Divine creatures

Early pregnancy is no fun.  What a reward you get at the end of it though!  This is my new baby niece, Grace, absolutely gorgeous and a very calm baby who hardly every cries (I've ordered one of those too!)  For now though I have this rotten early stage to get through, in which feeling sick, hungry and exhausted all of the time is just an everyday reality at the moment.  I'm not here to moan though, what I do think is that the female body, and whoever designed it, is a truly marvellous thing.  The way I feel right now absolutely forces me to slow down and pay attention to my body.  I don't have the energy to rush around doing all that needs to be done, mopping the kitchen floor, vacuuming the bedrooms, shopping for christmas presents, there is a long mental list which has had to be temporarily suspended.  Just getting through the day, feeding my girls and clean clothes for us all are the only things on which I can focus in between the bouts of nausea and utter 'dead on my feet' tiredness.  And that's OK, I realise it's a good thing really, my body needs to rest, needs to conserve its energy for its very special project its working on.

I do wonder at what other times in a woman's life should she really be paying attention to her body in this way, every month when the pains start and I start crying for no apparent reason?  Every evening after work, dinner, bathing the girls, when I'm tired and I really should listen to my body and go to bed early instead of collapsing on the couch?  My body is practically screaming at me at the moment to pay attention to it, to feed it, nurture it and rest it.  At other times though, when our bodies speak more subtly to us do we really listen and give it what it needs?  I'm taking this exhausting part of my pregnancy as a lesson to remember in future, to pay attention to my body, certainly the older I get the more important this will become.  To think about what would my body really like me to feed it right now?  Do I need to exercise my body and get out for a good walk?  Do I need that early night or that warm bath before bed?   Shouldn't I be paying attention to that ache in my back, that dry patch on my skin?

The female body is a marvel, mine is in the process of creating a new human being which is no less mind-boggling being that it is such an everyday occurrence.  I'm listening to it, I'm giving it what it needs, (even if it's chips for lunch) I'm respecting the fact that my body and nature itself knows better than I do about how to create a baby.  I'm aware of the fact that even though it doesn't always feel like it when I have my head stuck down the toilet at 4.45am ( that was this morning) it is certainly an honour and such a gift to have this female body capable of creating a new life.  It makes me look at all women with such respect and pride in what our bodies are capable of.  What divine creatures we are.