I'm 27 years old and pregnant for the first time--due September 12th 2008--Gosh that's far away! I've been married for four years now and when we decided to start trying to get pregnant, we never thought it would happen so fast! I was told by several Drs that I might have some trouble due to irregular cycles so I bought a great book called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and learned all about charting. Well, one month of charting and lot of wine tasting in Napa and I was pregnant. I've decided to take a leave of absence from my Doctoral studies as the exhaustion of full time college teaching and pregnancy symptoms are too much to deal with. So, even thought I would have been done this summer, I'm happy not to be writing papers right now.

More on the pregnancy: I've never been that much of a worrier but being pregnant brought out a lot of anxiety and I had to work hard at dealing with my fears. I really believe in positive thinking and the energy that positive thoughts attract, so I've been working hard at being peaceful, visualizing a healthy baby and not giving in to anxiety. I have no reason to be fearful--everything has gone smoothly so far, but with testing for this chromosomal abnormality, or screening for that birth defect, it's all one can do to trust one's own body and know that it natural knows what to do right now. To this end, I'm struck by how the American medical system/culture treats pregnancy like it’s an illness to be treated rather than a natural function of the human body. With all the poking and prodding and screenings and warnings from medical staff, it's really hard not to lose trust in one's own body and its ability to do on its own what nature intends. That's a whole different discussion though for another day--natural birth, home birth, drugs, no drugs, etc...

When at night I go to sleep
Fourteen angels watch do keep;
Two my head are guarding,
Two my feet are guiding;
Two are on my right hand,
Two are on my left hand,
Two who warmly cover
Two who o'er me hover,
Two to whom 'tis given
To guide my steps to heaven.

Sleeping sofly, then it seems
Heaven enters in my dreams;
Angels hover round me,
Whisp'ring they have found me;
Two are sweetly singing,
Two are garlands bringing,
Strewing me with roses
As my soul reposes.
God will not forsake me
When dawn at last will wake me.