Pregnancy series: The Decision

Many women fantasize about the day when the reason for the missed monthly period is not stress, but the prospect of a new life developing inside of them.


I might sound very career-driven, selfish or maybe both, but I never fantasized about that. I never dreamed and desired a child of my own. Don’t understand me wrong – I love children and I always knew that I would love to have a child of my own, but it was knowledge, not a fantasy. Maybe that is what 6 years of study and a few rotations through paediatrics does to you. I only came in contact with ill, dirty, screaming and malnourished babies.


So, not surprisingly, it took me much longer than the average female homo sapient, to finally make the decision that I will not prevent Mother Nature to take her course.


So in November last year, much to my husband’s surprise and joy (most probably relief as well) I told him that we can move into a new direction. That small step alone changed my life. Suddenly I became aware of another potential ability I as a female human being had within me. With that came questions: what if we struggle to fall pregnant, do we tell anybody we are trying, what if, what if…?


We decided to keep the fact that we are trying a secret. We would not lie if asked directly, but vague answers like: “We are not doing anything actively to prevent it anymore. “We hoped would keep everyone satisfied. Our main motivation for doing it in secret like very naughty school children, was to give ourselves some breathing (if you can call it that) space. We wanted to keep the pressure off.


So apart from the fact that I made a visit to the gynaecologist (I had to find a gynae before I became pregnant), we upgraded on our medical aid and I did not buy any contraception anymore (yippee R80 a month more to spend) our lives went on as usual.


They gynaecologist did warn that my cycles are quite irregular – that means that we could not really time the whole act of conception. Must say that took the pressure off completely, because in my mind I did not think that I would fall pregnant very fast.


Famous last words….


Next: It must be heartburn.