There are some things that only happen once.  In my case, being pregnant with my first child isn’t something that I can hit a reset button and do again. It was a wonderful yet fleeting experience that went by in a blur and while I’m over the moon that Noah has come into the world, I also miss carrying him snugly in my womb, everywhere I went. 

 

I’m so glad that I was able to capture most of my pregnancy in photos and videos, in both raw and curated formats (one of which being this maternity shoot)

By taking photographs and videos, we not only capture and immortalise the visual aspect of events, we also crystallise memories, insights and lessons learnt and certain thoughts and emotions that can never ever be repeated, at least not exactly. 

 

It’s not an overstatement to say that being pregnant with Noah has changed me forever. It’s brought me so much joy and happiness, taught me so much about myself, and eternally shaped my perspective in life. It’s not just your body that changes when you’re pregnant, your mind does too. When looking through these photos, I’m reminded of the many thoughts and experiences throughout the duration of my pregnancy.  

 

Carrying Noah in my womb made me extra careful with how I was treating my body. Knowing that anything I ingested would somehow reach my son, made me scrutinise any food put in front of me. If I didn’t get enough rest, I worried more about how it would affect my baby than how it would affect my body. 

 

It’s funny how it takes another human being inside of you to make you take proper care of your body. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like I was mistreating myself before getting pregnant. But being with child, took it to a whole other level. Imagine being on the brink of a panic attack from not having enough nutrition in your diet. 

Being pregnant has also thought me that it’s okay to surrender control. In the past when it came to working on my business, i’d only know one speed. Turbo speed. I needed to have control of all things and needed all things to happen FAST. The fear of missing out on opportunity and knowing that I might only get one chance to chase my dreams was my fuel. 

 

At times during this pregnancy, turbo speed was still possible. Other times, the only kind of haste I could conjure up was the haste needed to get me through the front door, out of my clothes and on to the bed. 

 

When energy levels are depleted due to having to grow another person inside of me. You learn, by necessity, to … let go (Selectively of course). 

 

While letting go of the certain battles, being pregnant also made me more selective of which ones to fight. 

 

Things that, slowly but surely, took priority was getting our home ready for a newborn and making the “right” decision in selecting which hospital to deliver in and the maternity team that would care for Noah took up most of our head bandwidth.

 

When it came to work and business. We weren’t just chasing passion, career aspirations and financial freedom. We were and still are building a comfortable future with as much possibility and opportunity for our son as possible. We found renewed motivation and sense of purpose. 

 

When you’re fighting for something bigger than yourself, you fight harder. 

Pregnancy has been life-changing (for the better) but this is not to say that we’ve reach complete enlightenment and have it all figured out. There’s still so much more to learn and new mindsets to adopt as we journey through different stages life has in store for us. But we’re so thankful for what our little baby has taught us. 

A wise friend of ours once told us that our children are the ones who will teach us the greatest lessons in life. 

 

Well, Noah’s off to a great start.