Life, as you know it, is about to change. Perhaps you have dreamed about this pregnancy since you were a child, toddling about with dolls in a nurturing fashion. Or maybe you had to lift your jaw up off the floor after your home pregnancy test came back with a highly unexpected positive result.

Either way, this huge event begins a whole new chapter in your life. Having a baby changes everything about what you are: physically, socially, morally, everything. You will continually be amazed at your strength, your uncanny ability to work through extreme exhaustion, and by the awesome and sometimes otherworldly love you feel for your baby.

Get ready to be given advice by everyone who is aware of your pregnancy, and once you start showing don’t be surprised if complete strangers brazenly insist upon not only offering unsolicited advice but also regaling you with horrific stories of painful childbirth. It’s just what experienced (and not so experienced) moms

do to other moms, consider it your proper hazing and accept it with a grain of salt.

Unless you stumbled upon the discovery of your expectant status late in the game, you can take solace in the fact that you have some time to prepare. Although it is true that no amount of advice can truly prepare you for everything that is about to happen there is something to be said for taking in as much information as you can.

Knowledge is power, after all, and knowing all you can will certainly make you feel a little better about what you’re about to leap into. A word of caution about the aforementioned importance of learning all you can about having a baby. Information is great, but too much information can leave an expectant parent’s mind swimming in a vast sea of "what if?" which will surely cause much more harm than good. Realize that your body is going to feel as though it is rebelling against you most of the time, and every single twitch or ache is certainly not indicative of a crisis.

It is good to know the sorts of signs which merit your attention, but don’t spend countless nights combing through chapters in baby books which detail everything that can go wrong. Remember that the vast majority of pregnancies result in normal deliveries and healthy babies. Do not add extra stress to your already stressed mind and body by spending your time worrying about what might happen. Take a deep breath, enjoy your pregnancy, and get ready for the impending whirlwind.