Pregnant Yogis or "I'm not like you people, but you seem friendly enough"

Last night I returned to the prenatal yoga class for the second week. The class was a bit smaller as several of the participants from last week had birthed their kid and transitioned out of the class.

At the beginning of class we go around and say who we are, when we're due, and how we are feeling physically/emotionally/spiritually. Normally I would think this was a waste of time, but when you are pregnant, it IS kind of nice to get to vent what's going on to people who aren't just thinking, "Shut up, pregnancy has been going on forever and you are not a special snowflake," which was my attitude when I wasn't pregnant.

However, as we go around, it is continually underscored for me that I should not truly share because I Am Not Like These Women.

I jokingly told one girl, who is about as far along as me, that towards the end when we couldn't take it anymore, we could make a pact to secret punch the other one in the side to spur on the labor. She looked at me, eyes gleaming, and said, "oh, I want to embrace every moment of this and cherish it." Later in class, during a pose, she started weeping.

Another girl shared that she was trying to bring all the good energy in to her and she was excited that her tub arrived. For clarification, that would be her birthing tub. For her home birth. In a tub.

Ew. How do you clean that thing afterward? Do you store it in the garage? Do you sell it on Craigslist?

It is really nice being around a bunch of pregnant women who are educated, excited, and there to smile and relax. But I don't think I can have coffee with them. For one, I'm pretty sure they've totally shunned coffee because it could have negative effects on the pregnancy.

When I mentioned I was still riding horses and that a challenging lesson on Monday seemed to be causing some residual pain in my shoulder, even the teacher was like, "Wait, you mean you are riding horses?" The room was pretty quiet and my sharing time felt cut a bit short.

I'm more from the "women have been doing this for centuries and I'm pretty sure I can handle this" camp. I'm not having a home birth (at least not on purpose), I'm welcoming any drug at the hospital they offer me, and I am not under any delusion that being pregnant is particularly fun. It's interesting in a science experiment kind of way and I'm delighted that I can feel the little bean wiggly around in there (or it's gas, but gas is not as cute as thinking Flipper is in there doing tricks). However, I'm pretty sure by week 34 I'll be over it and the back pain, constant need to pee, and lung compression will no longer be the "cherishable" experience my little yoga friend is hoping for.

Right now it's just an excuse to buy really cute stuff.

And I'm drinking coffee (and eating junk food. and soft cheeses). Not excessive amounts and generally within the agreed upon scientific community's levels of safety for sane pregnancy. Usually.

I'm an enthusiastic pragmatist: I know this baby is going to change our lives forever in mostly the best possible ways. I just think this whole incubation period is kind of part of the process and wearing a little lipstick to yoga is not weird or somehow against the process and that it's OK to not need to overcome this challenge by being tough: I think you get through it by being smart -- not by meditating, taking probiotics, or submerging yourself in warm water.

Or maybe I'm just a jerk :)