As my son’s first birthday approaches and I look back on my first pregnancy, the whole nine months, in memory at least, feels like nothing more than a blip on the radar screen. In the final weeks, I recall feeling like I had been “pregnant forever.” I remember actually saying that on more than one occasion. It seemed to last indefinitely when I was waiting for it to end. A year has faded the memory a great deal, but all it takes is a glance at past blog entries I wrote during my pregnancy to remember how much it dragged on.
The first trimester is the worst in some respects. Except for the morning sickness, nothing seems to be happening. There are few milestones and not much growth. As a result, the weeks creep by ever so slowly.
The second trimester is a little better. The baby’s movement’s can be felt, which gives you something to think about other than how many weeks are left. Your waistline begins to increase quickly, and every time you find a shirt no longer fits, it’s a sign that things are moving along. Milestones like finding out the gender and creating a gift registry give you an opportunity to enjoy the pregnancy itself, rather than always focusing on the due date. Time seems to go by the fastest during the second trimester.
The third trimester often brings time to a screeching halt. Third trimester discomforts are to blame, for the most part. Suddenly, the due date can’t come soon enough. Heaven forbid the due date comes and goes without any signs of baby.
I think the key to getting out of this pattern is to stop looking at the calendar. Pregnancy books and advice columns are so often organized and focused on each individual week or month of pregnancy, ignoring the fact that life continues when you’re pregnant. It’s easy to become so consumed with what week and day you’re on, that time begins to drag and you’re no longer able to enjoy everything else that is going on. If you can manage to forget about your pregnancy for just a moment and have a little fun, you’ll find that time will return to its usual clip, and you’ll be holding your little darling before you know it.