Welcome to the first part of our pregnancy series!

If you have recently discovered you are pregnant, congratulations! There is a little miracle inside your body & this is such a special time of life – both for you and the little life inside you.

As I mentioned on Monday, we will be discussing 5 different parts of pregnancy during this series. {check here for the topics and dates of each post!}
I entitled today’s post – What does it mean? :: your body’s communication during pregnancy.

My goal today is not to tell you how your body communicates to you during pregnancy, but more of what you communicate to others.

I began thinking about this several months ago while walking across a busy parking lot. At 6 months pregnant, I was definitely experiencing a growth spurt in my stomach region. At this point, it was clear that I had not just eaten a few too many donuts, but that I was nurturing a little life inside me. possibly nurturing it with some donuts at the same time.

I was beginning to feel pretty big. My normal clothes didn’t fit me anymore. Most of my maternity clothes were still too large to look good. So there were times I wound up feeling like I was wearing a tent. A large tent. It was at this moment of walking across a parking lot, feeling large and in charge, that I began thinking about what I was communicating to those around me – not by my words, but simply by being pregnant.

There are 3 things you communicate when you choose to use your body to nurture a little life:

• I believe in life.

Over 50 million abortions have occurred since 1973. By choosing to remain pregnant, you are communicating that you {at least to some degree} believe in life.

• Comfort is not king.

Any woman who has ever birthed a child can tell you there are many discomforts associated with pregnancy and childbirth. Whether it’s sickness, swelling, or labor – there are hundreds of different pains a woman experiences during the 9 months of pregnancy. By choosing to remain pregnant, you are communicating that comfort is not king. That there are things in this world that are worthy of  discomfort. And that the tiny one inside you is one of those things.

• Body image isn’t the #1 priority.

In a world that screams that body image is everything and that your worth is directly related to the shape/appearance of your body, pregnancy kinda flies in the face of all that. Because last time I checked, your belly is not the only thing that changes during pregnancy. And after childbirth, things don’t go back to the way they were. That’s not to say you will always weigh 40 pounds more than you did before you had children, but that things have a way of shifting. And stretch marks may appear despite intense slathering of cocoa butter.
By choosing to remain pregnant, you are communicating that body image is not your #1 priority.
That nurturing a life is more important than what size clothes you wear.
That giving your body for the life of another is, in fact, more fulfilling than the ability to keep your body stretch-mark free.

Last week, a stranger touched my belly, and as she was walking by said, “There is nothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman.”
I silently blessed her, her possessions, and all of her descendants.

But you know what is more beautiful than a pregnant woman? A pregnant woman who is thrilled with the fact that she’s pregnant. One who keeps the end goal in sight instead of focusing on the pains & inconveniences of pregnancy. If you are pregnant, remember these 3 things you are communicating and let them encourage you as they minister to those around you:

• I believe in life.
• Comfort is not king.
• Body image isn’t the #1 priority.

Don’t miss a post from this series!

• I’m Prego…Now What? {Introduction}
• Your Body Communicates
• Nutrition during Pregnancy
• Exercise during Pregnancy
• How to Talk to a Pregnant Woman
• Preparing for Baby
• Making Meals after Baby