BUBBLE OF PEACE: GIVING YOURSELF PERMISSION TO TAKE A STEP BACK

I took some time away from birth work following the birth of my youngest. When I decided it was time to go back and also to give my website a little face-lift, I realized that I conceived shortly before one of the blog posts. For the briefest moment, I thought I missed an opportunity to share my pregnancy experiences as they were happening. Then, I remembered how much I enjoyed keeping that time close and shared only with those I wanted in my bubble. 

Even though I was happy for my growing family, I had some concerns. My “babies” were 11 and 15 years old when I found out I was pregnant. What would this look like for our family? How would our kids react? How would it change my relationship with them? After all, raising teenagers is hard enough without changing the dynamic once you've found your footing.  I wanted this baby. I didn't know the answers to all the questions I may have had, but I did know the answer to that one. I also knew that I wanted this baby to just be ours for awhile. I wanted to let it be something that we could keep close and daydream about without all the outside noise, so we lived in this bubble for a bit. We told only our closest relatives and friends. We asked them to keep it quiet. They did and it was lovely. 

We did of course eventually tell people but did so face to face.  I have to admit that sharing this news in person was so much better than a social media post. Facebook likes don't replace the surprised and excited looks on people’s faces when you enter the room with a pregnant belly. Eventually my invisible child made their way onto my social media feed, but on my terms and not until I was ready.

Our due date was a closely guarded secret. We only shared our due month. It was fantastic to not be bombarded with "You haven't had that baby yet?!?" "Hurry up and have this baby already!" or "I feel like you've been pregnant forrrrever!" I was still in a bubble, just a slightly bigger one. 

It's easy for people to simply view you as a vessel for this new life, to forget that you're not just a belly, and that you might actually value your privacy and personal space. Strangers want to rub your belly, people share their cousin’s difficult birth, and any number of things. It’s like they lose their filter around pregnant folks.

I hear these kinds of things all the time from clients, so when I say it's OK to have a birth bubble, I mean it. Once your baby (or babies!) is here, extend your bubble a bit if you feel the need. Take your time announcing. Tell people only want you want to tell them. Stay home for a bit and don’t worry about asking visitors over if you don’t want to. Enjoy this time. Shape it the way you want or need to. It’s your time and even if you plan to have more children after this, it’s still time that you will never get back with this baby.