Pregnancy has stretched my limits at so many levels. Of course, the most obvious ones are: body weight, waist, size of clothing, how long I can go without going to the hairdresser, having my hair cut/permed/dyed, the rate of growth of my nails, etc.
The less obvious ones are: endurance of sleep disturbances (initial difficulty in falling asleep, intermittent wakening, early wakening), changing of eating habits from eating three main meals to snacking throughout the day, living on a much reduced wardrobe, resistance to the temptation of unhealthy foods, etc.
The innermost stretch: faith.
Although many things in life are out of our control but we usually want to think and try very hard to prove otherwise. I was talking to my students the other day, and I shared with them that to me, the most fearful part of research ends at data collection. Once data collection is complete, I feel safe as everything is in my hand and under my manipulation. Of course, the truth is that things can always go wrong and get out of hands at any stage of research, and our lives in general. So when are we really safe? Never? Or always?
It's so easy to fall into the trap of constant worry once you have a baby - or from the day you are conceived. From miscarriage, Down's syndrome/other chromosomal abnormalities, diabetes, premature birth, delivery emergencies, etc.... Do the worries end after a healthy baby is born? Not really. Then you worry about the growth and development of the baby, education, his or her friendships and dating, then their families, etc....
No, I don't want to go down that path - the path of endless worries and all the planning and steps taken to prevent the things that you worry about from happening.
I told Kaz that we have to remind each other not to fall into the trap. Here are the things that may help:
1. To always remember that our daughter is a gift from God.
2. To recall the moment we embrace each other in tears when we found out that we were conceived.
3. To dedicate our daughter to God - to know that she belongs to God, not to us.
4. To live in the here and now - enjoy every time I breast-feed, have fun changing diapers, laugh at our silly mistakes and ignorance in child-caring.
5. To not think that we will not worry after this and that (after she gets into a good school, after we buy a house, after we save enough money for her, etc.) because it never happens if this is our mentality.
God, please help us to be the kind of parents that pleases you. :)
1. To always remember that our daughter is a gift from God.
2. To recall the moment we embrace each other in tears when we found out that we were conceived.
3. To dedicate our daughter to God - to know that she belongs to God, not to us.
4. To live in the here and now - enjoy every time I breast-feed, have fun changing diapers, laugh at our silly mistakes and ignorance in child-caring.
5. To not think that we will not worry after this and that (after she gets into a good school, after we buy a house, after we save enough money for her, etc.) because it never happens if this is our mentality.
God, please help us to be the kind of parents that pleases you. :)
