THAT PREGNANT WOMAN...

The Good, The Bad, and the Anxious

Sometimes I wake up, bleary eyed and without a care in the world. I rub my eyes as they adjust to the daylight, I yawn lazily, roll over and just look at her for a few moments, thinking to myself

''She's so beautiful. She's so quiet. She's so peaceful...''

Then she wakes up. The quiet air punctuated with screams, tears roll down her face and the peace is shattered. I jump to attention, I run around making sure she has everything she needs, that she's up, dressed, fed and ready for the day ahead. Just another day as a parent right?

Wrong.

The baby is still 24 weeks and 4 days away, I'm talking about Sasha.

Sasha has good moods. Sasha has bad moods. The rest of the time Sasha is anxious.

Last night, even though she wasn't feeling her best she made us dinner. Sasha's research has led her to discover that as the baby grows, the muscles in her belly stretch and rip. I know this because Sasha knows this. I know when Sasha is in pain, I know when she's been in pain and I know when she's going to be in pain. It's just pain, constant horrible, will not go away pain. And Sasha is kind enough to share all the pain with me. I must admit that if Sasha is in constant pain, then she appears to be dealing with it very well. She hasn't missed a day of work, she's dealt with the morning sickness well and it hasn't really stopped her living her life as normal. Other than the horrendous hormonal imbalances, screams, tears, tantrums and ability to throw like an Olympic shot-put champion, Sasha is still the same woman I fell in love with.

Sasha has also developed an amazing ability to make me believe that she's over the hormonal imbalances and that the pre-pregnancy Sasha is back. She's great at lulling me into a false sense of security, making me feel at ease and comfortable then... BAM! Out of nowhere comes a random threat of violence followed by tears and screams. I really should learn, shouldn't I?

When Sasha was in the early stages of pregnancy, we went out to celebrate a friends 30th birthday. The table booked wasn't big enough for the party, and Sasha and I ended up on a table on our own, which suited us just fine, as it became a romantic dinner for two. It was also a good thing as Sasha's hormonal imbalances were still in their infancy and there were times when she literally had no control over what she was thinking, saying or throwing.

Being pregnant, Sasha was the automatic designated driver, great as I could enjoy a few drinks.  When we go out, it's normally me that pays, sometimes I feel like I'm paying her for coming with me, I'm so lucky. Sasha is also extremely good with money, she's well known for going on a night out and coming home with more money than she went out with. This is actually my money, that somehow during the course of our night out has become her money.

On this occasion, Sasha had insisted on giving £20 towards the cost of the meal.

''This isn't like the normal, cheap places you like to take me'' She insisted.

As we ordered, Sasha's eyes lit up, the menu was certainly better than the lit up McDonald's boards Sasha was used to ordering from.  Sasha then proceeded to order the most expensive starter on the menu and followed it up with a fillet steak.

''I might even have a desert later!'' She smiled at me. She was certainly getting her moneys worth.

Regardless of the cost I was in great mood and having a good time. After all, I was with the woman I loved, we were looking forward to a wonderful future together and I was in a public place with multiple witnesses should Sasha attempt to murder me with her steak knife. Life was good. We were even enjoying a little banter over how good Sasha was able to make money on a night out.