My First Baby Bump

I was getting used to the first trimester rhythm of getting bloated and gassy while waking up relatively flat stomached. But one morning, nope, a bloated bump was there in full force. Obviously it was not just gas. I did understand there was a baby in there, but I was in total shock. I’d heard from friends and family that you really just pop over night sometimes, and that totally happened for me!

My First Baby Bump

I was right at 15 weeks, we were headed to Easter dinner with friends, and I was freaking out. All of those worries of, “Is this too soon? Does this mean my baby is gargantuan? Does this mean I’m gargantuan?” started racing through my head. I was also unaccustomed to how a pregnancy tummy felt at this stage, so I realized at the end of the night I had terrible abdominal pain from subconsciously trying to hold my stomach in all day!

Oh self, that’s not a food belly, that’s a baby belly. You need to just let. it. go!

It’s funny how the most random events in pregnancy can really throw you, especially when you’ve heard so many stories. You try to prepare yourself to get ahead of the game. You secure yourself with a frame of mind like, “I won’t overreact, I’ll be super chill!” And then BAM, you fall down the weirdest rabbit hole all by yourself, and surprise, you have to find your own way out!

This was obviously my first lesson in that every pregnancy is different, just as every woman’s body is different. It doesn’t always matter how many times you may hear that, you have to get through your own journey to get to that realization on a more personal level.

It took me about 24 hours to let it all go and completely fall in love with my little bump. And now I’m so stoked!

Caitlin — Mother To Be