Dear Curiosity Journal,
During sheep chores, I look for baby bumps. The 10 bred ewes are 3 months into their 5 month gestation and some of the gals are showing more than others. I notice that Betty and her daughters, Birdie and Beauty, seem to be taking a similar shape, growing matching little potbellies. In contrast, Cauliflower has a larger frame, a roomier baby carriage area, that didn’t pop out much, even when she was close to delivering twins. Instead, she just gets wider, growing a big back. I think about how these nuances of pregnancy are similar in other species, including humans. I marvel at how females across ecosystems find mind-boggling ways to rearrange their organs, shorten their breath, alter their eating, and risk their lives to reproduce. They carry high. They carry low. Their bodies bend to the secret mathematics of multiplication, and spring forth new life – the mother of all miracles.
~Joy
