Maternity Things

A few thoughts I had this past week, at 25 weeks pregnant…

• Pregnancy is nine months long and I’m in the sixth month of it. I’m not “six months pregnant,” although certain sources tell me I am. I talked to a woman the other day who said she was nine months pregnant and due in three weeks. Assuming she is a human with a normal gestational period, that isn’t possible. She’s eight months pregnant and in her ninth month of pregnancy. Women are due at the beginning of the tenth month of pregnancy, i.e., when they’re nine months pregnant. I’ve heard this one several times and it seriously bugs me. So do charts (like this one) that tell you pregnancy is ten months long. That’s only true if you make all the months 28 days long (here’s a better chart). I, for one, would love to think that my pregnancy was further along than it is, but making months shorter than they really are just seems dishonest.

• This part of this article analyzing Bella’s character in Breaking Dawn (the fourth book of The Twilight Saga) made me laugh:

“Bella’s gestation of the half-human, half-vampire fetus proceeds along nightmare-dream logic that will be familiar to anyone who has ever been pregnant: the fetus grows at alarming speed, impels Bella to unusual behaviors (in this case, drinking gallons of blood via cup and straw), and ultimately threatens to tear the girl apart from inside out. I want to reiterate here: this is not that unrealistic a representation of gestation and birth.”

• Someone recently pointed out to me that, since my due date is March 5, 2012, our baby could be born on February 29. How cool!

• Just in the last week or so, I’ve started having issues with my stomach getting full too fast. This is because my abdomen is stuffed with baby parts and my stomach is being pushed upwards. It’s kind of like having a lap band. Here are some stills from this cool animation of where my organs are. Thanksgiving is going to hurt!

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!