It’s been approximately three years since I was last pregnant. I’ve forgotten all the wonderful things that come with carrying around a big belly and the not so wonderful things. Now that I’m 22 weeks pregnant, it’s very obvious to everyone who sees me that we are expecting. Although I’m sure that there are those who may wonder if I’ve just stuck a ball under my top.
Some comments that I did not notice with my first pregnancy, but are glaringly obvious this time around are the comments on my size. By my size, I mean my weight gain and belly size. Often, people say things that they think are acceptable to pregnant women but not to the rest of the female population. Should I not be pregnant, I think people would not be so up front as to tell me how much weight I have or have not gained. They would not consider themselves as obstetrician or dieticians and give me advice as to what I should or should not be eating to gain or slow down my weight gain.
It’s never acceptable to comment on how big a pregnant woman is. Actually, it’s not acceptable to comment on how small a pregnant woman is either. If you’re feeling compelled to say something about a pregnant women’s appearance, then it should be along the lines of,
“You look great pregnant” or “You’re looking gorgeous”.
Inappropriate comments such as:
“You look so big now”
“You’re really small/big for 5 months!”
“Are you carrying twins?”
“I only gained 9 kg when I was pregnant”
will not only annoy a pregnant woman, but can really hurt her.
In my case, I’ve not gained much weight. Actually, with 5 months of ’all day sickness’, I’ve struggled to gain any weight. I’m just happy that I have finally gained back all the weight I lost so the comments coming my way have been more along the lines of my lack of weight gain. I’m sure that as baby gets bigger and my belly is protruding out more and more, the comments would be streaming my way. How I’ll handle them will depend on my pregnancy hormones.
