26 Weeks: Pregnant enough to be Huge.

Next week, I’m officially third trimester. Officially allowed to be huge, I feel like. And I realized this week, I am going to get Huge.

I’m pretty short, so I grow out. And there’s the whole part about having done this before and all my skin and muscles are pre-stretched, like a comfy old pair of jeans, ready to move into position much quicker for their second inhabitant … Jeff pulled up some pictures from right before Eleanor was born, and I remember the agony of everyone in the world asking me if I was having twins. Once someone asked if I was having twin horses! Cruel. I un-friended that person immediately. And now already, (frequently!) people look at me and remark how large I am for my dates.

Most people mean well, but I really don’t understand why making comments about a pregnant woman’s body is viewed as any less hurtful than making comments about a non-pregnant woman’s body. ESPECIALLY when there’s risks involved with not gaining enough, gaining too much, babies not growing enough or growing too much, and so on. Asking a woman a question like this is a double-edged sword, it’s suggesting there’s something wrong with her body and wrong with her pregnancy. Add this to the cocktail of hormones coursing through her veins and your sure to get a reaction — whether it’s misty eyes or a few lightening bolts coming out of them.

I’ve decided to stop telling people how many weeks or months I am along (and by people, I mean strangers!) and simply tell them I’m in my third trimester. AKA: Allowed to be Huge.  And my due date is “Not long now!” … because really, what do they care? In my experience, most of the time these people feel it appropriate to size me up after I tell them I’m due in September. Really, September does sound like a long way away. But truly, it’s right around the corner. 14 weeks. Less than 100 days. Um, Yikes.

For crying out loud, there’s a 2-lb, 14-inch long PERSON in there … not to mention a brand-spanking new organ called a placenta that I just whipped up, plus some amniotic fluid and all my other organs. I look down at my belly and wonder how it all fits. And really, I’m pretty happy with my shape right now. I’ve put on a few pounds in non-baby areas, but that’s something my body does naturally and there’s really no avoiding it. I know from experience now that those pounds are going away once I start nursing and jogging again. For the most part I’ve followed a healthy diet with lots of fruits, veggies, and lean protein. (And chocolate, I won’t lie).

So here we go, the final lap on the marathon that is pregnancy. Preparing for the last sprint of labor and delivery. I’m excited, but less anxious than last time. And totally in love with motherhood, looking forward to having another newborn and enjoying the experience again.