The Bump Club

Over the weekend, while at a restaurant, someone looked at me standing and graciously offered up their seat. It’s official, I am part of the Bump Club!

When I say bump, I really mean large mass of a stomach that resembles something far more than 22 weeks in my clinical opinion. I remember going through this feeling with each child. While pregnant with Drew, one of the doctor’s I called on (my customers) asked me if I was sure there weren’t twins in there. I was mortified. Although my stomach has stretched to unbelievable sizes with both my children, I have always gained the below average to average amount of weight and looked “appropriately” HUGE. How could someone say something so very hurtful to an already hormonal pregnant lady?!?

Now that was my very first pregnancy when my body wasn’t sure what it was doing. So after that, everything started happening earlier with each pregnancy to follow. So despite the fact that I’m still eating relatively healthy (yes there have been a few bucket list indulgences…maybe even more than a few) and staying very active, I’m still gaining and growing at an exponential pace.

I get it, I’m supposed to be large and in charge. I have a living being growing inside me after all. But seeing your body morph into this mass of enormity has never sat right with me. And as much as I appreciate the kindness asserted to pregnant people, I’d prefer to have less of a bump. So instead of glowing when people compliment the roundness of my belly, I find myself complaining about how unbelievably huge I am!

I’m not trying to pass along negative feelings to my fetus because all my intellectual thoughts are that I want this baby to be healthy and strong which only means that I need to continue…blossoming. I realize that I’m already fighting a tough situation with all my concerns about being responsible for yet another living breathing thing. So I continue to try to force positive thoughts.

When I lay there in the evening, after my maniacs have gone to sleep, and feel the baby kicking all around, I feel such a pull in my heart for what is to come. The excitement of bringing a baby into the world. The thrill of watching them progress day by day, week by week, month by month and year by year. I feel so positive that someday our family dynamic will be so special, the five of us. I also feel pretty confident that I will not be a beached whale for the rest of my life either.

However, today I’m finding it more and more challenging to do my normal activities. Today I have extremely bad lower back pain. Yesterday I had enough heart burn to heat my whole house. And tomorrow I suspect some other glorious ailment will present itself. Ain’t it grand to be a part of the Bump Club 🙂