The Doe-Eyed Optimists

I organize a meetup group of women that are 35 or older when they have children and am finding it interesting to see how optimistic some are about their pregnancies early on and how quickly they soon deteriorate into immobile lumps waiting to explode. I say this with complete empathy and compassion because I've been there twice. It's a miserable state of existence when you reach the end of your pregnancy, and these newbies are just finding that out. I had one mom-to-be organize a walking group that was to start 3 weeks before her due date. "Are you sure?" I asked the doe-eyed optimist. "Of course. Before I got pregnant I would run 2 miles per day and weight train 3 days per week." Oh, the poor women who just don't realize what a toll being pregnant is and how hard it can be on your body. I am sure there are some women out there who continue to do everything as usual even though they are pregnant. The majority of us, though, find out what suffering is all about. This poor woman wound up contacting me to cancel her walking group because she had bad sciatica. Uh huh - been there. She also said the baby dropped and she's having a hard time walking. Yes - had that. I hate to say "I told you so" but I will. It's really something extraordinary that happens to your body when you're carrying a child. The body must adjust and compensate for things it never had to before. Having gone through it myself, I know how most pregnant women feel and I always give them that knowing smile when I see one. You know the smile - the slight grin with a nod of the head that says "I feel your pain." It's a look only a mother understands, and the doe-eyed optimists will come to understand.