Cover Photo: image from ‘Dr. Evans’ How to Keep Well’ (1917)/wiki
image from ‘Dr. Evans’ How to Keep Well’ (1917)/wiki

On Miscarriage, Motherhood, and Wanting to Control What You Cannot See

On the day when two pink lines stared up at me, I wondered which set of events I had set in motion. A baby? Or not a baby?

I was so overwhelmed with the responsibility I uttered nonsense. I willed tears to come so I wouldn’t be found out as a fraud.

And they did, once she wormed her way onto my breast, where she stayed for the next two hours. She was mine, and I was hers.

Pregnancy is so powerful. A fallible body is attempting to bring forth something new. Its power is largely unseen, and therefore hard to understand—much to the chagrin of expectant mothers like me.

I get to be okay,

Before, I knew nothing. I could not have conceived of what it means to hold a child in your body, then in your arms.

Rebekah Olson is a writer and stay-at-home-mother. Her work has been featured at The Huffington Post, Recovering Yogi, and Mutha Magazine. She lives in Seattle with her husband, two children, and dog Nash. Find her on Twitter @rebekahjolson