24 weeks. We finally made it to six months. This week feels immensely significant for a coupe of reasons.
For one, our little guys chance of surviving outside of the womb is now 63% which is significantly better than it has been in weeks previous, and will only continue to improve.
He’s also almost a pound and a half now, and 13 whole inches long.
He kicks like crazy and wiggles so much whenever I try to sleep that sometimes I just can’t. And his kicks are getting so strong that my whole belly jumps now.
He responds if I poke my belly, and sometimes even to loud noises.
Most significantly though, we have officially reached the point at which elective abortions are no longer legal.
I don’t have the right words to explain how devastating that feels to me that we’re only hitting that point now. 168 days into this pregnancy. 168 days of growing this tiny perfect little human. Months of feeling him wiggle and kick. Of waiting anxiously to see his tiny heart beating on the ultrasound machine. Of praying so hard + so long that he would be okay when everything was looking so desperately grim my first trimester.
He has a name.
A heartbeat. Strong arms and legs. Hands. Feet. 10 fingers and 10 toes. Two eyes. Pursed lips. A little button nose.
He already has tastebuds and is practicing breathing in amniotic fluid.
He is perfectly miniature, and mine, and the love I already have for this little boy is unreal.
But the fact that today is the first day that his life “legally” counts makes my heart sick.
He is the same baby today as he was yesterday. The same heart beats in him now that did at 16 days. It’s the same heart that will beat in him at 30 years and 50 years and beyond. It’s the same heart that I will do everything in my power to protect. I haven’t even met him and already I can’t fathom a world where he doesn’t exist.
The love of a mother is something else.
But we live in a world that values time and freedom first. That tells Mother’s that their beautiful growing baby is just a clump of cells. Not really alive. That an abortion is better for the baby than growing up in foster care.
How different would things look if instead of that we talked about how precious life is. How miraculous that a baby learns their mother’s voice from inside the womb and when it’s born, they will already recognize her. How incredible the way life blooms and grows from something smaller than a mustard seed.
What if we offered support instead of judgement? What if we just valued life, without exception?
We’ve spent the last two months sheltering in place to protect the most vulnerable in our communities, but it seems so many people have forgotten about the most at-risk population: the babies who cannot advocate for themselves.
It’s more important than ever to be a voice for the voiceless. The significantly at risk. My precious boy is safe and growing in my belly because I value his life. My belief that it has value protects it. But how many more little ones are not safe because the person who’s “choice” is considered more important than theirs doesn’t see the same value.
We need to do better than this. More education. More support. More resources. Less judgement.
If you’re pregnant right now and struggling, please reach out. Whatever your circumstances, we all need a community to support us through it.
Our babies are worth it.