Thanks all for the input. It largely confirms what I thought, and fortunately my gf and I have very open lines of communication & discussed the whole marriage thing. She has said that we should treat baby and marriage as two unrelated issues. I agree that is the best option under the circumstances, but cannot deny the pull of how I was raised and (total honesty) wanting to avoid controversy and looking badly. Plus the self-doubt as to my motives, whether I am acting out of fear in this decision-making process. I appreciate all the opinions and feedback - it's one of SR's strongest suits in that everyone is anonymous and there is a ton of hard-earned experience in this community.
Gracias!