My Plea On Behalf of Pregnant Ladies

Here's the thing, I loved nearly every moment of my pregnancy with Olin, except for one thing.  Those nonstop comments about my size, either in the form of incredulous looks when I mentioned my due date, the repeating of my due date back to me with a tone of utter amazement or, my personal favorite, the old "are you sure your not having twins?!" question, that all came flooding in at the start of my third trimester.  Even worse, I typically told people just that I was due in "October"... had they known that my due date was October 24th (nearly November) they may have insisted that I rush off to the hospital immediately to ensure that something was not terribly wrong with my pregnancy.  Interestingly enough, my weight gain with Olin was textbook in terms of total gained (31 lbs - my doctor recommended 25-35 lbs at the start of the pregnancy) and in pattern (I consistently gained 0.5 to 1 lb each week just as all doctors and books on the subject advise).  And this pregnancy has been exactly the same in terms of being right on track with my weight gain, I just "popped" earlier because it's my second baby, which means that those comments started even earlier with this pregnancy... in my first trimester!

I know that I should be a big person and ignore the comments and I try, but it is easier said than done particularly when they come so constantly.  At church on Sunday, in a matter of 7 minutes, I had 4 different people make one comment or another eluding to the fact that I appear as if I should be going into labor at any moment when the truth is that I have nearly 14 weeks until my due date!

And I know that I am not the first pregnant lady to be the recipient of such reaction.  If you are petite, like I am, you are just going to appear "more pregnant" than a taller woman that has a longer torso and thus more room for the baby.  I have a very competent doctor that is in no way concerned about my size so I really don't think the stranger on the bus should be concerned either. 

So even though I give a smile in response or maybe even a polite laugh, know that those comments are hurtful.  All I am asking for is that if one does have those thoughts about a pregnant lady, please don't tell them to her or say them behind her back (because we hear a lot of those too and that's worse) or better yet, ask yourself, do I really, truly have any idea what a woman should look like at the various stages of pregnancy.  I don't, and I am pregnant myself!  Every woman and baby is so different that every pregnancy looks so different.  Perhaps if we worried more about ourselves and focused less on others, the world would be a much nicer place to live in.

Okay, I'm done and am climbing down from my soapbox.  Sorry for the rant, blame it on the rainy weather today or maybe just the hormones, but I appreciate you for listening!

 

Oh, and my wonderful husband inadvertently captured this shot of me over the weekend and I am so thankful to him for it, because before seeing it, I felt as if I should be spending the next 14 weeks in bed with the blankets pulled over my head and this picture makes me think that society can endure my appearance for at least a few more weeks...