A Word on the Bun in your Oven

"This pregnancy is soooo different from my last one!" I have heard mother after mother exclaim.  And then I learned the truth about why that is. 

Its pretty simple: You're carrying a different child!  Of course we would think it has to do with us and that pregnancy, is like an outfit you put on for nine months and each time you wear it, it tends to look the same on you.  Not so.

Artwork Shannon Page

Each pregnancy, (like each person) is different.  Now you may have similar pregnancies- but again, that may have more to do with your children than you.

When you are pregnant, if you are a healthy carrier of your baby you will probably take on quite a bit of that child's energy and even behave like your child-to-be.  What?  You're probably thinking that explains your obsession with pickles.  No, I think that is hormones.  What I'm talking about is much deeper.

I witnessed this first hand when one of my closest friends was pregnant with her first son.  Sera has always been very much of a free spirit type of a person.  As a Scorpio, she is very emotional (watery) and tends to go wherever her emotions take her.  She's not a big planner and if you do set up a time to get together with her, there's a better than fifty-percent chance that arrangement will get changed by her.  Since I know this about her, I have grown to have different expectations for our friendship and scheduling times to meet.

When Sera was pregnant for the first time with Sam, many of these qualities shifted.   She was thrilled with the pregnancy and even more so because she took on a new energy that shifted her behavior.  She became very task-oriented and enjoyed making lists.   "This is what its like to get things done!" she exclaimed.   That way of being was very foreign to her.  

During this period of time we would meet weekly to go walking at a nearby park.   Normally I would not have expected her to make our dates very often for this but in fact she always showed up!  We talked a lot about how different she felt and how many introspective activities like reading and music, that she usually enjoyed had been put on the backburner.  She had little to no interest in them.  Then, as the pregnancy began to wind down, Sera began to return to herself, growing weary of the behaviors she had taken on.   And soon after, a healthy little Gemini boy was born.  As he grew she would learn how energetic and inquisitive he was, always exploring new things and very much into routines!

During my own pregnancy I became very attracted to music, found myself singing quite a bit and was generally a bit more content than my normal self.   My daughter, as it turns out, has been quite musical from the get go and has an amazingly upbeat disposition!

Another of my friends loved intense exercise and weight lifting when she was pregnant.  Her child turned out to be quite strong, doesn't need much sleep and also has a strong will!

Whether you are newly pregnant, or had your babies long ago perhaps this will shed some light on what actually happens when you give part of your body to another being for a time.  Even if you've never been pregnant or are male, can you imagine what it was like for your mother to carry you?  How would your energy have affected her?  If she's still around, ask her.  I'm sure she'll remember! ♥