Between anticipation for a baby, morning sickness and strangers touching your belly, a pregnancy can change your life for the better while bringing unexpected challenges. Away from the lens of cookie-cutter, “made-for-TV” pregnancies is the truth: Having a baby can be uncomfortable, lonely, joyous and life-altering. And the experience is never the same for any two people.
Hélène Janeway moved to Chattanooga from California in the middle of the Covid pandemic, months away from delivering her first child.
“It was a bit challenging not knowing anybody or having friends to share [my pregnancy] with,” Janeway says.
Despite loneliness and unknowns, pregnancy was empowering for her self-image.