How would you approach this situation?
This has been on my mind for a while. For context, I'm pregnant (23) with a toddler son and I was originally baptized in the Greek Orthodox church I'm about to mention.
So my husband and I have been going to this small OCA parish for the past year or so. Originally, it was the closest one to our home (we have since moved) and it has seen huge growth in catechumens over the last few months (glory to God). However, there are a few problems now. For one, it's a tiny parish, so there's little standing room anymore. Additionally, there is little to no ventilation in this parish. For the past few weeks when attending this parish, my heart rate has gone up dramatically, my vision blacks out, and I feel like fainting/throwing up which leads me to exit the church for extended period of times before re-entering. I also can't really help with my toddler much in this state, so my husband takes over with toddler duties during Liturgy, which includes running around with him outside. It's very hard to concentrate to the Liturgy itself when my heart is going crazy in my chest and I feel like I can't breathe, as you can imagine.
Now last week, my husband, toddler and I returned to the Greek Orthodox church we were baptized in and were originally avid attendees at. It's much larger, has a nursery room for parents, and it's generally easier to let my toddler run around in. Plus, I don't have the health issues here due to the larger space + better ventilation. Not to mention, I have a lot of old and new friends at this church that I love to see and speak with. All in all, I really love this church still. I have a fondness for the Greek Orthodox in general.
I've been wondering and asking my husband if we could visit the Greek Orthodox church more in general, as I've really missed the culture there and the people. And my husband almost seems to get irritated and annoyed with this, as if going to this Greek Orthodox church is more burdensome in some way. And I don't really get it. We have one couple at the OCA church (godparents of our son) who we are close to and who my husband would miss, so I can understand that. But the health issues I experience at this church have become too much to ignore. I'm almost 20 weeks along and don't get nauseous anymore, but due to the ventilation at that church I'm almost always feeling the need to leave and throw up.
How would you approach this situation? One solution I'm considering (we are blessed to have multiple cars) is that I'd take my son and go to the Greek Orthodox church and he can go to the OCA church if he wants. It's much easier to handle my son at the larger church with the space + nursery so I wouldn't mind. But maybe there are other solutions I can consider here, too.
Posted Dec 10, 2025, 2:51 AM UTC