I’m sure that some of this is the natural-high hormones of pregnancy, but I have to say that for me, being pregnant has been a very positive experience. One of the things I like about it is how it connects me with other people. The number of people I encounter in daily life who can relate to someone who’s just written a dissertation on some obscure Chinese disease is, shall we say, not large.
But plenty of folks have something to say about an impending baby. Riding on the trolley, checking out at the supermarket, sitting at an airport gate, or even just walking down the street: I’ve never had so many casual conversations about families and life with total strangers. They want to know if it’s our first, when I’m due, whether it’s a boy or a girl, if we’ve thought about names. Some people want to know if we have family nearby (sadly, no) and where we’re delivering. Many of them want to talk about their own babies, even when their own babies are now older than I am! And I love it. No one has foisted labor-room war stories on me; in fact, I had to specifically ask a friend to share her labor story, just so I could feel more prepared. Some people have wanted to touch the belly, and most of the time I have no problem with that. In some cases people who have never had much to say to me have become chatty and curious. Ta isn’t even born yet and already I feel like ta is connecting me to the world in a new way.