Whenever I hear people talk about babies and having them it's always something positive. They will usually say things like "Having a baby is such a blessing " and " Giving birth is a beautiful thing." It's not that I don't agree with what they are saying or anything, it's just that I'm still pretty young and immature with that exact mindset so getting married and having a kid is so far down on my to do list. Even my mother tells me that when I get older I'll start to think differently and my view on having kids will change. We'll see about that 10-15 years from now. The reason why I bring the topic of babies up is because I now have a 10 month old niece. Her name is Zuri. Growing up it was just me, my parents, and my older brother in my immediate family. Unlike my older brother, I didn't experience being around a baby for a long period of time. I was also unaware of many things women go through while just pregnant. In grade school I was just taught that a woman carries the baby for 8 months or so and then gives birth during sex-ed. It was not until my sister-in-law got pregnant that I realized that going through pregnancy is not exactly easy.

I have many breaks in college, so I usually spend my days off visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Maryland. Being with my sister-in-law while she was pregnant really opened my eyes. I used to think that after getting pregnant you would get some morning sickness, your belly gets bigger and that's it. However, there's more to it. Women can have back pains, swelling, digestive problems, bathroom issues and more. Now that I think about it I should not have been so shocked after learning about this. Having these symptoms makes sense because there's another living being inside of you! What can I say, I was naive.

The birthing process is a lot to take in. At least it was for me when my sister-in-law told me everything . Let's just say there's a lot of waiting, pushing, and stretching. She told me that it was worth going through all of that once she had Zuri in her arms. Now that Zuri is a fast crawling baby who is able to get her hands into anything within a second, constant supervision is needed. Zuri is now my brother and sister-in-law's first priority. Seeing them drop whatever they are doing to rush to her aid when she starts crying was one of the many things I had to get used to. I have learned so much about taking care of a baby now that I have a niece. I must also admit that it's pretty funny seeing my brother change dirty diapers and get puked on. If I ever do decide to have a family when I'm older, I'll definitely reflect on the experiences I have had and will have with Zuri.

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