Pregnant pause: Ready-made friends waiting for our baby

The
Catholic Weekly
Online

Sydney
8 February 2004

First day fun? It’s all smiles at All Hallows

Needy hit by Christmas credit card crisis

Rice to feed needy

Tick for Govt ‘report card’

Rome youth forum

‘Holy lawyers’

Young help elderly priests

Pregnant pause: Ready-made friends waiting for our baby

Orchestra performs at violinist funeral Mass

HSC at St Edmund’s

Stamps can help missions

Editorial: Suffer the children

Letters: HSC results

Conversation: Fr Arthur Bridge, patron of the arts - Parish priest who likes to face the music

Fathers and sandcastles

Tribute to ‘the Chief’

Parish Profile: A gifted beginning ...

Life in a seminary

Law challenged in many ways: bishop

Kicking goals with kids

Pregnant pause: Ready-made friends waiting for our baby

Marilyn, one of our journalists, is pregnant with her first child. We are following the progress of the fledgling Rodrigues family as she keeps a diary of her pregnancy for The Catholic Weekly. This is the 11th entry

Our doctor was really pleased at the last antenatal visit with how both baby and mother are coming along, which made us happy, and we got a bonus; another baby glimpse via ultrasound.

I was surprised to see, for the first time, a little figure lying quietly in the foetal position, especially given the vigorous poking and squirming that I’ve been blessed with day and night.

If I didn’t know better I’d guess that she, or he, had some sly, prenatal awareness of being watched and was faking innocence under the spotlight. Or sleeping.

This baby is very lucky; by the time the birth day comes around there will be two ready-made friends of similar age waiting for him or her.

We’re anticipating the births of our friends’ babies almost as much as our own, because we share the same feelings of excitement. I’m also curious to hear how about their experiences of labour before it’s our turn.

Both expecting couples are due to give birth any day now. None of us knows the sex of our child. All of us are first-time parents.

Peter and I believe it’s providential that we have friends going through the same momentous life stage at almost exactly the same time as us. We should be valuable supports for each other.

One thing is certain; we’ll never have to worry about boring each other with talk about what’s become one of our favourite subjects.

- Marilyn Rodrigues, Week 32