By Hannah Schenker
Dads, partners, family – are you wondering whether the pregnant mama in your life should be celebrated this Mother’s Day? Let’s just get this out of the way: Yes! Bring on the cards, the cupcakes, the massages, the brunch… the recognition. Gifts are great and all, but it’s the being seen for what you do that means the most. Some extra love and pampering never goes astray, and at this time the pregnant mama in your life could probably use that boost.
I felt like a mother from the moment I found out we were pregnant – I’m not waiting for the day I push this baby out to call myself her mama. I do realise that we as women undergo a huge transition from maiden to mother the day we actually birth our babies, and from that point forward are never the same woman again. Yet, as someone who pursued pregnancy over many years and eventually required IVF to get there, knowing that there is a beautiful human being growing inside my body, and all the emotional and physical changes that come with that, already makes me a mother. Sure, I haven’t had to change any nappies yet, or had the sleepless nights tending to a wakeful baby, but the love I feel for this child is already well established and growing by the day. Right from the day we saw that early 7-week ultrasound to check for a heartbeat, to today, in my third trimester with a baby the size of a coconut dancing in my belly, that love has been steadily engulfing me.
I am already caring for this child – deeply, to the root and stem of myself, I am caring…
I am making sacrifices for this child – bye bye dancing all night, delicious wine, fresh aioli…
I am physically challenged – sleepless night, aches and pains, nausea, heartburn, exhaustion…
And yes, we pregnant mamas still go to work, take care of home chores, cook meals, visit friends, pay the car registration, go to appointments, figure out what to do with all the feijoas, and organise all the baby gear we’re going to need. We still go about our lives, keeping up with as much as we can, while trying not to vomit and yearning for a lie down on the couch. That is surely worthy of breakfast in bed, wouldn’t you say?
