Comments on Your Belly Size!!!

[Anna**]

I love some of the comeback comments here!! Very clever... and I reckon they'd put anyone back in their place.
I'm only a little'un, and carrying very small... so I get all the 'Is your baby ok?' style comments, follwoed by 'Are you really sure?' when I say he is just fine. Just as annoying I would think!

[Impatient]

I think that rather than stressing or getting upset about the thoughtless things people say (as of course it's not good for baby!), maybe we should think about what it's like from a non-pregnant person's point of view?

We all know that creating a little human is a wonderful miracle, and I think people are naturally fascinated by a pregnant belly! I know I am - and that's because I know the joy of feeling that little "alien" growing inside me!

Yes, there are a lot of malicious people out there, but I'm sure that the majority are just trying to be "nice", in their own funny way - they're just not all that good at expressing it tactfully.

I was TINY with DD, although I started showing really early (as I have again this time), and many jokes have been made about my shape when pregnant, but I don't care - I actually think the jokes are funny, and I know they're not being nasty. In fact, I think it's amazing how two people can be the same number of weeks along, but look so different.

So why not just go along with it and enjoy all that extra attention you're getting?? It won't be long before bubs is going to take the limelight!!

[Beckibee]

*LOL* I got heaps of disbelieving 'are you REALLY that far along?' when I'd go to feis at 6 months pregnant with a smaller belly than most of the non-pregnant women there; but when I popped at 32+ weeks, I got tons of 'wow, you're huggggge' comments. *sigh*

[Gigi]

Sometimes, when you don't "show" very obviously, and no-one notices, it can be a real pain. Last week my car broke down near a intersection at 6pm (it was dark). I had to push my car (in neutral) by myself a couple of metres before i had to admit defeat. It was not easy to get help, as i don't look pregnant. But it was impossible to both steer the car AND push the car at the same time, so i panicked and stood in the middle of this busy intersection bawling. (I already had bad back pain from lifting lots of heavy boxes, yes, we are moving house without a moving van so my car was stacked with boxes.)

Eventually, a guy came to use the pedestrian crossing and he came and offered to push the car for me around the corner. Afterwards i tried to thank him and of course when i told him i was 5 months pregnant he looked at me in a "yeah right" kind of way.

I guess the grass is always greener, but i figure i am going thru the same aches and pains that other women just as pregnant as me are going thru, but don't get acknowledged as being pregnant. I long for the beautiful belly i see in the photos of other BB members. Becos i'm short, i thought i would be enormous the entire time, i didn't count on being ill. I weigh 2 kgs more than i did before conceiving, lost heaps due to illness early on, i worry baby will be undernourished (which is ironic really, as all my life i have battled the weight like a yo-yo and have often been overweight for my 5ft2.)

Every women's body seems to react a bit differently to pregnancy and also to subsequent pregnancies (which people mention you show earlier) - there is nothing wrong with being different, i have no idea why people in general have all these half-assed theories and feel so compelled to put those thoughts onto pregnant women. (Gawd, did i say stuff like that before i got pregnant? i hope not!!) As for strangers touching your belly, ugh, i would hate that. I like people to use manners.

I am fascinated by pregnant bellies right now but try hard not to stare too obviously, as i wouldn't want to offend anyone. I think they are beautiful and it amazes me the special passenger they have inside.

[chocolatecatty]

I *lurve* my belly! I'm only 23 weeks but wore a fitted top to work the other day and was told I look 'full term'...I was quite pleased with that as I am quite proud of my belly! I'm wondering how big I should be though.....looking at some of the photos on this website makes me feel extremely big....and it's all belly. Anyway.

[Special]

I think the vast majoirty of people that comment are just trying to find a way to say something nice about the fact that you are having a baby.

I am not going to get worked up or even frustrated by people saying I look big or small or whatever. Apart from the very few outright rude people I have heard, people mean well, sometimes we just don't think before we speak.

The belly is just there so people comment on it. It is the simplest way to bring up 'You're pregnant' again.

[Impatient]

How right you are! I really don't think everyone's that mean - it's just their way of bringing up the subject.

As for touching my belly - well I'm not all that touchy-feely, so am not 100% comfortable when it happens, but I can definitely understand why someone would be drawn to touch someone's pregnant belly. I don't think you'd see the same people walking up to a non-pregnant person and doing the same thing - they'd probably get their heads punched in anyway! LOL

I say we should all just stop stressing about that kind of stuff and enjoy the extra attention! (Yes, I do like to get attention!!) It might also be a good way to recruit some extra helpers - you could say your back's really sore (thanks to your big belly) and could they PLEASE go and buy you a coffee....! Of course they will jump at the chance, because they just felt your little miracle kick! LOL.

[EllyBoo72]

Its not so much the comments about my previously pregnant belly in general for me, as i did love the attention, but it was the NASTY comments from jealous friends that i didnt appreciate. A couple of friends who were (and still are) trying to get pregnant, were throwing nasty comments my way, as i assume that they were jealous because they couldnt fall pregnant. I dont understand why they would do that, since they knew that i had tried 7 years and IVF to get my miracle.
I was never nasty to people who were pregnant (before me) just because I couldnt fall pregnant at the time. I was happy for them, and gave them good positive comments.
I basically wanted to feel good about my pregnancy and wanted others to be happy for me, not make me feel miserable about something that i had waited so long for.

Sorry, just babbling a bit now!

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I think I'd be really mad if a stranger tried to touch my belly, I'm not at all touchy-feely. But in the UK I think people are ruder.

Must admit, I do know that some people are going to find this hard, and I don't mind the odd jokey comment from them, but I would have a problem with a stranger saying something rude, even if they didn't mean it that way. At least I can blame it on hormones! Nice comments I could live with, but I hate comparisons at the best of times so belly-comparisons will not go down too well.

[EllyBoo72]

Yes, I am with you Ryn!!!

[Magic]

Michelle - I don't need to be told to stop stressing. I've simply expressed my opinion...

[Gigi]

Its not so much the comments about my previously pregnant belly in general for me, as i did love the attention, but it was the NASTY comments from jealous friends that i didnt appreciate. A couple of friends who were (and still are) trying to get pregnant, were throwing nasty comments my way, as i assume that they were jealous because they couldnt fall pregnant. I dont understand why they would do that, since they knew that i had tried 7 years and IVF to get my miracle.
I was never nasty to people who were pregnant (before me) just because I couldnt fall pregnant at the time. I was happy for them, and gave them good positive comments.
I basically wanted to feel good about my pregnancy and wanted others to be happy for me, not make me feel miserable about something that i had waited so long for.

Sorry, just babbling a bit now!

i understand what you're saying ellyboo.

i too aim to be happy for other people when they have good news, even if my own stuff is not so good. So the last thing you expect when it's the reverse, is to hear those nasty comments. Some people are just 100% "it's all about me" and cannot put themselves aside one minute to concentrate on somebody else.

i took five years to conceive so i hear you about the being patient bit.

it really DOES help when others around you can be a bit pleased too.

I am so glad that the IVF worked for you, that process sounds like an incredible marathon, so congratulations just for surviving that process.

[goldilocks]

Oooh, I can't wait to have a huge belly! Only yesterday did a get a comment from a lady who works next door saying 'oh you're not even showing yet' Well, I am only 11 weeks!

Just out of curiosity, where did you ladies first start to notice a belly developing? Was it down low or higher up close to your bellon button? The small bump that I have seems to be just under my belly button so I think it's just fat LOL

Love
Goldilocks
-xxxooo-

[Lisa]

When I was pregnant with my son James... My family nicknamed me oompa loompa because I walked/waddled everywhere I went.
But, because I was working in a public sector at the time, I was seeing members of the public all day everyday. People would comment on how big I was... Some older women would tell me that I was crazy for putting on so much weight as I would find it hard to get rid of after the baby was born.
I was seriously all baby... I lost weight when I was pregnant with him due to MS daily throughout my entire pregnancy.
When it was announced at work that I had given birth to James and he was 9 lbs 7ozs, the same women commented to my workmates that they knew I was going to have a big baby !!!
People should keep their mouths shut when it comes to pregnant women... who cares how big or small their bellies are... what matters is that they are baking a beautiful, healthy baby in there... Something everyone should be proud of.
Lisa

[Adnil]

I always quite enjoyed people commenting on my bump. I'm not really sure why, I guess though I never really got any insensitive comments, but it did annoy me when strangers would touch it! :eek:

[Tracey]

I was in maternity pants with Indah at 10 wks & even had to pass on my Maternity tops to my work mate by 15wks as my boobs & belly didnt fit anymore!
I work in a large factory with Ladies & men from all corners of the globe...
They all had advice, stories etc for me...
I dont mind people touching my belly (when preg) it made me realise how truly amazing growin a baby is!
I hated my family all asking if it was twins (Coz I took that as i looked FAT!) & was wondering at the first scan if a 2nd heart beat would be found... But I guess I just kept growing & growing.... I didnt care my body was doing what it needed to, too make our princess....
when at 5 days over I was at the shops & the lady asked when I was due & said 5 days ago, she panicked, was mortified handed me my change & siad... "Quick get out of here!" Like I was gonna have it there & then!

[KarlaO]

I'm 25 weeks and the size of a 33 week pregnant women because I'm having twins. When I was 16 weeks, I had a customer at work ask if I had an elephant in there! I was not amused.