40 Weeks...

40 weeks can seem like an eternity when you are pregnant. You feel like you wait forever for that final moment to arrive only to realize that once baby makes his or her entrance into the world, those tiny moments that filled those 40 weeks are gone forever.

I loved every single thing about being pregnant. Granted, there were moments of discomfort, days where I was tired and maybe 9 months of "what the heck are we going to do when he/she arrives?!!" But I would give anything for one of those moments back. When I see a pregnant momma caress her growing belly. When I read about a friend announcing a pregnancy. When I walk past the maternity section in Target and can no longer justify the purchase of that adorable tunic.

(Should I confess that I still own this tunic? I won't get rid of it. I put it on last week to wear, but then changed clothes.)

I mean, the struggle is real, y'all.

What a gift women receive in the ability to create life. To grow life. Sustain life. Miraculous only half-way defines that marvel. There is nothing quite like the feeling of that first flutter from within... it's like a tiny little secret that only you and your child know. You are literally connected to another human being in a way that will never happen again. Literally.

I was drying Landry off after a bath this week and tickling her belly button and I almost teared up to think that space was once part of me. That she and I were together, on a journey that only we could experience. Only we could navigate. We created a story that no one else could read or understand. We were a partnership that sustained the other.

Dr. Smith's  is a sponsor for a new documentary that beautifully tells the journey of those 40 weeks  In the film you get to witness this experience from start to finish. I love that the stories shared included first-time parents as well as parents that have been through the journey before - with a new perspective and keen understanding of just how fleeting this time really is. From the first moments of discovery of new life, to that first doctor visit, kick, even sleepless nights... to the last few weeks of discomfort and anxiety waiting for that special delivery, this film does a wonderful job of  showing the audience a real story. A true story. A beautiful story. A story that honors the journey that women take and pays tribute to all that it entails.

I loved so many parts of this movie -  I felt like I could relate to most every moment happening on the screen. I felt such a connection with these moms... the pregnancy brain that makes you forget you left your phone in the fridge; the 3am hunger rush; the gender reveal; the feeling of being half-way; getting the room ready; the home stretch. The happiness from good news and progress and even the feeling of disappointment when "the plan" doesn't happen how you envisioned. It feels like I was just there when my baby is creeping on 3 years old.

Go see this film with your sisters in motherhood. Go see this with YOUR own momma. Just go see it. Because you will remember and reflect. Celebrate and cry. Encourage and maybe even envy. Most of all, you will feel a connection with yet another group of women that have walked the same path as you and perhaps wish you could do it all again.