Lori, you are so strong! Well done for speaking up

It may sound corny, but in the beginning I made video diaries for Charlotte. And I repeatedly told everyone I was pregnant lol. I told my work that I was pregnant at 6 weeks, and made a point of holding my belly even though I was nowhere near showing.
It was something I did to enable myself to FEEL pregnant.

One thing that helped, dont know why, was when a GF of mine said to me:

"How amazing is to think that between your spine and your belly button there is a life that isn't yours?"

I think the reason this had such an impact was partly due to my belief that children choose their parents. That I am merely her gaurdian for a very small period of time, that she is in fact a whole and perfect being without me, and that one day she will let me go.
Every day of your pregnancy and every single day thereafter is one step closer to her leaving you. Sounds weird to think of that as inspirational I know, but I think it really is. Birth is simply another stage of weaning for mothers, kwim?
Once I saw this, I realised that the pregnancy was the ONLY true time that she was MINE, belonged to me, was part of me, was wholly dependent on me, that I was the reason she could sustain life.


Anyway, hope I havent offended anyone with that. But that is truly how I felt empowered by my pregnancy that I was able to embrace it fully and find it the most fulfilling time of my life. (Charlotte was unplanned so totally threw me for a loop)

Good luck huni, hope you find the inspiration you need to embrace your pregnancy and live it.
Love ya xx!