Growing up, everything seems so simple. You fantasize about what your wedding and family is going to be like. But at that age, you don’t know who you are or who you’re going to love. As I grow older and discover who I really am, I realize that I never fully appreciated my body and all that it’s capable of. I also never truly appreciated the power of love.

Meeting her was the absolute greatest thing to happen to my life. It wasn’t until then, at 19 years old, that I found out and accepted who I really am. It wasn’t until then that I found the strength within me to be comfortable with myself. It wasn’t until then that I discovered what it meant to love someone with every single inch of my body.

When you fall in love, you seem to lose the ability to think. You just see everything that is perfect and nothing less. You don’t think of the possible hardships and obstacles that you two will face. You don’t think about the judgment and ridicule that you may receive. Having that person by your side makes it all worth it.

Now, almost 22, I think about my life and my future a lot. My future with her. Our wedding, our family and the life that our children will live. And then reality begins to set in. I start to think about what’s involved in getting to that point and the necessary steps in creating a successful family and life.

It wasn’t until I began to constantly think about this that I came to a realization- I never truly loved my body and all that it is capable of. And then I thought about the millions of women who still have yet to realize all that they are capable of.

We focus so much on how terrible our periods are, the cramps and the aches and the cravings. But all of that is worth it for that one thing you've dreamt about since you were 8 years old. A baby. A little miracle created by you and someone you love more than life itself. But you see, that’s where this all gets tricky…

I never valued my body’s abilities until I faced the fact that I will never have the chance to create something that is a part of me and a part of her. Never will we have a baby with her curls and and my nose. Or with my eyes and her lips. This was never something that I thought about before.

I always thought about adopting and saving someone who needed it, but that was because I never pictured myself getting married. Now, it’s something I think about everyday. Just like I think about the highest paying jobs in the world, considering the financial state that is required.

When you find out you’re pregnant, you think about the cost of food, clothing, vitamins, a roof over your head, a nursery- everything that’s going to cost you when the baby is born. No one ever thinks, how much did it cost to get pregnant? Your social life? A nice glass of wine after a long day at work or an ice cold beer on a hot summer day? Your fit figure and stretch marks? A good nights sleep and a normal eating pattern?

What about costing somewhere between $4,000-$25,000 BEFORE the baby is even created or born and in your arms? And on top of spending all that money, the baby doesn’t even carry the traits of you and your other half. Then to tack on the expenses necessary to give the baby everything it deserves once they are born. This reality doesn’t belong to many and most times, not even a thought to most.

With all of this being a reality, love still manages to trump any hesitations to spend this money. What the real message here is that some take the greatest miracle that the female body is capable of and forget to value it. This isn’t a matter of pro-life or pro-choice, it’s a matter of valuing the most natural and beautiful gift of all. This gift is something that any woman of any social class and of any race is capable of, but it’s most valuable to those women who realize its worth.