Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Keeping it Real

Heard the baby's heartbeat today and I must admit I am relieved. I haven't seen anything since the ultrasound in week 6 and was getting kind of nervous. I am at that awkward stage where you just look kind of fat instead of pregnant and sometimes it even throws ME off. With so many women having miscarriages around me, how can I NOT be paranoid? Listening to the sound confirmed the health of my baby and I will definitely rest easy tonight!

Next appointment is the ultrasound that will also show whether it's a she or a he. Very exciting! I get to bring an audience of 3 and a dvd to record the sonogram. Who knew? Technology is very impressive today.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Love Hangover

So, I am just starting my 9th week of pregnancy and can't wait until the queasiness is gone. What can I say? I'm a pansy. The past couple of weeks, the hubbie would ask how I feel. The only description I could give is I feel hungover, only without the good stuff the night before. I'm tired, my stomach finds everything questionable, and I am totally sporting what looks like a beer gut. Maybe all this ick is good for me. It takes my mind off of the looming scariness of the actual birth. Seriously terrified. I was so brave before I got pregnant. Now that I am, not so much. Seriously don't know how all you momma's did it. In fact, it seems like I see all these pregnant women living with pregnancy like they don't even notice it. Why can't I be that person? Maybe I'm just surrounded by supermom freaks. Hmmm...that notion made me feel slightly better. Well, fingers crossed for a good 2nd trimester.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

A Dirty Word?

I heard the "clean" version of Lil' Wayne's A Milli on the radio today and was sucker-punched by the censorship of the word "menstrual". What is it that makes this word so filthy, that it is deemed inappropriate language for the general public? This is a general health term for crying out loud! Who didn't learn about the woman's reproductive system in their grade school health class? Is the word lactate also forbidden? After all, it is something that a woman's body does naturally.

Is the menstrual cycle really a curse? I know plenty of women who see it as a blessing, especially those that want/have children, and would vehemently deny the labeling of this integral part of nature as a curse. But it's what we have learned ever since we were children. We are embarrassed if anyone knew Aunt Flo was visiting. How embarrassing is it if someone found your tampon or pad in your purse or backpack? Paralyzing! Why is it? Why is it that men glorify anything their bodies do, but we slink off into a corner, hoping no one will recognize that we are women and embrace the power and wonder of our bodies?

So often I see/hear/experience an anti-feminine moment like this and want to SCREAM. Pop culture decisions like this one that censors a non-obscene word that is directly related to gender causes girls to grow up ashamed of their bodies. I know I am guilty of this group-think, but am trying to recognize when I am doing it. I also inform my husband when he is promoting a sexist stance, because I can't just keep it to myself. What good does that do?

This is a hard battle when we exist in a time when our pop culture promotes sexism so strongly, but I have hope for women of my generation. I have hope that we can realize our own faults in denying our gender strength. I pray that we can push the evolving feminism movement to empower our daughters and create a less misogynistic world - to know that their existence is more than just a dirty word.