"Most highly favoured lady, gloria!"

But the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour.

Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus.

I was not planning on becoming pregnant, though I also didn't try and stop it happening. I was not a Christian at that point- my thoughts were somewhere between agnostic and atheist. I was a 16 year old girl doing what some 16 year olds do. When the test was positive it was a surprise. I doubt it was as surprising as the angel visiting Mary though, telling her that she was to become pregnant with God's son, by way of the Holy Spirit.

Advent to me is about waiting and preparation, and there is no wait greater than that of being pregnant. There is much to prepare, ensuring that everything is ready for the arrival of the baby. The mother's body changes as the baby grows, and this comes with a mental change in preparation for an upcoming role. Mary was disturbed at first by the news that she was to carry the son of God, but with time came to accept it, and was able to celebrate this with her cousin Elizabeth. I also accepted the pregnancy after a few weeks, and this made it easier to deal with everything that had to be done.

I was at college towards the end of my pregnancy, and had to stop going at the beginning of December because I was too tired to continue to travel there, and to climb the stairs to the classroom. Mary however had no choice in having to travel at a late stage of her pregnancy, due to Joseph needing to go to Bethlehem for the Roman census. It is uncomfortable just walking when heavily pregnant- it must have been difficult to travel on a donkey across large areas of desert, not knowing exactly what to expect when you get there.

Of course, things were to get worse- once they arrived in Bethlehem there was nowhere for them to stay except in a stable with the animals. In this environment Mary gave birth- not exactly the sterile surroundings I was in at hospital. Labour is exhausting, and to have to undergo this in unfamiliar, undesirable surroundings is probably not what she wanted. However, she knew that this was what was intended for her and she accepted it all with faith. Laying her son in the manger, knowing who he was to be, she was probably the proudest of all proud mothers.