Venus.

Art by Heidi Taillefer/heiditaillefer.com

Sometimes when I am at work I find myself trying extra hard to suppress my need to admit I need to sit down for a second, or the difficulty of bending to get something off the floor. Whenever I feel winded or just plain tired I take deep breaths and continue doing everything as if I didn't have a basketball sized lump on the front of my body. My job requires certain things, and though I only work part-time, being 7 months pregnant is getting harder on my body while also having to be on my feet. I have to look fashionable, polished, and most of all- energetic! When I first realized I was pregnant again I feared telling my superiors because I didn't want special treatment or to feel like the "weakest" link.

Today as I drove here I realized something. Pregnant women really are the creators of life, the carriers of our future. If we expect humanity to flourish then women need to continue to be willing to relinquish their selfish self and replace it with a nurturing and conscious mother. We give up our corporal freedoms and allow ourselves to grow, expand, and welcome new life. Often, this brings many discomforts and a lack of energy that makes it difficult to go on with our routines at the same pace we are used to. There are days when getting out of bed is literally painful and others when we can feel so sick we wonder why the hell we'd put ourselves through this in the first place. Then, almost a year later, our bodies have blossomed and created an entire new being that we bring into the world and love unconditionally.

Of course we need special treatment! Certainly we need an extra hand and a little TLC! Not only do we sustain and nourish a life for 40 weeks, we also have the capability of providing the most complete and nutritious food for our children without the need of anything else for at least six months. Our naked self is enough to give this new inhabitant of the Earth the best start and we did this all while also being expected to work, care for other children, pay our bills, clean, and pay attention to our husbands. It wouldn't be out of line to expect special parking spots everywhere, or an extended lunch break would it? I am fairly certain it wouldn't be in our best interest for women to boycott pregnancy due to the lack of special attention, right?