I had that feeling for the first time last week – the one that sneaks up on every pregnant woman eventually: Get this baby out of me.
Yes, I still have six weeks to go. And no, the crib isn’t set up yet. In fact, I’m still trying to psyche myself up for sewing curtains for the nursery. And ideally I’d like to knit a hat for two for the new little one. Never mind all of that. Most women I know reach a point at the end of pregnancy where logic goes out the window, and they’re ready – no matter what the circumstances – to meet their new little person, and to not be pregnant anymore.
For me, it’s come a little early this time around. I think it’s the combination of recovering from the flu along with being pregnant during the winter. (Having experienced the third trimester in both the summer and the winter, I prefer the summer ten times over – even without air conditioning. But that’s another post entirely.) So what to do with an antsy feeling and six weeks to go? I went to prenatal yoga tonight. All of the stretching helped me feel so much better physically. But more importantly, my yoga instructor is wonderful at encouraging her students to be mentally present and accept the current circumstances for what they are. Her reminders to breathe through difficulties – whether an uncomfortable pose or an uncomfortable pregnancy – help me feel more centered, and remind me of that age-old adage:
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.
Really, I think that maxim sums up the key to the third trimester of pregnancy, to labor and to those early days of motherhood. So for me, it’s prenatal yoga weekly from here on out and lots of deep breathing on non-yoga days. And hopefully some sewing too!
