Old Wives Tales and TMI

16 weeks today! I'm almost starting my 5th month! HOLY SHIT! This time is flying by when you look at it like that.

So, let's get the update out of the way: Everything is peachy for the most part (knock on wood). I have only been sick once. Heartburn has really let up. I'm getting some more energy back (I can actually stay up past 10:00pm now!). I'm showing a TON so I don't just look like I'm getting fat. Yep, everything is pretty much peachy. Although, now I'm waiting for the ball to drop because my reasoning says it just can't be this easy. My husband in convinced that I'm going to start being miserable around the 6-month mark. He thinks I'll get sick of the belly and sick of pregnancy. I'm not so sure about that. I can see that coming around the 8 1/2 month point. He's referring to that point as my transition into "Pregzilla." Very clever, lol.

Okay, so I want to talk a little about the Old Wives Tales and all the little "when I was pregnant" or "my friend's baby" tid-bits that people feel the urge to spew forth our way when they see or hear of pregnancy.

First: Prediction of the sex.
I love that everyone has a way to predict the sex of your baby before even a doctor is able to do so. Any what do they base their decision on? Well, when I had first found out I was pregnant (which was super early, people... we're talking like a few weeks), a woman at work stopped, looked at my face, and declared that based on the weight gain in my face that I'm having a girl. That's right. Weight gain in my face. Then, another co-worker had me stand up and do a full turn-around, and assessed in a matter-of-fact way that I'm losing my hourglass curves around my waist (implying that I'm getting fat around my middle), which meant it was going to be a boy. The best is a third co-worker of mine. Each time she comes around she literally man-handles me. She has to grab the belly, feel my sides all the way around, shake me around a bit, then stand back and think for a minute. Then she's got some sort of "well, she's carrying it all in front..." or "she's getting butt-sy, so"... yeah. Now, prediction of the sex apparently isn't just made based on physical changes. It's also made based on how the pregnancy is going. As you just read above, I'm having a rather smooth, easy pregnancy so far. According to another co-worker, this means for sure that I'm having a girl. "If they're easy in the womb, they'll be tough when they're out!" Which apparently means that girls are tougher to raise then boys. But then, another woman will dispute that and say, "Oh no! If you're having an easy pregnancy than it's going to be a boy, for sure!" Love it.

Second: Comparison of Pregnancies.
Obviously pregnancy is a very common occurrence. Most woman experience it at least once in their lives. That then becomes a special link between women, so that if you never had anything in common with a particular person, you do now. This link is then taken advantage of by every passing woman in the grocery store, in the hair salon, at work, etc. Now, don't get me wrong! I love talking about pregnancy, and I love hearing all the great stories people have, and I could honestly talk about my pregnancy all day if given the opportunity. However. There is a type of woman that I'll call the "one-upper." This is the woman who doesn't really want to know about you. She just wants to let you know that her pregnancy was either much better, or much worse, than yours. For example, if I have been experiencing heart burn, she had it so bad that she was vomiting up stomach acid. Or, if I have been completely exhausted, she was so tired that she slept for a weeks straight at a time. On the flip-side of this, you have the "one-upper" who wants to rub in how much better her pregnancy was. If I point out that I've been too tired to exercise, she says, "Oh really?! I do yoga 6 days a week and still run every morning!" Or if I've gained 8 lbs already into the 2nd trimester, she only gained 4 all the way up until the middle of her 3rd trimester. Or the best example: my aunt. First of all, I loooove my aunt, and she's a rock-star for birthing twins about 1 1/2 years ago. But. Last Thanksgiving, in answer to my family's questions, I explained that I had been totally exhausted, had been having pretty bad heartburn and nausea, etc. She later piped up and said that she didn't understand women who had all the "cliche" pregnancy symptoms, she never felt any of that and she was even pregnant with twins! Well, you just learn to let that stuff roll off your back because it's not the last time you'll hear it.

Third: Horrors of pregnancy, labor, and birth.
This might be my favorite. As if being pregnant for the first time isn't scary enough, now it's time for all the wack-jobs to tell you about how AWFUL their labor was, or the HORRIBLE birth defects their children were born with. For example: I was talking to a co-worker about the Downs Syndrome testing we were going to do that week, and for some reason my co-worker though this would be an appropriate time to tell me about her niece who was born with HORRIBLE birth defects. And not just that, but the whole story about how it wasn't detected with all the testing, then at birth the baby had club hands and feet, brain and head problems, retardation, etc. She even showed me a picture of the poor girl (now 15 or so) to bring it all home. I just don't get it. As insecure and scared as I am going into my own testing, why in the HELL would you bring that shit up?! Thank you for that. It's my favorite.

Again, I really love hearing about other people's pregnancies! It's just so funny how some people completely lack tact as far as this is all concerned.

Have you gals been victim to this too? I'd love to hear your stories... comment away, please!!