Birth Day

A woman I know is due to give birth today. Actully little more than a girl; only 21. She's been induced, so now faces either hours or days waiting around the house for the baby to arrive.

This was one of the pregnancies that was announced to me around the anniversary of my first miscarriage and about 4 months after my second. It was like one week in which the world conspired against me to bring as much ironic misery as I could handle. Literally, within DAYS of eachother, 3 women I knew joyfully announced their good news.

This pregnancy was different however, as it was, in classic terms, an accident. Your average "oh, we don't need to use a condom, I'm on the pill, but oops, I've forgotten to take it for the last 4 days" scenario. This pregnancy, when I heard about it, made me livid at the stupidity of both parties, and outrageously jealous that this woman, who'd been trying desperately NOT to conceive had sucessfully manage to get herself knocked up.

It didn't help that for the first 5 months or so, she delighted in sharing her little discomforts with me over MSN, declaring more than once that being pregnant "sucked."

I've made my peace with her and her unborn child over the months, however. The first time she put my hand on her belly to feel little knuckles moving underneath, there was nothing of my original jealousy left, just a fervent hope that despite the situation into which this little person is going to born, that she turns out okay.

Looking forward to meeting her.