Seek out others who are connected to the Church. I cannot overemphasize the importance of your local parish as you work through your approach to religion for your family. Involve your parish priest, religious, extended family and friends in your struggles with Church teachings, whether you feel isolated for following those teachings, or have difficulty understanding the wisdom of those teachings. We must all struggle together as the family of God in order to build up the Church for our children. Just as the struggles of the early Christians strengthened the faithful, so too will your struggles and successes teach others and strengthen your parish.

This book is set up with a short essay and four meditations each month. The essay is meant to increase your intellectual knowledge about God. The meditations are more practical. They are designed to apply the insight of the essay to your experience. Chapter Nine includes six meditations, just in case your pregnancy lasts longer than you had hoped. Each meditation can be used for an entire week, particularly if you make use of the extra Bible verses and journaling space. It may be a challenge at first to force yourself to focus for one week on the meditation at hand. I encourage you to try, because this "slowing" of the mind and heart lends itself to prayer and reflection that is open to God's word for you alone. Do not be discouraged by the tendency of the mind to wander. As a wise mentor once said to me, "Most people find that their minds wander during prayer sometimes. When you notice it, gently guide your mind back to God."

At the same time, do not be afraid to make this your book! You do not have to adhere to the monthly and weekly schedule of essay and meditation if it does not work for you. Of course, you may already be "behind," since many women are not immediately aware of their pregnancy after conception. Perhaps you might like to skim the book first and then focus on the meditations. Perhaps you need to read the entire book in one setting. Perhaps you can only pick it up and put it down. The goal is to include God in your preparations for motherhood. If you like, you can even save chapters to focus on  in your next pregnancy. God will help you find the best way to use this book.

I consider pregnancy to be an invitation to learn about God's very nature: Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit. God is inviting you to delve deeply into the mystery at work in your very body, to ponder the reality of God's presence in your life via the new life He has bestowed upon you. Let this pregnancy, be it your first or your tenth (or more!), guide your soul into closer communion with the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Remember that He came first as a newborn baby to Mary, who treasured all of the things she did not understand in her heart, (Luke 2:51b) trusting she would someday know Him fully. Even though we may not be giving birth to the Messiah, the Messiah has given us new birth through his death and resurrection. By looking at the spiritual metaphors in pregnancy and childbirth, we can begin to know Jesus more fully ourselves.