You Know You Have a BIG Belly When…and Other Stuff I’ve Learned

Since we’re getting down the last few weeks here (eek!), I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned about being pregnant. There are some real gems here…haha :)

You know you have a BIG belly when…

…you find yourself in the closet looking through your husband’s t-shirts when trying to decide what to wear.

…rolling over in bed requires so much effort that it wakes you up. Every time. 

…the best way to clean the bathtub isn’t leaning over the side from the floor…it’s actually getting in the tub. (Found that out this week!)

…you find your belly accidentally bumping into stuff because you underestimated its size.

…your husband has motioned to you on more than one occasion in public to pull your shirt down because your belly is creeping out…again. (True story!)

…you are sitting in church when you suddenly realize that your belly is resting on your legs! (Again…true story!)

…you are seriously wondering whether your maternity shirts are going to fit in another few weeks.

…your nice “innie” belly button has turned into a rather large “outtie” and has even been nicknamed a “turkey timer” by someone you know!

…getting up from the couch requires you to give yourself a pep talk first. Don’t even ask about getting up from the floor!

…the thought of wearing suspenders in order to keep your pants up has really crossed your mind. (Ok…slight exaggeration there…)

…wearing that new camera around your neck just isn’t practical these days.

…you have gotten comments from people asking if you are having twins. (Seriously!)

…even your own mom has informed you that you must be having one big baby.

…you don’t have to worry about cleaning up food off the table or floor if you spill a bite while eating. It’s there on your belly, of course!

…your cat has trouble sitting in your lap because there isn’t any room for her anymore.

…you’ve forgotten what it’s like to be able to actually see your feet.

***It’s quite possible that I will find other things to add to that list since the belly will only be getting larger over the next few weeks. I’ll let you know!

Now, for the other random things I’ve learned…

1. Get ready for some stranger to ask you if you’re pregnant BEFORE you think it’s even obvious. I’m talking about 15 weeks along here. This is what I looked like and what I was wearing that day at work when it happened…

Now, what possesses people to ask that? I have no idea. I guess it’s either boldness or pure stupidity, but either way, it definitely caught me off guard!

2. Some days you will wish you had a sign to wear on your shirt with the following answers:
February 21st, 2013
Yes
Girl
Yes, Brooklyn
No
These are the answers to the top 5 questions. They usually come in that order too! “Aww, when are you due? Is this your first baby? Do you know if you’re having a boy or girl? Have you picked out a name yet? Have you finished the nursery?” Really, I didn’t mind answering them over and over, but I just thought it was funny that I could almost answer the questions before they even asked them. Every once in a while, someone will throw in a random question (just to keep me on my toes, I guess!), but those are definitely the top 5 in order.

3. A lot of people think they can tell if you’re have a boy or girl based on the way you are carrying the baby. Well, either I don’t follow the pattern, or it’s all a bunch of bologna. I’m going with bologna. Several weeks ago, after we knew we were having a girl, I literally had 3 people in the same DAY tell me that they could tell I was having a boy just by looking at me. WHAT??? Now, if we find out the day Brooklyn is born that she is really a he, then I guess I’ll be eating my words. But, for now, I’m not believing that there’s any pattern to it.

4. Sometimes, things that you think are going to be a major deal turn out to just be a small bump in the road. A.K.A. my Lovenox injections. You can read that old blog post after I’d only done the shots for a couple of days and see how freaked out I was. I never thought I’d survive the rest of the way having to do that every day. I’m glad I was wrong about that! It’s really cool to look back and see how you’ve gotten through something that seemed so impossible at the beginning. I think that’s life in general though.

5. Time flies when you’re having fun! Back in June, it seemed like February was so far away. Now, it’s next month. Wow! The weeks have just gone by so fast. I think staying busy has definitely helped. I’m glad that I’ve continued to work, we’ve gone on trips, and found plenty to do so that I’m not just sitting around counting the days go by.

6. People, including me, love buying baby girl clothes. Why do they have to be so cute??? After my showers on Saturday and Monday, I’m sure Brooklyn will have an even bigger wardrobe. It’s a good problem to have I guess! :)

7. You’ll get a lot of unsolicited advice, but that doesn’t mean you have to follow it. Whether it’s telling you to wait and be surprised about the baby’s gender at birth, how you definitely need to take a childbirth class or two, or that you really shouldn’t be jogging this far into your pregnancy, everyone has an opinion to share. I really am thankful for the advice most of the time, but most of the time it probably won’t change my mind. I have to take a second to brag on my mom, who has been awesome in this area ever since Travis and I got married. She has been a great listener, but has been very cautious about telling me what to do or what not to do…unless I ask for her opinion. Not that I think she’s going to give me bad advice, but I appreciate the fact that she’s not trying to run our lives either. You’re the best, Mom! :)

8. It’s way too easy to get caught up in trivial stuff like decorating the nursery. In the end, it really doesn’t matter what the nursery looks like. (I need to tell myself that every day). Brooklyn won’t care, and she won’t remember it either. I feel like Pinterest and the Internet in general bombard you with pictures and cute stuff to buy, and they make you feel like you HAVE to have the cutest nursery known to man. Whoops…I definitely fell for that one. Brooklyn’s nursery is definitely going to be cute, but next time around hopefully I’ll keep things in perspective better!

9. Be informed, but not OVER-informed. I think you can scare yourself silly reading about other people’s labor and delivery, pregnancy issues, and anything and everything that can possibly go wrong. I’m not saying that you should be totally naive, but there’s a point at which knowing too much is possible I think. I think nursing school was actually really helpful for me. It gave me an overview of everything that makes me feel comfortably informed. I feel like I’ve been prepared but not worried to death about every little thing.

10. Have fun! I have a feeling that part of me is actually going to miss being pregnant after Brooklyn is born. It has really been a wonderful experience overall. I know that not everyone has as easy of a time as I’ve had (without morning sickness and other issues), but being pregnant is still something to cherish. It really doesn’t last that long in the grand scheme of things! It seems like a lot of people focus on the negatives of being pregnant (how bad they feel, how tired they are, etc.) and forget to stand back and admire how their bodies are changing. It’s an amazing process, and it’s one that you can’t get back after it’s gone.

And, with that, I’ll leave you with a big ROLL TIDE! I know that has nothing to do with being pregnant, except that I guess it was Brooklyn’s first national championship :) We watched the game with Collier and Jessica, and we had a great time. I have to mention that Collier was very helpful and had a plan in place just in case I went into labor during the game from all the excitement. I was told that Jessica would be taking me to the hospital, and Travis and Collier would be joining us after the 4th quarter ended. Haha! Luckily, the game was out of hand pretty early, so the guys could rest easy :)