This is my fourth time feeling a tiny person kick around in my belly. And it’s not any less strange than the first time. In pop culture, when pregnancy isn’t being stigmatized or avoided at all costs, it’s being glamorized. I think of pregnant celebrities, baring their bellies on the covers of magazines like fertility […]
A Baby, The Catholic Church, and Hope
It was the Eve of the Feast of the Assumption when I got an unexpected positive pregnancy test. I’ve been pregnant every year since 2012 and my youngest child is only ten months old. While I felt joy and excitement that I would get to know and love another tiny human, I had all sorts […]
The Ultimate Birth Plan
As I approach the birth of my third baby I feel a sense of profound peace about it— but that’s not what I felt the first time around. The Internet is full of all sorts of helpful (but somewhat overwhelming) information about little birthing details like cord clamping and skin-to-skin contact. Now, I’m grateful for […]
First Trimester Salad
I’m just trying to survive. That’s always been my mantra during the first trimester of pregnancy which has always been fairly rough for me. This one has been particularly rough as I try to adequately feed, nurture, referee, and entertain two rambunctious toddler boys. I pretty much always feel like curling up in bed and sleeping […]
Faith in Reality
Our culture often treats faith as synonymous with delusion. At Christmas time we see the word, “believe,” written in whimsical font and we’re not really sure whether it’s referring to Santa or Jesus or whatever-makes-you-happy. This can make people with honest religious faith feel insecure about that faith. When so many beliefs really are delusions […]
When Birth Is Imperfect
My first baby was born “naturally,” but just barely. I had done all the prep— “natural” OBGYN practice, deep breathing exercises, prenatal yoga/massage, three page birth plan. I had watched the enlightening and terrifying “The Business of Being Born” and I knew I didn’t want the big bad hospital corporations stealing my beautiful, instinctual motherhood experience. […]
