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Today, I officially entered my third trimester of pregnancy.

While I’m thrilled to be welcoming my little one in just a few weeks, anyone who’s preparing to become a parent knows how unbelievably stressful this time can be.

It’s a weird mix of excitement and sheer terror.

I find myself worrying about the big things—finances, lack of sleep, how long it will take to recover from childbirth, how parenting will impact my relationship—and the small things—which bottles to use, how to tie that cloth baby wrap, what toys to buy, how long nap time should be.

This is on top of my usual worries and trying to cope with all the physical and mental changes that occur when you’re growing a whole new life inside you.

Like I said, unbelievably stressful.

And one thing that doesn’t help is when I bring up a concern and all I hear from other parents is, “Oh, you think that’s bad. Just wait…”

I always know that what comes after that “Just wait” is going to be one more thing for me to dread about being a new parent. While I understand the need for parents to commiserate, to be honest about the tough stuff both as a way to prepare one another and to connect, those two words don’t do anything but raise my damn blood pressure.

And who needs that?

Just this afternoon, I came across a quote about parenting that was the exact opposite of those “Just wait” conversations. It didn’t gloss over the hard parts or pretend there was nothing to worry about. But it also didn’t paint parenthood with a strictly negative brush.

I hope this quote, from Rob Delaney, serves as a reminder to both new parents and those who are a bit more seasoned that while having kids is hard and stressful and full of more worries and struggles than we can count, it is also full of more wonder than we could ever realistically imagine.

These words reminded me why I wanted to be a mother in the first place:

 

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