Dear Pregnant Momma: Once You Hold Your Baby, Everything Else Fades Away

“Dear Pregnant Momma,

Yes, it will hurt.
It will be weird.
It will be scary.

Yes, your boobs will be sore.
Your body will ache.
Your hands and feet will swell to the size of a pufferfish.

Yes, you will feel pain.
You will feel gross.
You will feel a little like an alien in some strange science fiction movie.

Yes, you will lose some sleep.
You will lose some freedom.
You will lose the ability to stay awake until 3 am and the ability to eat Doritos by the handful and not gain weight and the ability to “hold it” when you laugh really hard.

Yes, you will get stretch marks.
You will get droopy dark circles.
You will get a giant pair of mesh underwear and an ice pack to take home with you.

Yes, You will cry.
You will laugh.
You will be so completely overcome with emotion you won’t know what to do with yourself.

But the second you hold that baby, everything else will fade away. Everything that happened yesterday becomes background noise to the music of your newborn crying. Your old life becomes a blur in an instant and your new life becomes a beautiful open road that stretches through to the bright and brave unknown.

You will never forget the moment the doctor lays that ooey, gooey, gorgeous baby on your chest. Or the first time he opens his eyes and stares into yours. Or the joy of her tiny hands wrapping gently around your finger.

That’s the moment that will change everything. That’s the moment you will know what it’s like to walk around with your heart uncovered, unprotected and unprepared on the outside of your body.

That’s the moment you will come face to face with one of the greatest loves of your life.”