Why I Took a "Hatchelorette" Trip Before Giving Birth

I've thought about my friends a lot over the last 22 weeks. As much as sleep training methods, nursing schedules, and the necessity of a bottle warmer have occupied my mind since becoming pregnant, so have my friendships. Most major milestones carry the potential to shake up social lives - college graduations, career changes, marriage. For me, pregnancy has proven to be no different: friends I've known for decades check in seldomly, while newer acquaintances have stepped up, allowing for closer bonds to form. I've wondered how these friendships will be once again shuffled when the baby . . .