Why are so many people obsessed with hiding pregnancy?

When we got pregnant with our first baby, we got carried away and went shopping the very first month.  Other than cloths, we knew very little about what a small baby needs.

A month later, I told my mom that I was pregnant and showed her everything we’d gotten for the baby. Her comment surprised me a little, ‘These are good. A little too big for a newborn but they’ll come in handy after a month or two.’ She went on to tell me that I needed to clean everything thoroughly but I should not do it as yet.

I asked why I could not do it right away when I still had the energy to which she casually replied, ‘Because you don’t want people knowing that you’re pregnant.’

I could not get it. Why would I not want people to know that I am pregnant? I did ask but she could not explain. All she said was that it was not good.

Image source: Pixabay.com

The last two weeks I’ve had 2 similar experiences. A week ago, I wore tights and a long flowy top to work. A friend of mine, a girl way much younger than I am, commented about my outfit and said that it was not hiding my baby bump as well as the blouse I had worn the day before. And then yesterday, I was in the washrooms freshening up before leaving the office when a girl I occasionally talk to from an office on our floor told me that my top was nice ‘because it hid the bump a little’. ‘You don’t have to worry about all the attention and the stares,’ she explained.

I could have taken the highroad and ignored the two girls, but in both cases I felt the need to be straight with them. ‘Look,’ I said, ‘I’m not trying to hide no pregnancy. I am a grown woman and I am married. I tried to get pregnant for months and if you followed my blog, you’d know that I’m only too happy to shout it to the world.’

Never have I ever tried to hide the fact that I’m pregnant. The only time I found the need to cover it up a little was when I went for a job interview at 16 weeks. Not because I did not want the interviewers to know that I was expecting, but because I did not want it to the focus of the interview. Plus I did not want my bump to play any part in my not getting the job. I did not get the job, but I know that my being pregnant had nothing to do with it.

When I’m dressing in the morning, the last thing on my mind is whether an outfit will show my baby bump or not. The questions I ask myself are, Does it fit? Is it comfortable? and Does it look presentable? Not stylish, not smart, but presentable. This is because there are times when I’m just lucky to fit into one of my dresses.

Given a choice between hiding and showing though, I’d choose an outfit that shows any day. That way, I get to pass the line in the bank, get other small favors here and there, and I do not waste time explaining to the supermarkets and buildings guards that they cannot use those metal detectors on me.

I’d love to hear your views. To hide or to flaunt the baby bump? Leave me a comment below…

Pregnancy Update

I am 22 weeks pregnant today or 5 months and two days. The due date is moving closer and closer each day. Everything feels fine but my legs keep giving up on me. The joints at the hip pain so much that there are days when I’m unable to walk without limping. I know that the hormone relaxin is to blame and since I understand that it’s just doing its job, I’ve learnt to embrace the pains and discomforts. My next antenatal clinic is in two days and I’ll see whether the doctor can recommend something for the pain.

From here onward, nothing that exciting is going to happen to me or the baby. We’ll just be growing bigger and bigger. For this reason, I’ll stop doing the weekly pregnancy updates and do it on a monthly basis instead. This is likely to change in the last month when a lot starts happening all at once.

Monthly Baby Bump

I’ve grown a little in the last month and I’ll be sharing my baby bump photos at five months as soon I can.

For now, take care and thanks for reading. Much love. 

Until we see each other again,