Looking at the caption, some of you probably want to shoot me right now. Yes, pregnancy can suck. When I think about the morning
(excuse me…all day) sickness, the heartburn, headaches from hell and oh yes…the constipation, I literally want sit and cry. I’m not
even going to talk about the weight gain and facial changes (my nose is a lot bigger now) because those literally just scratch the
surface. Pregnancy is a whole event! A ‘Wow, wow!’ as my sister would often say. Fear not though because there’s a truckload of things that actually make pregnancy exciting and worth it.

Knowing that there’s a whole human, a mini you, growing inside your body is a major win. A blessing really. Probably the best thing
that will ever happen in your life. I’m a young mom and I have to admit that my pregnancy was not planned. Damn, I actually have a
long-ass list of things I wanted to do before becoming a mother. I was scheduled to go on vacation in Mozambique with friends
somewhere in September. I’m not even halfway through my bucket list but God had other plans. And His plans trump everything.

A week after my expected period date, I gave in and bought two pregnancy tests. You may be wondering why I waited for a whole
week. Well, the reason is simple – I left the ‘injection’ two months before I fell pregnant and prior to that, I would go for weeks
(sometimes two months) without seeing my period. So I assumed my body was going through a ‘cleanse’ which was probably why my
periods were late. Some of you are probably wondering why I stopped taking contraceptives if I was not actively trying for a child. The
keyword here is ‘actively’. I am one of those who believed it would take months, maybe a year or two, before we could conceive
successfully. So, by ditching the injection, we gave ourselves a ‘head-start’. The joke is on us.

Fast forward, it’s Monday the 8th of July. I leave work and drive to the pharmacy with my heart feeling like it’s sitting on my throat. Two
pregnancy tests (just to be sure) and they both give a positive result. Damn! What did we do? At that instant, the panic and noise in my
head drums down to absolute silence. I’m numb. Should I be excited? Should I be mad? My brain stops processing any sort of
emotion. Boom! After five minutes or so, feelings of guilt start trickling in. Now I’m asking myself why we finished half a bottle of
Bombay Sapphire the night before (N.B.: We don’t judge on this platform). I’m literally a mess at this point. ‘Is my baby going to be
okay after all this drinking? Should I be keeping this pregnancy?’

I had to quit drinking. My separation from wine was the hardest. My social life took a backseat and needless to say, I became
depressed. The depression was a result of my unanticipated lifestyle change, not the pregnancy itself (imagine missing a whole
December of Amapiano…Exactly!). I started enjoying my pregnancy when I decided to embrace the woman I was becoming. This was
somewhere in the fourth month. It was in the same month when I started feeling what felt like over-sized butterflies in my stomach. I
knew she was real and she was preparing to come meet me. I fell in love all over again. Around month seven, the butterflies turned
into punches and kicks and eventually we got to the point where I could feel (and sometimes see) the somersaults. I was in cloud 9. I
looked forward to my monthly visits to the ob/gyn. Heck, I would make random trips to the GP – anything to see my baby.

Apart from having a relatively big bump, I was fit. I was somewhat of a gym bunny before pregnancy and although I had to quit gym
altogether, I continued with my regular walks which kept me fit. I had a natural birth and I’m convinced that staying active and eating
well actually helped make the labour process a bit more bearable.
(Side note: apart from being a great workout, regular coitus stimulates the production of happy hormones which you need to survive
pregnancy drama – winks. Disclaimer: My opinion. Consult with your healthcare provider first before doing ‘the dance’! ).

Although I had a long labour (about 24 hours), I pushed for 10 to 15 minutes. It went by so quickly. The sight of my angel turned the
whole event into a blur. All I wanted to do was hold her. I did not sleep on the first night. No, she was not crying – I just couldn’t stop
staring at this beautiful soul. Even now, I still play security guard while she sleeps. I don’t know if I will ever stop but I’m going to keep
doing it for as long as I can. I never knew a love like this. Each day, I learn how to love deeply, fully and unconditionally through her.
It’s addictive. I’m addicted.