the Mommy guilt

i've been thinking today about mommy guilt. i know that i don't have to define this, as anyone who has given birth, adopted, fostered, or even had a pet knows what i'm talking about. my word, we feel guilt about everything! my two year old is a slow talker, i must not have drank enough milk while i was pregnant with him. my kindergartner still eats glue, i probably didn't read to him enough when he was an infant. it's really kind of absurd if we think of it rationally... rationally? what's that?? anyway, this whole "last pregnancy" thing has stirred all this up. i'm suddenly finding myself thinking i should do all these things i never did before. maybe we should bank the cord blood? i should take prenatal yoga! maybe i'll document the progression of this pregnancy with pictures? then the mommy guilt kicks in. the other kids will wonder why i didn't take pics of my belly when they were in there... why didn't i bank their cord blood... i wasn't so worried about staying fit with the other four! (ok, so that one may be stretching it a bit) what i realize, though, is that it's all so narcissistic! as if every detail of our child's personality, development and future is dependent on us, the mother. as if one mistake will ruin all of existence for this child. it made me realize i needed to give myself a little dose of my favorite thing to say to others- Get Over Yourself! i think i will! maybe i will take that prenatal yoga class. i'll look up the times, right after i finish my Popsicle.