How pregnancy makes me feel as a woman

Hello my pretties, I really hope that you are enjoying all of the great new content on the blog. Whilst you are reading all of the great contributors posts I am busy busy getting The Wandering Kitchen off the ground and also planning and preparing to become a mum.

I haven’t spoken to you for a while about my pregnancy so I thought I would write a little update for you about how it’s all going, how I am feeling and some of the observations I have made about being a pregnant woman, as always in life, I love to see how people react to things.

So first of all, I now know that the little babe is a boy and he is growing fine and everything is normal at this stage, which is great. He is kicking a lot and I am just getting really, really excited to meet him. I love my bump and I am ever amazed and impressed by my bodies ability to create life.

Essentially this is all that matters and all that should matter really, but away from the baby, I wanted to talk about how pregnancy makes me feel as a woman, as I think this is an important topic for Fe-line.

It is a little bit like starting your own business, because away from how I feel about it, which is amazing and wonderful, everyone has an opinion. An opinion about how I look, what I should and shouldn’t do and how I should or will be feeling.

I think starting my own business has given me an essential thick skin for this and I have become very good a taking in the important information and discarding the noise. But even I have been pushed over the edge and ended up in tears over an insensitive comment. This really makes me worry about other women that maybe haven’t ever experienced anything else like this before and I want to write this in solidarity to them and say: do not forget that you know who you are and how you are feeling. Don’t let others sway your opinion.

So what has got my goat?

• “My friend is 6 months pregnant and she is no where near as big as you” – I have no idea how to respond to comments like this, as I have no idea why my bump is bigger than others. I am not having a big baby, but even from 10 weeks I had a bump and people could tell I was pregnant and that’s the way it is. Comments like this make me feel like I have to defend my size and I don’t really want to, it is what it is.
• “You are going to breastfeed, aren’t you?” – Well I think so, BUT I don’t know so, maybe it won’t work for me. I do understand that it is best for the baby but I am also a massive advocate for what is best for mum. I think if I am happy my baby will be happier and if breast feeding makes me unhappy, I am not going to kill myself to do it. I hear too much about the baby blues and postnatal depression and I personally think women are under way too much pressure to be the perfect mother, wife and colleague. I can’t help wondering what does more damage to a child, the possible harm caused by not breast feeding or growing up in a household with an unhappy mum?
• “It’s going to be really hard and you’ll never sleep again” – Noted babies don’t sleep all night, noted it is going to change my life completely but people make out that having a baby is awful. Now if having a baby was really the worst thing in the world, why on earth would people keep doing it? Things are hard in life, I have done hard things, so maybe I will adapt and maybe I will enjoy my new life?
• Maternity tights – This is slightly different from the rest, but oh my gosh they are rubbish. I have two pairs, both from major retailers of baby gear and also both nearly £10 and they just fall down. The other day I walked into town in a pair and I am not kidding they had literally fallen around my ankles by the time I got there. I can’t wear them and have reverted back to normal tights, which come with their own problems, but I think that’s enough about that.

But you know what despite all of these things, I am loving it. I love being pregnant, I love my bump and I am loving my life right now. Like starting a business, it is life changing and difficult but the benefits out way the negatives every single time. Also most people are amazing, kind, generous, helpful and encouraging and if I get a little bit overwhelmed by others, I just take a step back, put on the new Haim album and dance around my office!

Love and pregnancy,