Dear Abby: Mother-to-be isn't excited about baby

DEAR ABBY:

After six years of marriage I am seven months pregnant. I never wanted children and did not expect this to happen. I am determined to be an excellent mother, but it's an intellectual exercise for me. I feel nothing for this baby and I have a hard time imagining our future. I also hate being pregnant.

I can't find any websites for women like me - they're filled with women cooing over their bellies and fantasizing over their babies-to-be. I mentioned my feelings (or lack thereof) to my husband and he became furious with me. Is there something wrong with me?

- Lacks the Mothering Gene

DEAR LACKS: No, there's nothing "wrong" with you. You're just not particularly maternal. I'm sure many women have felt as you do because more than half the pregnancies in the U.S. are "unplanned."

Discuss this with your obstetrician to be sure you're not suffering from prepartum depression. When your baby arrives I am sure that you will fall in love with him or her as many other mothers have. Your husband may have reacted the way he did because he felt it was in some way a rejection of him, or because he DOES want children.