29 weeks

One of the things that always catches me off guard is how big I look. For some reason I never notice it in the mirror when I’m brushing my teeth or putting on my makeup. Instead it always sneaks up on me out of the corner of my eye, like when I pass by the windows leading into the grocery store or catch my reflection as I step out of the shower or see pictures and video of myself. Afterward it’s difficult not to associate my self-image with the phrase “lumbering hippo.”

Normally there would be some solace in knowing I’m not the only pregnant woman who doesn’t realize how big she’s gotten, but not the way I found out.

Chip and I were standing around after birthing class with another couple, Sylvia and Carl, enjoying some light refreshments and talking about the night’s lesson. Kiki had talked about fundal height, the measurement the doctor takes each week to make sure the baby is growing, and said obstetricians often can estimate how much the baby will weigh by taking it into account.

Since Sylvia and I have due dates just days apart and are roughly the same size, I laughed and gestured to our bulging stomachs. “We’d better make sure we have some big baby clothes on hand!”

Sylvia frowned before displaying all the tact of a charging rhino. “But you’re bigger than me.”

I thought the drinks in the guys’ mouths were about to come out of their noses. And not just because of her social blunder. Sylvia is my size, if not bigger.

I had a retort ready, but I held it after seeing the look in Sylvia’s eyes. She looked like a cornered animal, desperate to believe she could not possibly be as great a cow as her friend Ellie.

Being a lover of truth, I typically don’t advocate letting someone live in denial, but I let this one misconception slide. I figured it wouldn’t do either one of us good to set her straight, even though her indiscretion hurt me terribly.

Oddly enough, not only do I now know another pregnant woman who doesn’t see herself as she actually is, but her verbal faux pas also confirms I’m not the only one in the birthing class suffering from preggy brains.

At least I can find comfort in that. And in the fact that I won’t have to see her again after tonight, since it was our final class.