BODYTALK with Leonie Kunter

I'm 9 months pregnant by now and that has brought many different feelings with it.

The early days were very chaotic, because on the one hand I was very happy about the miracle that was happening, while on the other hand, the thought arose as to whether I was up to motherhood at all and to leave my independent and carefree life behind.

Our life will and already has changed a lot, but the joy and the feeling that something very special is happening is definitely stronger than any of the other emotions.

I for sure had some very stressful moments, as we still wanted to get things done before the birth. My boyfriend has finished his master’s thesis, we’ve moved to another apartment and my career has changed quite a bit as a result of the pregnancy. Most of this happened in the second trimester, which is when I also caught stubborn bronchitis. All of this gave me a lot of trouble, especially since I kept feeling my "new" physical limits and wasn't able to do that much like before. During this time, I really wished I could enjoy the pregnancy more and asked myself "Why did no one "warned" how exhausting everything would be?" I was probably just a bit unlucky that I was constantly ill, but in the third trimester I was finally able to enjoy the pregnancy the way I had always imagined. By then we had taken care of all the essential things and were able to enjoy this time together as a couple and with friends. In addition, I was able to relax a lot on maternity leave and prepare for the birth. The last few weeks have made me totally positive and the anticipation is huge.

At the beginning of the pregnancy, I was so curious about every visual change and basically waited for the belly to grow. When the belly then grew, it quickly began to look like a real baby bump and I slowly felt the first baby movements. That was very exciting.

Eventually I got used to my stomach that sometimes I forgot about it and it happened more often that I got stuck somewhere with it. I myself can no longer see how much the belly has grown in the last few months and was quite amazed at how big it looks on the photos. It's crazy how much my body has changed and I'm glad I thought my belly was beautiful most of the time.

At the beginning it was very easy. At first I had to pay attention to my circulation and I also had a phase in which I needed a lot of sleep. What I struggled with the most was the weakened immune system, because I often had colds and felt permanently sick for months. I didn't know that about myself at all. At some point other complaints such as back pain and hip pain came along. But here I was able to help myself with yoga, relaxation and osteopathy.

On good days, my body feels like it did before the pregnancy. Then I only notice the movements of the baby and sometimes this big belly is in the way.

On bad days, nothing helps against the pain and every turn hurts at night. Then there is heartburn and I constantly have to go to the toilet. On days like this, I really look forward to the end of the pregnancy, which was probably arranged by nature. This is how you automatically wish for the birth to happen!

When I got asked how it feels to carry a human being within me, who will one day be as independent as I am, it feels so surreal to me because it still seems so far away.

On the other hand my parents told me how quickly I grew up and how quickly time passed. Thinking about my child's future is so beautiful and I deeply hope that it will be as happy as I am right now. Of course, this also entails a lot of responsibility, because as parents we have to be aware of the values we want to pass on and it feels like there are so many things that can go wrong in upbringing. But we'll start small - with a baby. Kids will become more independent with time, so that we can slowly get used to this process of detaching and growing up. I just wish that our child, no matter what age, knows that it will always be safe with us.

The most biggest dream for our baby is unconditional love and that it has lovely people around, with whom it feels comfortable and free. Our child should know that it is just the way it is, beautiful and simply enough. I hope it will always has the opportunity to do what fulfills it. I believe these are the most important building blocks for a happy life.