Motherhood musings...

I’ve done lots of different things in my life; travelled the world, worked in amazing countries, experienced wars, got great jobs, achieved many of the things that I wanted to. But motherhood was always something that I aspired to and that seemed like something on a completely different level. Something that I could hardly imagine ever happening. I looked at mothers with a kind of awe, like they were all part of some secret club that I hoped to one day join, but it was always quite hard to believe that I would.

And then I got pregnant and suddenly, I was joining up! But I felt that no one could possibly have ever before felt the things I was feeling… the amazement of this little life inside me, the love that was growing. Of course I knew that every mother-to-be has had the same feelings, but its hard to grasp that concept. Surely this was different?! And then the labour, the birth, the first few weeks with this little human… our child. OUR CHILD! Such a miracle, such an insane occurrence. It was so hard to grasp that this happens all the time, that this is a common thing that happens to most women!

I live in a suburb full of mothers. The footpaths are congested with prams. As I walk with my bubba down the street, I am still amazed at how commonplace this having a baby thing is. My experience is just one of many, one of millions.

I’m now one of those people.

I’m not really sure what my point is. I guess I’m just struggling with this juxtaposition of how miraculous and special having a baby is, but also just how commonplace! I think I am also struggling with now being an unwilling party to such consumer insanity. I never realised just quite what big business parenthood is and how much advertising and fear mongering is aimed at mothers. Makes me just want to stay indoors with the tv off (or go and sit in a field somewhere, if only the weather were better) and stay cocooned and marveling in the miracle of childbirth!