Pregnancy Weekly Guest Writer- Suzanne

Thanks to Suzanne for her pregnancy story. Once I read it I knew that I had to post it! I can absolutely relate to her story and so can many other Moms. I wish you the best Suzanne and thanks again! _______________________________________________ Pregnancy. Nine months – give or take – of excitement, anxiousness, worry, elation, bloating, exhaustion, questions, and waiting. There are women out there who would be eternally pregnant if they could and there are others who want children but would rather spend a night on a bed of hot coals before going through THAT again. Of the two extremes, I find myself somewhere in the middle – pregnancy limbo I suppose. I love the fact that I have a new life growing inside of me (overdue life at this point) and I revel in the excitement of becoming a mom. It isn’t that my body has been taken over by an alien being, that I need to pause to catch my breath after putting on my underwear, or even the fact that my ankles have more closely resembled cantaloupes rather than human ankles as of late. My pregnancy has been an awe-inspiring and wonderful journey. However, my pregnancy is not my own. The joy and wonder I feel is still there but it is stifled – stifled by other people’s comments. Down with inhibitions! Down with respect! Down with chivalry! Who NEEDS it when you can say whatever you want to a pregnant woman! Coincidentally, I have learned a great deal about people, both strangers and well-known acquaintances, throughout my pregnancy. People whom I thought I admired and respected have become people I try to avoid. My big bulge is something I have wanted to veil from the world so that people will treat me normally – and that has turned many a content day into a day of rolling eyes and overwhelming sighs. One of the earliest and most heinous comments happened when I was only five months pregnant. I was standing in line at a bakery counter in Grand Central Station waiting to purchase a treat for me and my little boy. The woman in line ahead of me turned to me and asked, “Are you having a boy?” I could feel a glow enter my face and a smile erupted, “Yes, I am!” Her response blew that smile right off my face, “You are gonna CRY. That’s a BIG boy.” I stood there, dumbfounded, not knowing how to respond to that wonderful pearl of wisdom. I believe something like, “Yeah,” escaped my lips, but I think I may have blocked it out. Since then, I’ve received such lovely comments as, “Your face is swollen”, “You’re going to break the record for the biggest baby”, “You’ve gained weight all over”, “Is it twins or triplets”, “You still have HOW long to go”, “You look exhausted” and the infamous “Are you SURE there is only one baby in there”. I guess it’s all a part of the joy of pregnancy, but I think before next time, I’ll have to drum up some ammo to come back at people with. Unless they are right, and my baby IS twenty-seven pounds at birth – but I doubt that.