Any of you who have read my first entry or the About page know that I have taken being a father seriously from the moment I was given the news. However, I do have some concerns as a new millennium father I haven't quite come to grips with. The biggest one is this phrase "we are pregnant". It is always the woman who lumps you in as being pregnant, but I don't hear many guys saying that. I was many things during my wife's pregnancy, but pregnant wasn't one of them. I didn't even gain sympathy weight, I got skinnier with worry. So I have to ask, are you pregnant? Was I pregnant?
Definition of Pregnant:
1archaic : cogent
2: abounding in fancy, wit, or resourcefulness : inventive <all this has been said…by great and pregnant artists — Times Literary Supplement>
3: rich in significance or implication : meaningful, profound <the pregnant phrases of the Bible — Edmund Wilson> <a pregnant pause>
4: containing a developing embryo, fetus, or unborn offspring within the body : gravid
5: having possibilities of development or consequence : involving important issues : momentous <draw inspiration from the heroic achievements of that pregnant age — Kemp Malone>
6obsolete : inclined, disposed <your own most pregnant and vouchsafed ear — Shakespeare>
7: full, teeming, Merriam-Webster
After a quick trip to the dictionary I may have to rethink this whole "we are pregnant" notion. Let's take a look at these one by one.
We can rule out number four right now, that is the domain of women only. I don't care what scientific oddity you find on YouTube.
1: It seems that the writer is admitting up front that some of the uses of pregnant are outdated and uncommon in today's speech. That is another point for men not being pregnant.
2: During those nine months I don't know if I was "abounding in fancy" but I definitely had to be witty and resourceful. I was asked to do things that no movie, sitcom, or class can prepare you for.
3: While I do believe that people acknowledge a man's feelings and his role during pregnancy today more than in generations past, it was all about wife and baby. I was not feeling very "rich with significances". On the other hand I was definitely implicated as being a party to my wife's state.
4:Not medically possible. See above.
5: There is no doubt that fatherhood has added to my continuous development as a person. So in that regard I will be pregnant for a long time to come. I know the consequences of having a child will bring positive results to our lives as men if we stay engaged.
6: Shakespeare is great for reading and discussion, but doesn't quit translate in this conversation.
7: I was and still am full and teeming with indescribable joy, pride, love, respect, and humility for both my wife and child.
Most all of the definitions that apply, applied before we had a child anyway. No doubt, I have one more person to feel these things for and the magnitude is much greater. You could say many of the same things about getting engaged or your wedding day. So, I guess I was always pregnant and hope to always be in that sense. Fellas, we may be excited, full of emotion, closer to the wife than ever before but don't worry "we" are not pregnant!
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