The Avian Angle

Time has escaped me over the last 6 months, but for some understandably good reasons. 2020 has certainly been a year of firsts for many of us: a global health crisis emerged, our economy has come to a standstill with the mandatory sheltering in place, and a first-in-my-lifetime social justice movement has swept our nation. Maybe different generations have experienced other global events like this, but 2020 has felt unprecedented for me in so many ways.

In addition to these unprecedented and life-altering experiences, I have been experiencing another unprecedented feeling – becoming pregnant with a baby girl and a mother for the first time. Epp, I am overjoyed to be pregnant and feel like becoming a mother has always been a part of my path and my purpose in this life. I am so fortunate to have met a partner who shares this purpose of wanting to be a parent. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to raise a smart and strong daughter who will help make this world a better place.

However I am also reflecting over the fact that I know many other women who are also experiencing pregnancy for the first time among these monumental societal changes. Its a whole new layer to the already new circumstance of our bodies carrying a life for the first time. I’m have been excited but also scared to be pregnant during this time. There are such joyous moments that I have felt with this being my first pregnancy. I have been so thankful to be quarantined at home and ‘nesting’ for our baby girl on the way. I have really focused on creating our home as a space and that will be function for our soon-to-be family of three. However I’ve also experienced some worrisome scares of general health concerns, needing to stay isolated and safe to not only protect my health but her health.

My mixed messages of excitement and joy paired with fear and anxiety in this post are the reality I live every day as an expecting mom-to-be. If there’s one thing I keep centering around is the need to be resilient. Resilience is going to be so important for me to continue to have in being pregnant, to have in childbirth in just a few months, and in life as we know it today and moving into then future to manage any circumstance that will impact our society. I’ll be facing these new adventures on the horizon with a new motivation of perseverance and resilience.