My Baby Pet Peeve

I know this is a little thing, but it really annoys me, and I just need to vent a little so I can get this off my chest: I am so sick of people telling me how small my belly looks right now! I know that some people prefer to have a little bump so they don't feel "fat" during pregnancy, but that was never my issue; I've always preferred to start showing quickly. Call me a narcissist, but I really enjoy the positive attention that comes with being pregnant. I love that complete strangers will open doors for me or strike up conversations about when I'm due. I love feeling the little one kick and stretch, and I got in the habit of stroking my belly all the time (which looked a little odd once I had Evie, I'll admit). Last time, much to my chagrin, it took almost 6 months before I "looked" pregnant, and it made me sad when people would tell me how lucky I was that I didn't have to wear very many maternity outfits--I looked forward to the maternity clothes! This time, I've already mentioned that I've lost more weight than I expected to, and I'm a little concerned about the health and growth of my baby. It doesn't help that I got the stomach flu on Sunday and spent the rest of that night throwing up. I didn't have the energy or appetite on Monday to eat dinner, so I went almost 3 full days without a decent meal. I've been trying to make up for it since, but I don't know how well it's working out. I haven't weighed myself since my doctor's visit, so I have no idea where I'm at now, but I'm sure this weekend didn't help things.

I can usually shrug off most people's comments about how I'm not showing yet because it's usually a one-time thing. But there is one girl I work with who every time she sees me says, "Jessica, you're so tiny for being pregnant!" Immediately, so many not-quite-polite things swarm in my brain, like "Well, my clothes camouflage my belly; my husband can tell I'm pregnant," "I'm only 4 months along so far; back off!" or "You're right! My belly hasn't suddenly swollen to the size of a watermelon in the 3 days since you last saw me!" But since I can't really say any of those, I usually just give a half-hearted smile, shrug a little, and walk away. The really sad thing is that I actually am showing a little bit. I can already feel my uterus getting hard, and I can see a round little belly when I look in the bathroom mirror. Sure, it's not super obvious to the rest of humanity, but when people react to my happy news with "You're seriously pregnant? But you're so tiny!" it feels like they are doubting me or thinking I'm lying or something. I love the people who say "You're pregnant? That's great; I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!" I think most pregnant women love people who react that way. If everyone would focus on the positive like that, women on both sides of the weight fence--the "you're really pregnant?" girls and the "are you having twins?" girls--would all breathe a little easier during this already stressful time. All we want is for people to be happy for us and love us. And maybe bring us some chocolate covered pretzels!