{I’ve Done It} Interning While Pregnant

When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, way back in 2006, it was such incredibly bad timing that I couldn’t believe it.

I was a journalism student and I was three months away from interning at Reader’s Digest. READER’S DIGEST. Like, one of the biggest magazines in the world.

And I’d be living in New York. NEW YORK. The most “big city” of the big cities. “Concrete jungles where dreams are made…where there’s nothing you can’t do” — THAT New York.

But all of a sudden, the image of me strutting down the sidewalk, cute shoes and a magazine full of my bylines in hand changed dramatically. Now, if I went to NYC, it’d be more like waddling down the sidewalk.

I was full of doubts. Should I pack up and head to NYC for four months, all in an attempt to further my career? What about my doctor? Would I have my appointments in New York? What about my then-boyfriend? I would miss him so much. Would I be able to compete with the other interns if I’m stuck in the bathroom for most of the morning sick to my stomach?

Being in a strange city, feeling strangely pregnant, while working like a beast? I wasn’t feeling it.

But you know what? I did it anyway.

I was scared and I didn’t want to be away from everyone I knew for a good chunk of my pregnancy. But I did it. The commute was two hours, one way, and so my pregnant ankles would be good and swollen by the time I finally made it back to my apartment. When the other interns arranged to meet at the bar for happy hour, I respectfully declined and hit up the grocery store for some canned pineapple, which I’d eat while watching DVDs in my bedroom. (I seriously ate a can of pineapple almost every day. Weirdest craving ever.)

After one particularly grueling week, I was on the phone with my boyfriend, complaining about how hot it was in New York. “There’s just too many people here,” I remember saying. “It’s so crowded on the sidewalks and I’m getting pushed everywhere and….”

And then I felt it. The first little flutters of a baby. I stopped talking and held my belly.

“Honey? I think I just felt the baby kick.”

My boyfriend wasn’t one for dramatics or overly emotional moments. “Nah, it’s probably just gas.”

But I knew better. This was my baby kicking, moving, letting me know, Hey lady, don’t forget — you’re doing this for ME. I’m right here along with you. 

Feeling that little flutter at that moment gave me the strength to finish out the summer and end my internship with some pretty good clips. I’m so glad I took that risk and went to NYC, big belly and all and showed what I could do. I met amazing people who have guided me to my current career path. It’s incredible to see how things work out when you’re too busy worrying about how things are going to work out. Before you know it, you look up and think, “Wow, I already made it through.”