Essay #1 rough draft. Baby Natalia

Emily Lopez

L. Servais

English 100

February 9, 2011

                                                            Baby Natalia

                        One of the happiest moments in a women’s life is being able to bring a child into the world. The image I’ve chosen to write about will allow you to understand how meaningful it is to be able to carry a child and the feeling of knowing that there is a life inside of you. There is something indescribable about becoming a parent, weather it is your first child or your third. Especially for me, conceiving a child was not as easy as one would think.

                        When you look at this image you see a, 2D seventeen-week old fetus. When I look at this image I see hope, excitement, and prayers answered. When I first found out that I was finally pregnant, I was only three weeks along. I knew that it was way to early to see a doctor. The possibility of miscarriage was huge for me and that worried me. Getting pregnant was not an easy task for me. I was constantly having miscarriages and the reason why was unclear. The explanation my doctor came up with was that I had cysts on my ovaries month after month that were not allowing the egg to travel. Another possibility was that I was too active. I was an avid gym attendee, I worked out at least five times a week, not just on the stair master, but I was involved in very intense fitness training classes. My extreme workouts may have kept my fetus from being able to stick to my uterus, so my exercise routine had to be put on hold immediately. I tested everyday for a week. When the first two solid lines came up I was in shock. The lines were faint and they meant I was pregnant. The lines just kept getting darker as the week went by. I was so excited there was actually a fetus inside of me. I was beyond words. I thought that I was imagining things. It was almost unreal. It finally hit me. I was pregnant.

                        I knew that I still had a long road ahead of me, even if the test was positive. I was hopeful this time around, I knew that there was a lot that I was going to have to give up for this pregnancy and I was willing to do it. This included no exercise for the first trimester, rest as much as possible, and try not to let stress get in my way. Now all of those things seemed nearly impossible, but that all changed when I seen the ultrasound of my baby, I saw her heart beating so strong, her anatomy was perfect, she was moving around inside of me so freely. All of the sudden this image was all that mattered I was going to be a mother of a healthy baby girl, that had fought to stay attached to me. She was meant to be my child.  Knowing that my husband and I had created this little life and were able to see her was so emotional. We started to wonder whose traits she would inherit and who she would look like.

                       When I look at this picture, it reassures me that my prayers have been answered. Anyone who has had issues with conceiving would understand the meaning that this picture holds. Its not just a baby, it’s a life that God wanted my husband and I to have. He has given us the opportunity to share a special bond of raising this child together as parents. This photo is very motivating to me, it reminds me on a bad day, when I am feeling selfish and overweight, that its okay not pressure myself with exercise. It allows me to be okay with taking the time to lay down and put my feet up. It makes me feel stress free to know, my baby is healthy and growing strong. At this point in time that is all the matters me.

                        Sometimes I have to look at this picture to remind myself that I am really carrying a baby. Its not butterflies that I feel in my belly, this baby bump is not there from not going to the gym and this back pain is truly real. I am carrying a life that will bring so many memories to our lives, such happiness that we cannot wait to embrace upon. It amazes me that just by looking at this photo, I feel a connection to my baby. Knowing that she will soon be born into this world is a great feeling.

                        I will always keep this picture of my child as a reminder of the memories that I have encountered throughout my pregnancy. Knowing that this pregnancy at one point could have never been. My hopes to be able to tell her once is she old enough the obstacles that we went through to bring her into this world and the spiritual meaning of her first ultrasound photo. Even though I have had some complications with my pregnancy, I would do it all over again, I cannot express enough the joy that I feel to becoming a mother. All of the pain and concerns are worth every minute of it. You almost forget what you have gone through because you become so infatuated with the realization that you are going to be a parent.