Yes, the Belly is Mine. Keep Your Comments to Yourself.

One of the things that I've noticed this pregnancy is that people constantly feel the need to comment on pregnant women's bodies. I often find myself wondering, "Why did you just say that?" especially when I'm pretty sure that the speaker would not appreciate the same thing being said to them. The thought also occurred to me, we don't tell overweight people they are fat or skinny people they are too thin, so why do we have to comment on how big or little or "pregnant" a pregnant woman is?

At the moment I can review "pregnant" comments with humor because I haven't encountered any today. Other times they make me want to cry, but here are some of the interesting things people have said to me or to my friends while they are expecting.

• Wow! You just popped! All of the sudden your showing! (at 6 months . . . . hmmmm . . . . guess you didn't notice all those other times I passed you in the hall at church . . . . maybe it was the waddle that gave me away . . . .)
• Your huge! You weren't that big a couple of weeks ago. (at 7 months . . . . if I'm 'huge' now, will I be gigantic in two months?)
• You must be due any day now (as I waddle painfully across the room). Nope, not due for another month, but thanks for the reminder.
• You've outgrown your clothes (from a friend's experience a few days after she has passed her due date.)
• It's all worth it. (Duh! If I didn't think it was worth it, do you really think I would be willing to go through something as public, and painful, as pregnancy?)
• You're getting bigger! (Thanks, I hadn't noticed. Actually, sometimes I just try to forget but I appreciate the reminder.)
• You could come early. (Now, this one is just plain cruel. Most babies don't come early. In fact, first babies are usually late. I do know of a handful of people who come early and/or quickly, but not the majority. I find this one especially humurous when people say it to me because I had 4 months of solid contractions with Bekah and she was still late, 6 weeks of varying contractions with Benjamin and he was late, and contractions off and on since week 10 with this one and he's still not here. But, hey, what do I know about my own body now that we have gotten past the 'safe' point for the baby to come?)
• You look like you are uncomfortable. (No, not at all. I'm just walking like this, or gritting my teeth, for your entertainment.)
• It's not that much longer. (Wow! You mean I can begin counting down? Wait, I started that about 5 to 7 months ago.)

. . . . and a number of other things I can't think of at the moment. I do have to add one caveat: I didn't say any of the things in the parantheses, but they definitely crossed my mind either during or after the conversation. Why do we say the things we do?