Specialist Ed’s Note

Although pregnancy is a normal state for a woman, it is indeed, an altered state. It’s a time of profound change on every level. While pregnancy grows on you physically, so too does your mind, and your emotions stand in line for some whammies. Pregnancy is a time of transition, of being in-between places as a woman. While your body seems to have a mind of its own, and the physical changes go from being subtle to obvious in a very short space of time, your heart and soul often take time to catch up. Especially if the pregnancy is a surprise! While we so often talk about the physiological changes, we seldom speak about the tsunami of emotions we go through that are supposed to be “normal”, but oh, so don’t feel like that. Often there are feelings of excitement, then feelings of dread. Feelings of being blessed, coupled with feelings of resentment. Suddenly watching a sad movie or advert on TV sends you into a fit of tears, and poverty-stricken families, especially children, seem to appear in your consciousness much more than they did before. People seem to think they have a licence to touch you and your belly and ask you all sorts of questions that you haven’t even thought of, done no research on and only cause you to panic and wonder if you’ll ever be a good mother. At times you feel gorgeous, fruitful, sexy and powerful as you create a life within your body. Other times you feel as full and as round as a tick! Welcome to the world of pregnancy, the training period that’s supposed to prepare you for motherhood. A time where you learn a lot, laugh a bit, and cry more than you think. Hopefully the articles and the stories in this magazine will open up your eyes to the fact that you’re not alone.

With love,

PEOPLE SEEM TO THINK THEY HAVE A LICENCE TO TOUCH YOU AND YOUR BELLY AND ASK YOU ALL SORTS OF QUESTIONS