Podgy Pregnancy

Today I am 19 weeks, 2 days pregnant. About 2 weeks ago I got excited when my belly finally popped. I had seen women who were less pregnant than me with bigger bumps and was starting to get a little bit jealous. However, I realized that losing 15 pounds in the first 15 weeks had thwarted my baby's effort to make a belly appearance.

Apparently, however, my pregnancy is not as obvious to others as it is to me. Last week was a vacation week for the hubs and me. We went to Niagara falls and it was about 90 degrees out all week. I faded quickly in the intense sunlight and heat and was thankful when we would reach the end of a walk somewhere and I could sit down for a minute and drink a little water. I was a little bit dismayed though when people would push past me and rush to take the last seat, leaving the pregnant woman behind in their dust. I realize that I really am only about 1/2-way pregnant. Well, all the way pregnant, but just 1/2-way to the finish line. I also realize that my belly isn't very big, so while I may feel nauseous, tired and hot with swollen ankles, other people may not realize this. So I took it upon myself to MAKE people realize it by trying to puff out my belly a little more or to place my hand lovingly on my belly whenever I wanted someone to make a special exception for me (I think that this plan may have worked once during our entire trip, but we got a room upgrade, so I guess that was the best time for it to work).

I pondered the question, "Why aren't people treating me like I'm a frail pregnant woman?" I know I'm not frail, but I would like some extra TLC from time to time. Pregnancy is rough and it is nice to have your life made a little bit easier. Then I realized the answer to my question - about 20% of the people around me, both male and female, looked "pregnant." Oh, obesity. How can I expect special treatment when lots of women leave you asking the question, "Is she, or isn't she."

It was at that point that I realized that I am in the podgy part of pregnancy. This is something that most pregnant women know of. The only ones who don't experience this are the ones who enter pregnancy as a stick and leave as a stick with a basketball. For the rest of us, there is a time where you aren't obviously pregnant, but you might be. People are too afraid to ask or assume because if they are wrong it leads to an awkward conversation. I just wish that people wouldn't act so surprised when they find out. We went to a wedding after our trip to Niagara, and when I would tell people I am pregnant they would say, "Really?!?!" in a way that was way too exaggerated for the size of my bump, letting me know that they had no idea and my bump simply looked like podge. Thankfully, it has grown a bit more since then and will continue to grow. I guess it is just an awkward stage of pregnancy that most people pass through. I am looking forward, however, to a full size baby bump (and when that comes, I'm sure I will regret my words and wish for the days when I could easily bend over and tie my shoes and get up out of a chair).