When I thought about pregnancy I knew that some pain was going to be expected. After all, we are expected to push out another human being through an orifice a fraction of its size. No one prepared me to deal with the back pain, heartburn, leg pain, nerve pain, and everything else in between. No longer can I get comfortable sitting, standing or laying down. My lungs are compressed, my stomach is in my throat and my skin is so tight that I'm afraid it'll split open any second. And don't even get me started on stretch marks; the ones that appeared while I slept, the ones that appeared no matter how much I marinated in lotion and the ones that are definitely never going to disappear.

Amazingly, all of this is forgotten and forgiven with those "awe" moments in which you feel your stomach twitching just to realize that the person inside of you has hiccups. Yes, those hiccups ARE pressing on your bladder and yes, it DOES feel like you're going to pee yourself, but its amazing just how quickly the motherly instinct to protect overcomes all of the other negative feelings. Now its not about YOU being comfortable but about making sure that you're not pressing on something that is making him/her uncomfortable. OUCH! Knee to the rib. No longer "Hey, that's my rib you're kicking there, buddy!" but "Aww, my bun doesn't fit in the oven anymore". And just like that we remember, this isn't about me or how bloated and fat I feel, this is about me PROTECTING and CREATING life and making sure that this life has everything necessary to survive. I'M making this baby. I'M nourishing it. I'M giving it oxygen. I'M housing it.

So take THAT "stronger" sex. I'd like to see YOU do that.

Damn, I'm AWESOME!

And hungry. Again.