Body scans and body comments…
I can’t believe I’m already into my third trimester, according to some doctors/midwives/websites at least. Time sure flies when you’re pregnant. Actually, it seems to go fast and slow at the same time. A weird sensation. I guess I don’t normally count my weeks – maybe if I counted weeks it would seem like time went faster.
Body Scans Anyone?
This past week I flew to Atlanta for some work meetings. I can never decide whether I should go through the body scanners or not. I don’t normally care about them – however, I can’t figure out whether they are safe for baby or not. No one seems to know and as many people say they are safe as say they are unsafe…so who knows. I didn’t even think twice about it when I went to Guatemala and New Orleans but this time for some reason I was a bit nervous. On the way to Atlanta I didn’t have to go through, I just went through a regular metal detector. However, on the way back I had to make a decision. So, I decided to ask for a pat down instead of the machine. I was surprised because no one really made a big deal about it. They just had me go to a different line and then did a pat down, no questions asked. And the pat down wasn’t a big deal. The woman was perfectly professional and I didn’t feel like I was being groped or anything. So, I think I will do that from now on (while I’m pregnant – after baby comes out I have no problem with the body scan). I just have one more trip to Vegas coming up and then I should be trip-free until after baby.
Yay!!
Not that I’m not looking forward to Vegas, because I am. It is a work trip and a stressful one at that, but I’m hoping for some time to see at least one show and eat lots of yummy food. I haven’t been to Vegas since I was about 17 years old, when I went to visit my grandparents.
Body Comments…
Another thing that I am slowly realizing is that no comment on the size of my body/belly/etc. is really appreciated. I realize I bring this up on practically every post, but I guess it’s the biggest challenge that I deal with…and what people comment about the most. I know that people mean no harm but I’m actually surprised by how many comments I receive about how “large” I’m getting. One person actually told me I was going to be HUGE when I delivered because I was already HUGE at 6 months. Umm, is that suppose to be a compliment??? It made me feel really self conscious and like I was doing something wrong.
Then I went to Atlanta and someone commented on how I looked like I had lost weight since the last time they had seen me (we had been in New Orleans together). Now, at first one would think that that was a comment that would make me happy, since I just complained about people saying I was getting huge. However, it actually made me really worried. Had I lost weight? Was the baby not growing? Was I not feeding my body enough? So, then I was worried. Like I don’t worry enough as it is!
So, I have decided that comments on being too big or too small are hurtful and stressful, no matter which way they go. There is an older gentleman at the bus stop who has it right. When he sees me, all he says is, “You look great! Pregnancy really agrees with you. You definitely have a glow to you and you just look so happy.” That’s all he says and it always makes me feel good (minus the fact that he borders on the sketchy-stalker side). And in reality, no one knows what size I should be anyway – big or small, pregnancy looks different on everyone. I’m trying to eat healthy and I’m still walking 2-5 miles a day and I’m drinking my milk and eating lots of protein and citrus – so who cares what size I am. I am the right size.
So that’s my pregnancy update.
Oh, and my dreams are getting weirder. I’ll share my strangest one with you soon – crazy stuff!
And my feet are starting to swell a bit, but I’m trying my best to walk the swelling out. Supposedly walking gets the blood flowing and can help reduce the swelling. And my husband gave me a twenty minute foot massage last night so that was GREAT!!!
If he gets nothing from the Bradley Method class except the importance of massages – it will be worth all the money we paid!!!
I think you look great and shouldn't worry about it! Just enjoy your pregnancy...it goes so fast!
ReplyDeleteI love Vegas! It doesn't matter how many times I go, it's still exciting. I hope you have a really good time.
I am thoroughly enjoying my pregnancy! So far, so good. We'll see what the third trimester has in store. I'm super excited about Vegas. My co-worker gets to come with me and we have big plans for after-hours (well, as after-hours as a 7mo preggo girl can get!). Hope you're doing well!
DeleteKattrina - you look like a healthy, expectant mama. And you are right -- you are just the perfect size for you. Enjoy this special time and don't worry about those comments about your belly size. People are fascinated by the fact that baby is in the house, and it's too bad they don't filter their comments.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lyn. I think people often don't filter their comments for a lot of things unfortunately. :-) I am definitely enjoying my time being pregnant and love feeling the baby move. I will miss that when he evacuates!
DeleteYou do look awesome Kattrina. You've got it right - every pregnancy is different and every body handles it differently. I'm so glad for you that you and the baby are healthy!! Sorry to hear the comments have been hard on you. I wish I could say they'll get better when you have the baby, but people have LOTS of opinions on your baby/child and how you raise them. :-( Keep doing what's good for you and your family and ignore the insensitive/over-opinionated. One thing I found exceptionally offensive was when people would argue with me when I said we weren't having any more children. It turns out, we can't have any more and that's super painful to me. Stop asking if we're having more, we're "just having one". Everyone has their thing - but let me say, you look LOVELY!
ReplyDelete