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To the pregnant woman in these tumultuous times: Circumstances can change in a baby’s heartbeat

Jun 5, 2020

By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation

I remember the instant I found out I was a mother. I had been volunteering at a local pregnancy resource center, assisting women who were facing challenging circumstances. I had been praying that I would conceive a child, but for months, the prayer seemed to go unanswered. 

That day, I summoned up the courage to ask my supervisor for a pregnancy test. She gently took me aside and, after examining the test results, confirmed what I had felt in my heart: I was finally pregnant!

I began to love my baby at the moment of confirmation of her conception. While I have always been adverse to water, I guzzled it down, believing it was best for baby. I carefully monitored my daily diet to make sure I was consuming sufficient calories for myself and my little beloved one. Never an athlete, I began a pregnancy-friendly exercise routine to aid in my delivery.

I read the pregnancy book recommended by my mother-in-law and the breastfeeding guide published by the La Leche League. I devoted myself to my new cause: the cause of being the best mother I could be.

This coming week, my daughter celebrates another birthday. I am enchanted and amazed at the incredible person she has become. 

But I knew she was a one-of-a-kind individual long ago, when I first learned of her presence in my womb. I could not deny her humanity any more than I could deny my own. She was precious from the start, loved from the beginning, and treasured throughout the trimesters. 

While she was a cherished part of my heart, she was separate from me all along, with her own distinctive DNA. That DNA made her a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty, born of a dark-haired, brown-eyed Mama.  She did not gain legitimacy at her birth—it was another, albeit highly important, stage in her already legitimate life.

To the pregnant woman in these tumultuous times, I offer you this wisdom, born of years of mothering: Circumstances can change in a baby’s heartbeat. The struggles you face today could be long gone a year from now. But one fact remains: that baby within you bears a beauty and dignity which cannot be erased. Yours is an awesome responsibility but also a bountiful blessing. You will never regret bringing that blessing into the world.

So happy birthday to all the June babies, and congratulations to all your awe-inspiring mothers! You truly make the world a brighter, more loving place.            

Categories: Life
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