Week 15: It Held You Until My Arms Could

It’s a rainy Friday night, and I thought I’d post these sunshiney photos of me and my bump from last Sunday.

I was on my 15th week when these photos were taken, but I can seriously feel (and see) a significant change in my bump in just about.. 5 days. No, really. They’re growing fast!

My husband insists I put lotion on my tummy everyday to lessen the stretch marks, especially now. I wasn’t at all worried about the marks at first, really, until I started seeing photos of women with their post-pregnancy stretch marks from Google images (don’t try it!). I have to say, it made me.. frightened.

I really should take the lotion more seriously.

But then I found this poem written by a photographer name Cassie Fox..

Birthmarks

A mark for every breath you took, every blink, every sleepy yawn.
One for every time you sucked your thumb, waved hello, closed your eyes, and slept in the most perfect darkness.
One for every time you had the hiccups.
One for every dream you dreamed within me.

It isn’t very pretty anymore.
Some may even think it’s ugly. 

That’s okay. 

It was your home.
It held you until my arms could, 
and for that,
I will always find something beautiful in it.

..and my eyes teared up almost automatically, reading the poem, just as it would any time the hormones would strike. It dawned on me once again that lives are being formed inside of me, and what a beautiful experience it is to be used as God’s instrument to make life.

Suddenly, I’m not afraid of getting birthmarked anymore. Sure, I’d still put on some lotion (for my husband), but I won’t mind getting a remembrance from our babies’ first home.