Dear fellow women,
Last night, I watched my sweet boy as he lay next to me and nursed, half-asleep. There's nothing quite so dear as watching him sleep and experiencing the closeness of breastfeeding him. We've come along way since the early months when I cried almost every time I tried to feed him because it was so hard. He would scream and wail if he didn't latch on the first time he tried. It would take me five minutes of pacing and rocking him to calm him enough to try again. I was exhausted, physically and emotionally. Feeding was just one small bit of the hardship that came with my boy. Sleep deprivation, fear and emotional distress from breastfeeding trouble, pneumonia, trigeminal neuralgia, a kitchen fire, etc... the beginning of my Simon's life was so unbelievably hard. I didn't know how I was going to go on. But eventually, it got better. The short story is that having him was (and is) the hardest, most wonderful adventure I've ever been on.
Last night, as I soaked in the joy of being his mom, a deep, weighty, throbbing sadness came over me. I thought of all the babies who were never given a chance to live-- and I thought of their mommas. Oh, I hurt for their mommas. I read an article yesterday that asserted that no one, pro-life or pro-choice, wants an abortion. From what I've seen, it seems that most people agonize over the decision of what to do when unexpectedly pregnant, or at the very least make their decision to abort their child with a heavy heart. Having a baby is a scary, huge thing. It is. And I have gone through pregnancy, birth, and raising my son with the support of a loving husband and family. Even with such incredible support, becoming a mom still knocked me off my feet for months, and constantly humbles me.
Understandably, many women are scared or unsure how they would manage if they had a baby. Understandably, many women rightly assume that a baby will change their life forever. Fear of losing control motivates many decisions in my life, so I understand at least to a degree how difficult an unplanned pregnancy might be. I just wish I could tell my fellow women: it's all worth it. Every self-sacrificing, difficult moment is worth it. The miracle of creating, carrying, birthing, and raising a child teaches you so much about life and about yourself. It's hard. Sometimes it makes you cry. BUT it's wonderful. Sometimes it makes you so happy you feel like you could burst. That life growing inside you will change your life into the hardest, most wonderful life that you could never have imagined.
As a staunchly pro-life person, I ache for the unborn babies who have no voice and who are killed because they aren't considered as beings with rights. It is unjust. I also ache for the women who are overwhelmed, afraid, and feel unprepared and alone in an unplanned pregnancy. I feel for you, my fellow women, and I urge you to realize it's not children that hold us back from a fulfilled life. What holds us back from a fulfilled life is fear. Don't let fear make your choice for you--not this choice, not any choice. Be courageous and embrace that child growing inside you, with all the scary unknowns, because you're a mighty woman. You've got this.
Last night, I watched my sweet boy as he lay next to me and nursed, half-asleep. There's nothing quite so dear as watching him sleep and experiencing the closeness of breastfeeding him. We've come along way since the early months when I cried almost every time I tried to feed him because it was so hard. He would scream and wail if he didn't latch on the first time he tried. It would take me five minutes of pacing and rocking him to calm him enough to try again. I was exhausted, physically and emotionally. Feeding was just one small bit of the hardship that came with my boy. Sleep deprivation, fear and emotional distress from breastfeeding trouble, pneumonia, trigeminal neuralgia, a kitchen fire, etc... the beginning of my Simon's life was so unbelievably hard. I didn't know how I was going to go on. But eventually, it got better. The short story is that having him was (and is) the hardest, most wonderful adventure I've ever been on.
Last night, as I soaked in the joy of being his mom, a deep, weighty, throbbing sadness came over me. I thought of all the babies who were never given a chance to live-- and I thought of their mommas. Oh, I hurt for their mommas. I read an article yesterday that asserted that no one, pro-life or pro-choice, wants an abortion. From what I've seen, it seems that most people agonize over the decision of what to do when unexpectedly pregnant, or at the very least make their decision to abort their child with a heavy heart. Having a baby is a scary, huge thing. It is. And I have gone through pregnancy, birth, and raising my son with the support of a loving husband and family. Even with such incredible support, becoming a mom still knocked me off my feet for months, and constantly humbles me.
Understandably, many women are scared or unsure how they would manage if they had a baby. Understandably, many women rightly assume that a baby will change their life forever. Fear of losing control motivates many decisions in my life, so I understand at least to a degree how difficult an unplanned pregnancy might be. I just wish I could tell my fellow women: it's all worth it. Every self-sacrificing, difficult moment is worth it. The miracle of creating, carrying, birthing, and raising a child teaches you so much about life and about yourself. It's hard. Sometimes it makes you cry. BUT it's wonderful. Sometimes it makes you so happy you feel like you could burst. That life growing inside you will change your life into the hardest, most wonderful life that you could never have imagined.
As a staunchly pro-life person, I ache for the unborn babies who have no voice and who are killed because they aren't considered as beings with rights. It is unjust. I also ache for the women who are overwhelmed, afraid, and feel unprepared and alone in an unplanned pregnancy. I feel for you, my fellow women, and I urge you to realize it's not children that hold us back from a fulfilled life. What holds us back from a fulfilled life is fear. Don't let fear make your choice for you--not this choice, not any choice. Be courageous and embrace that child growing inside you, with all the scary unknowns, because you're a mighty woman. You've got this.
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