Next Month

I remember in 8th grade staring at this girl in my English class who I was afraid would go into labor right there in class!

When he was teaching, two of Andy’s high school students confided in him that they were pregnant and needed some flexibility with their school requirements.

Almost none of my married friends and family planned their pregnancies. Some of them even got pregnant while on birth control. Getting pregnant must be easy, right?

I began counting down the days that I should expect to take a pregnancy test. I was so psyched and started planning how I would tell Andy that I was pregnant. I could see it all in my head and it was perfect! I paid close attention to every unusual sensation I felt in my body that month (and every month that followed). One day I was slightly nauseous before breakfast. Another day I thought my stomach felt hard. Then, one day I felt a sharp pain in my ovary. I had a headache one day. I had heard that some women didn’t have signs of pregnancy until they were well along, so it didn’t concern me that none of my symptoms were consistent.

A couple of days before I expected my period I took an early pregnancy test. It was negative. That’s OK, I thought, maybe I took the test too early. I still had two days and then I could take the test again. But, I didn’t have to.

I wonder if everyone thinks they’ll get pregnant right away like I did. It seemed so easy for everyone else. Why not us? Oh well, it was just our first month. Maybe next month.

I thought this every month…for two years.

Next Post: Tuesday, March 20, 2007