pregnant – Jennifer Thomson

Babies are adorable.

I like their tiny fingers and their squishy, delicate skin. I like the way the way the scent of baby powder lingers on their skin and makes them irresistible.

I love the way they instinctively burst into excited smiles for the simplest, in-explainable things.

I think babies are wonderful.

But, I don’t want a baby.

MY CLOCK ISN’T TICKING

Could it be that someone forgot to set my inner baby alarm clock. Maybe I don’t even have one?

I wonder if someone broke it, when they also broke my heart?

Or maybe it’s somewhere, lost inside me, overwhelmed by desires to for other things – like travelling, exploring, adventuring, and living my own life.

Go ahead and call me selfish for that last comment. I don’t care.

I still don’t want a baby.

MY LIFE DOES NOT REQUIRE A BABY TO BE COMPLETE

Hello, I’m Jen.

I wake up around 5am every day, just so I can get a serious sweat on. My sweaty workouts just don’t feel as good during other day parts, and my days just don’t feel the same without my morning sweat session.

Sometimes, I collect the coolest people I know and hike a mountain in the middle of the night so we can watch the sun rise. It sounds crazy, but it’s worth it – every.single.time.

Occasionally, I take spontaneous road trips. I set off on adventures with no set destination or return. On more than one occasion, I’ve spent entire days in the great outdoors, without a care in the world and no cell phone reception – this is the definition of pure bliss.

I enjoy travelling to exciting places for weeks at a time. I enjoy spending my money on myself. I enjoy pampering myself and treating myself to nice things.

Believe me when I say that I’m happy for you and your bundle of joy. My “Congratulations” are sincere about your growing family, and this new adventure that you are embarking on. I really am happy that you’re happy.

BUT…

I like my life how it is now. I have freedom, independence, and endless opportunities to be myself.
And, I just don’t feel the need to include a mini-me into it.

Sorry… I’m not sorry.

I don’t want a baby.

NO “REGIS”, THAT IS NOT MY FINAL ANSWER

Did I say that I never, ever, wanted a child? No.

I just don’t plan on purposely having one anytime soon.

Related: I don’t want to ever be one of those people who tries to have a baby – to the point of making it a chore. If I one day just happen to get pregnant, then I promise you – I will love the shit out of that beautiful miracle.

But I don’t need to make ‘my baby’ happen. Having my own baby isn’t something that has to happen.

If I go through my whole life without being a mother, I don’t know that I’ll feel inadequate. I mean, I can’t predict the future, but I know right now that I’m doing just fine without one.

My life goals don’t revolve solely around getting married and having babies. I’m not ready to be defined solely as being someone else’s mother.I believe that there’s a lot more that I can be. Also, it’s the year 2015, and I know that there’s so much more to live for.

WHO KNOWS

Maybe I will get married and have a baby. Or I’ll have a baby and then get married. Or maybe I won’t.

When and if my baby alarm clock sounds off, I’ll adjust my life accordingly.

Until then, there’s a whole lot of sweet dreams to live out.

And none of them include a baby.

I was never the girl excessively enthusiastic about having babies, but now I’m at the point in my life where people obviously think that I should (at the very least) be thinking about having babies.

As if consistent nagging from my mother isn’t enough, there seem to be reminders everywhere. I’m not sure if it has to do with the recent NHL lockout or just an abundance of sexual chemistry floating around (that obviously wasn’t in the air I was breathing) – but there are pregnant women and newborn babies everywhere I look. I do adore children and I absolutely admire all the women who endure 9 months of pregnancy – including the before/after/during effects. But the truth is that I actually have no desire to get pregnant… which seems to be quite a big shocker to many people I’ve shared that with.

People keep telling me how magical the whole process of creating a new human being is. They try to explain how wonderful it is to watch your own child grow, while noticing physical, emotional, and habitual similiarities between them and you. I can understand the unexplainable beauty or desire of having a baby. I just don’t want to experience it.

My decision against producing my own child is just the same as people choosing to avoid life experiences because of their own fears, opinions, and personal tastes. I willingly admit to being frightened by the (commonly) uncomfortable pregnant moments and the concept of pushing a baby out of your body. I’ve heard horror stories, and they’ve all convinced me that I’m not enticed to take a chance of experiencing any of the possible aches and pains.

All that being said, I’ve seriously considered starting a family one day with the right person; I’ve even picked out a few of my favourite baby names. But when the time is right and I’m ready to be a mom, I don’t plan on popping out my own child. I’m definitely on board with adopting a beautiful child, despite the fact that many people have tried to change my mind.

While it’s very possible that I might eventually change my decision, in the event that my baby fever spikes, but for now…

I’m not pregnant, and I don’t plan on getting pregnant.

Sorry Mom.

Photo Credit: http://shutr.bz/15SclsK

Tag: pregnant

Baby, No.

Baby Fever…