A Letter to all Pregnant Women and Moms

"It is the best thing ever!!"

"Oh man, it's horrible. you are gonna be so uncomfortable."

"Enjoy time now, because it's going to be worse when ____ happens."

"I never threw up once in my pregnancy."

"I felt better than ever when I was pregnant."

I've heard it all. And I am so grateful that so many women wanted to help me and give me advice! But I felt like the advice I was given was all so extreme. I was either going to be in love with my pregnancy, or absolutely loathe it.

So here's the REAL deal.

Pregnancy is hard. You are gonna be uncomfortable... probably sick. You might feel exhausted, have a gag reflex that wont quit, never-ending heartburn, or swell up 20x that of your non-pregnant self. Not only that, you are gonna have your own set of specific challenges. I remember (and still do to this day) googling every twitch, aversion, and symptom to see if it was "normal." Asking every friend that has been through pregnancy if they have ever experienced A, B, or C. But the one sure thing about your pregnancy is that no one has ever had one exactly like yours. It is a blessing that we as women have a network and can ask each other for advice and support. But don't ever base how good, bad, or "normal" your pregnancy is based on someone else's. You don't have to feel as great, horrible, sentimental, energetic, miserable, or fantastic as any pregnant women who may have come before or after you. Since the moment I saw those 2 little lines, I've driven myself crazy... Is this how I'm supposed to feel about ____? Should I be more excited? Less tired? Am I gaining too much weight? Should I be feeling the baby kick by now? ...Don't do it to yourself!!

Now that we've accepted the cold hard fact that this journey is not always gonna be as "magical" as they say it is... here's the REALLY important part. It's going to be WORTH IT. You're gonna feel that little life inside of you. You are gonna have a sweet little person that YOUR BODY MADE. I haven't met my little one yet... and I'm not all the way through this journey... but I already KNOW. I'm a part of something greater than I could have ever imagined. Something divine.

I've thought a lot about why pregnancy and labor have to be so difficult. I've thought... "Heavenly Father... women have to spend their whole lives AFTER pregnancy sacrificing themselves... their time, energy, sleep, sanity. Why can't this be the easy dreamy part?" And here's my grand conclusion...

Motherhood is absolutely the closest LOVE to Christ-like love... and it is in large part thanks to the sacrifice, pain and discomfort we feel during pregnancy (and after birth!). The parallels that we get to share with the Savior are amazing and incredible. He physically sacrificed for us... more so than a tough pregnancy or child birth. He thinks about us constantly... worries about us when we aren't even aware of it. He stepped in, sacrificed, and suffered so we wouldn't have to. He teaches us daily and is an example to us all, just through His life and demeanor.  As women, WE have the divine honor of feeling and experiencing all of those things for our own children. It brings us closer to Christ, and to our Father in heaven. No... it's not easy. But gosh, is it worth it!

If there is one thing I have learned from my pregnancy, it's that WOMEN ARE STRONG. Enjoy this season of your life. But also remember that it's ok if you aren't always loving it. Try to focus on the good, and realize that the bad is only making you a stronger, more fierce momma and daughter of God.

You were made for this. And it will make you.

Xoxo, Alex

**Week-By-Week Pregnancy signs (pictured!) can be downloaded in my Etsy shop HERE