Thursday, May 15, 2008

My Pants Won't Button.

This morning, I pulled out my old standby pants. The ones that have fit during 'fat' and 'thin' thanks to a little bit of elastic. My favorite work pants. And I couldn't button them (comfortably). And I started crying.

I'm thinking there are 3 things at work here. First, and most obviously - hormones! But second, is that I'm spending the weekend with my mom. I know she is going to be checking me out. She is constantly telling me that she only gained 15 pounds during her pregnancy with me - and that if I gain too much weight, I won't be able to have the natural childbirth that I want. My mom is totally weight obsessed. The fact that I am overweight is a HUGE disappointment to her. She is very proud of her slim figure. She is a nurse, and will often mention with disgust the 'fat' people who wouldn't need surgery if they just were thinner. So - I'm going to be totally in the spotlight when she sees me this weekend!

The final thing? I've often gone online to Cafe Press looking at the funny maternity tee shirts... but I guess I never realized I get to the point where I would actually NEED to buy maternity clothes! I went and bought this shirt for myself. I also got myself a few pairs of pants from Motherhood and a few tee shirts.

It's a whole new world I'm entering now.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey... cute shirt! don't worry about the weight, I gained 50 pounds and had natural childbirth. granted it's taken a few YEARS for the weight to go away, but I'm kind of a lazy bum when it comes to exercise. :) talk to you soon!

Zephra said...

Your mom needs to chill. And you are supposed to gain something. Stomach is the first thing to expand. Time to tell Mom to back off.

Natural child birth? With no drugs? Labor drugs are awesome. Hell, I have even asked the doc for a pre-epidural that I could have inserted before i even went into labor.

Don't let Mom stress you. Enjoy your expanding stomach. Weight does not determine what kind of birth you have.

Chastity said...

Hahaha, I love the shirt! Hopefully, that'll cover all of the questions most people ask, lol.

Ugg..your mom sounds like my mother in law. She's a nurse specializing in diabetes, and I guess because the patients she deals with really do often have problems b/c of weight...she is majorly obsessed with her own. Seriously though, just let her know that your doctor will let you know if your weight gets out of hand. Gaining weight is part of pregnancy!

I admire you for trying natural childbirth! I never considered it with my daughter, and I ended up with an epidural that didn't work..and I just wasn't prepared for it mentally. Prepare yourself now and you'll be fine!

Meghan said...

Cute shirt!

My mom was the same way, telling me she only gained 16 pounds. But then I showed her everything in the books now that say you should gain between 25 and 35, it's healthiest for the baby. That shut her up for a little bit

K @ ourboxofrain said...

I like the shirt! I'd add a line: "I feel fine."

My mom is the same way but is was 18 pounds she gained when pregnant with me. She keeps telling me how "great" I look, which makes me uncomfortable, since I know it's just a statement about the fact that I don't look huge yet. I'm with Meghan -- we need to remind these moms of ours that the recommendations have changed -- did they know we're not supposed to smoke while pregnant either? :)

AwkwardMoments said...

UGh your mother - is she related to my mil?

Go ahead and order you a bella band or a belly band (from target)you will thank youself.

That shirt is really cute. You can gain weight and have a natural childbirth. I mean no one likes to be told they are too heavy and such - TRUST ME- i know. My dr's have never once said anything about my weight (until recently- i was losing too much -weird problem for this plus size girl have)

you hang in there - eat when hungry chose good choices most of the time - splurge when its fun and enjoy it!

Deborah said...

Oh, moms. I wish it were so easy to just not let your mom bother you. As the overweight daughter of a very thin and weight-obsessed mom, I know how you feel. Luckily my mom had twins, so she gained 45 lbs and can't really talk! If it helps, try to enjoy the one time in your life when your doctor says "you gained 3 lbs in one week? Oh, that's fine!"

kjames106 said...

That's a cute shirt!

I had a friend who had a mom like yours. I bet that was hard growing up hearing that.

You just enjoy every second of this blessing! It is a gift to be cherished, don't let her ruin it!

Lucia said...

I gained over 40 pounds with each kid and lost it all again each time within a couple of months of delivery. (We will not speak of subsequent events.) With Miss B I was enormous to the point where when I actually lost a couple of pounds between appointments late in the pregnancy the nurse hastened to assure me that that was completely fine, in fact a good thing. I could always touch my toes and then stand back up, though.

And, like everyone else, I think your mom should back off, but maybe that's her way of worrying about you.

I know what I am getting you for Christmas... heh heh heh...

Jen said...

Don't you hate it when moms or anybody gets like that over weight. It is so very unhelpful when your bigger. As long as you aren't using pregnancy as an excuse to go to town in the food department, I wouldn't worry about it.

Oh and thanks for your comment on my blog. Crazy me...I didn't schedule my ultrasound until 3:30pm PST!

Unknown said...

Ugh, please ignore your mom! My mom has always commented about my weight too. She started buying me Lean Cuisine when I was 12 years old. And every time we go out to eat, she points out if there is a healthy option on the menu. I just totally ignore her. So annoying! I love the shirt, did they have them in all the months or did you customize for December?

Anonymous said...

Women when my mother had babies (before yours, I'm sure) were encouraged not to gain much, in fact in the 1950s were prescribed diet pills to let them gain only 7 - 10 pounds. And told smoking was OK too. So your mother, in addition to whatever else is going on in her head, probably heard those messages growing up. Yeah, dexedrine and cigarettes, real healthy & natural. The rationale was you should only gain as much as the baby weighs. Well, 25 - 30 is the healthy weight gain associated with the best baby outcome. You can get by with a little less if you start out heavier, but still OK. 15 pounds is too little. You're lucky you're ok! (Just kidding!)

First of all, yes hormones, but only you know your pants won't button! You are lucky to be tall. Your mom won't know unless you tell her. And being perhaps not a bony twig to begin with, you are not going to show for like, forever, and then you or your mom will freak out because you're not showing. Eh?

Your pants aren't buttoning because your uterus is growing (YAY!) and it's pushing everything upwards, making you slightly rounder at the waist, straighter up and down. Even if you had gained no weight, even if you had lost weight, you'd be starting soon to find that pants didn't fit right depending on their cut.
Do you know the rubber band trick? Helps pants fit quite a bit longer, because it's usually just the waist that doesn't fit, the rest is OK (Loop a hair binder through the button hole and attach that to the button.) Don't get into maternity clothes before you need to, makes you instantly look really pregnant, or worse yet, not pregnant, just like you're gaining weight. They would be way big right now anyway. Low cut pants, overalls, stretchy pants are your friends!

LOVED the baby picture! Baby is so cute! Dancing for mom and dad. What a mother's day present.

Melissia said...

As a labor and delivery nurse my assvice is this: tell your mom that as medical science has advanced so has the understanding that women need to gain a certain amount of weight in order to ensure a healthy weight on their babies and to provide adequate breast tissue for nursing. I personally gained 60 pounds (yes, it was too much) but exercised up until I delivered and had a completely uncomplicated childbirth. My last babies weighed 9 pounds and while I only gained 40 pounds with those 2 pregnancies I had no problems delivering because I had an adequate pelvis and I had exercised and was in good physical shape. My experience is that those women who were physically active, walking, swimming, yoga, childbirth exercise classes were more likely to deliver vaginally (if no complications arose) than those woman who had discovered that they were pregnant and then stopped all activity (without medical reason) and spent 8 months on the couch and then gained weight to boot. I apologize for the long post but wanted to share this with you so that you could be reassured that weight gain is a very necessary part of pregnancy and essential to your success in breastfeeding.
The 15 pounds your mom gained during her pregnancy was not adequate for the baby, placenta, increased blood volume, fat stores for mom, amniotic fluid for baby, and breast tissue. This usually weighs at least 25 to 30 pounds so obviously someone was chronically short changed during their 9 months in utero. I might share that infor with her as well. Good luck!

Melissia said...

As a labor and delivery nurse my assvice is this: tell your mom that as medical science has advanced so has the understanding that women need to gain a certain amount of weight in order to ensure a healthy weight on their babies and to provide adequate breast tissue for nursing. I personally gained 60 pounds (yes, it was too much) but exercised up until I delivered and had a completely uncomplicated childbirth. My last babies weighed 9 pounds and while I only gained 40 pounds with those 2 pregnancies I had no problems delivering because I had an adequate pelvis and I had exercised and was in good physical shape. My experience is that those women who were physically active, walking, swimming, yoga, childbirth exercise classes were more likely to deliver vaginally (if no complications arose) than those woman who had discovered that they were pregnant and then stopped all activity (without medical reason) and spent 8 months on the couch and then gained weight to boot. I apologize for the long post but wanted to share this with you so that you could be reassured that weight gain is a very necessary part of pregnancy and essential to your success in breastfeeding.
The 15 pounds your mom gained during her pregnancy was not adequate for the baby, placenta, increased blood volume, fat stores for mom, amniotic fluid for baby, and breast tissue. This usually weighs at least 25 to 30 pounds so obviously someone was chronically short changed during their 9 months in utero. I might share that infor with her as well. Good luck!

Annalien said...

My mom (actually both my parents) also have this thing about weight and it also stresses me out for some time before we get together. I gained more than 40 pounds with both my pregnancies and had no problems giving birth naturally. Also remember that you midsection very quickly expands during pregnancy, even in the early stages. Enjoy it.

Anonymous said...

yeesh. Thats a lot of pressure! Gaining too little weight is also bad for the baby! Furthermore, being a little plump is much better for your apperance in the long run. My mother's sisters are both very slim, and when they started to lose weight, as people do when they age, they got very saggy. My mom is evening out and looks younger than both of them!

The Beauty Junkie said...

It is a new world, and you deserve it. Your mom is cold for being on fat people like that. Enjoy gaining weight and pregnancy.

Jessica White said...

*hugs* hopefully your mom chills and you're able to enjoy your weekend with her. You've earned your belly, enjoy it!

Steph said...

I love the shirt!! Great choice!! I am so sorry to hear about the issue with your mom and your weight. I am also overweight but every woman's body reacts differently to being pregant. I think you should just enjoy the fact that you are preggy and live in the moment!!

fatloss007 said...

good exercise and diet helps in weight loss so just take good care of your health