A Beating Heart

The 17th will mark the beginning of the 6th week ... which means that the embryo should now have a heartbeat! It is hard for me to grasp that idea since it is so tiny that it is not detectable - even via a doppler or ultrasound. But it is beating away. 

I've always been a very pro-choice person when it comes to women making decisions about pregnancies. And I still am pro-choice. But being pregnant and actually carrying something inside of me (something with a heartbeat!) ... it is quite profound. And an array of thoughts and emotions I've never experienced flood my mind each day. The knowledge that, if all goes well for the next 7 1/2 months, this little "thing" will turn into a son or daughter - it has caused me to become attached at a very early stage. Even though I cannot feel it or see it or hear it (and even though it barely resembles anything human) - I am protective of it and it's potential. It's a wonderful, scary, and intriguing feeling. One I've never had before.