Believe Manifesto

Pregnancy can bring on some seriously hilarious, hard and outlandish things. And I thought I would take a moment to muse on some of the things that I have observed this pregnancy and also share a few laughs. Also, please feel free to share if you have been subject to any of the things I discuss below. Mama’s have to stick together and back each other up!

1 / I could have created an entire post on the inappropriate things people have said to me just this pregnancy but instead I’ll share the top two from all my pregnancies. “There is NOTHING sexier than a pregnant woman!” I can’t even you all…I have no words for this one (And no, it was not my husband saying this, it was a perfect stranger). “I had a nightmare last night that your baby clawed its way out of your belly and now I’m scared of your belly.” This one actually made me laugh, because the person who told me this was a trial for me…so I secretly got a little enjoyment out of her discomfort.

There are in my opinion only about four things that are actually appropriate for anyone to say to any pregnant woman: “You look beautiful!”, “You are glowing!”, “You look so cute today!”, “Here is a piece of chocolate.” Beyond those things–just smile and nod. Your comments and feedback aren’t needed.

2 / When we need to eat, we need to eat. I have only recently established the gift from heaven that is tinted windows. During this pregnancy I really started to notice how many people will glare and give you the stare down for eating in your car. Let me be clear that as a pregnant woman, I have every right to eat in my car. Because, lets be real…if I didn’t need to, I would not risk getting cheeseburger grease on my favorite preggo shirt. I do not care if I am driving down the highway eating prime rib and baked potato–you do not have permission to stare or glare. Mind your own business and let me eat: ice-cream, something on a stick, cheeseburgers, granola bars, french fries, smoothies, yogurt etc. in peace!

3 / The clothes dilemma. I have never been fond of maternity clothes. And surprisingly in the eleven years since I had my first baby, there has been little to no improvement. They are just down right awful…and the cost is highway robbery. With my last pregnancy it was the worst because I actually had to wear dress clothes to work every day unless it was a casual day. I did however tell my boss that I would be wearing Toms with anything I saw fit, because I needed to be comfortable. And I did.

This pregnancy, I have had the luxury of being a stay at home mom and so I didn’t feel like I needed much. From pregnancy #1 until now, I still believe just buying up a size and making regular clothes work is the way to go. But once you hit the third trimester, your options have been depleted quite a bit. A lot of women complain about being pregnant in the summer, but I do have to say–if you are in your third trimester during summer you can get away with wearing a dress every day! And there are so many options out there as far as dresses go for summer that are maternity and non-maternity. I have been praying for 70 degree weather since the end of February so I could start wearing dresses every day. That being said, I give you full permission to wear leggings or yoga pants every day of your third trimester if you can get away with it. Refer to #2 if anyone tries to say anything otherwise.

4 / The pressure to be enough. On a more serious note, I have to say that the pressure to be a “perfect mom” have the “perfect nursery” etc is stronger than ever. With the increase of media and our time on Pinterest and the fact that we have inside access to almost everyones private lives, has made it so easy to feel like we can never match up! I’m going to go against the grain here for a second and tell you something. Whatever it is, you think you need for this baby–cut that in 1/2 and that is all that you actually need. So often we think that we NEED so much and so many things just to raise a baby! And let me be clear, women have been doing this for centuries with nothing but their breasts, some cloth and water! Please make a list and find some things that are really important to you and things that are deal breakers. Then try to let the rest go. And keep reminding yourself that you are enough. Without the gear, without the nursery, without the…fill in the blank. You are enough because God made you enough.

5 / Crazy random. Is it just me or have some things gotten harder during pregnancy? Yes? Ok, well here is my theory. God told Eve that we would have pain birthing a child, and I think that with modern medicine and the invention of medications and the epidural–God decided we don’t get off scotch free. There is the sleeping pains, the gas pain, the lower back pain, the pain from eating too much ice cream, the pain from getting kicked in the bladder a dozen times a day, the pain of people telling you that you are HUGE for nine months, the pain of stretch marks or the pain of trying to wrestle a screaming toddler. There will be pain you all…it just is.

6 / Our bodies. If you want some humor on this I will direct you no further than the gem that is Line Severinsen. You can find her on Instagram as KOSOGKAOS. She is an epic illustrator and she cracks me up basically every day. I did want to say though, love your body. Love you body now, and love it later. God has given you a beautiful gift with this pregnancy. And although you may not feel like Ms. America right now, you are beautiful and so is your body. As far as after the pregnancy, I love this quote from Nora Ephron, “Oh, how I regret not having worn a bikini for the entire year I was twenty-six. If anyone young is reading this, go, right this minute, put on a bikini and don’t take it off until you’re thirty-four.” Life is short, and you will never look better than you do today, so wear the bikini, the shorts, the tank or the sassy dress!