladder.
3. I have increased saliva production that helps my teeth not rot as fast from stomach acid and the baby absorbing the nutrients from my teeth. The drool just pools on my pillow.
4. I have a heightened sniffer. I can tell my toddler's diaper is filthy from a room away. Then I ask my husband to change it. He never complains about changing them. I can smell my human body.
5. My family jumps out of my way when I start gagging. I've never seen my oldest move so fast. Maybe that's what I should do when my boys refuse to get off the computer.
6. I know all the intricacies of the toilet bowl and the right trajectory to avoid spills.
7. I get in my sit-ups when I vomit regularly throughout all my pregnancies. I lost 16 pounds with my first (and gained it back). I haven't gained weight so far this pregnancy.

So I would say the actual positive experiences happen after the baby is born. I can bend again. I can eat a normal amount. I'm full for longer than 30 minutes. I can stand the smell of my family's bodies again. I can run. I can breathe deeper. I have energy again even if I am sleep deprived.

Then I enjoy the baby and pray for the next year to go slow but to go real fast. I like my sleep. I like their independence.