Superstition

I've talked already about how everything's an early pregnancy symptom. But that's not the only way that trying to conceive creates superstitions.

There's a constant attention paid to Murphy's law, and I think that's because of all the stories of 40 year old women who want children desperately and have money and stable homes but can't conceive, and then 13 year old girls getting pregnant accidentally and having it mess up their lives. There's this idea that if you try, it won't happen. If you hope too much, it won't happen.

So when I saw an Avent Isis breastpump and breastmilk storage supplies to go with it for a total of $12 at a local store that sells brand new dented box merchandise, I should have bought it. But I didn't. Why? Because it would be staring me in the face if I can't get pregnant! We've already bought a couple of things, but somehow the breast pump just seemed like too much to get before even conceiving. In many ways, there's so many things where it'd be really easy to start stocking up now, like cloth diapers, but I shy away.

I hate superstition! I know it's wrong. I do. Especially when I catch myself thinking, oh, great, I forgot to take my prenatal vitamin, now I'll definitely get pregnant because I'm being stupid and unprepared! It's bad. But I don't know how to stop it.