Blog Posts by Being Pregnant

by Ceridwen Morris
Over the weekend I read a Washington Post advice column in which a pregnant woman complains, "I am a very unhappy pregnant woman and friends/family seem to be bothered by that. I actually had a friend practically give me a lecture the other day saying that I was ungrateful…. So far it's been about getting fat, being bloated, restricting what I can eat and drink, feeling sick, etc."

More from Ceridwen: Opting Out Of Prenatal Testing

I read this and thought of so many pregnant women I've talked to who've started conversations with the words, "I know I'm supposed to be glowing and happy right now but…. " Then they break down with a list of complains and apologies for the complaints.

So I was a little taken aback by the advice this miserable pregnant woman got: "What's happening to you is a big, fleeting deal; a moment. Your discomfort is real, for sure. But to reduce it to weight gain and (frankly, minimal) food restrictions strikes me as a tragic waste of that moment."

by Rebecca Odes

A new medical report provides insight into the causes of cancer, tying risk to exposures and behavioral choices made even before conception.

More from Being Pregnant blogger Rebecca:Sad, Anxious Moms Have Smaller Babies, Study Says

Apparently the genetic markers that raise cancer risk are present in the egg and are carried through fetal development and beyond birth.

"Someone's risk of developing cancer starts from before the time of conception. The risk factors are already operating in the mother's eggs before conception," said professor Ricardo Uauy, an advisor to the U.N. and W.H.O. who presented the research.

If moms weren't under enough pressure to hone their behavior for their babies' benefit, this really kicks it up a notch. And kicks it in a whole lot earlier. It's a scary concept, especially for those of us who are well beyond the point of altering our preconception choices to benefit our children. The idea that there were things we might have done to prevent something as terrifying as this-if only we had known-is really excruciating.

The thing to remember is that while certain preconception behaviors can lower cancer risk in future children, there are things you can do during pregnancy and throughout life to help balance out any risks from before.

More from Rebecca: Pregnant Women Should Gain Less Weight (Easy For You To Say, New York Times)

3 known ways to reduce the risk of cancer from here on out:

by Rebecca Odes

I'm pretty sure I'll never forget the first time somebody asked me if I was pregnant.

I was all of about five weeks along. It didn't help that the person who asked me was my ex boyfriend.
Maybe it was the glow, or some kind of telepathy. Or maybe it was less the fruit of my love with my husband and more the fruit of our delayed honeymoon in Italy. Two months of primi AND secondi AND dolci had left me a bit on the grande side. But my belly did begin expanding almost immediately after I got pregnant.

More from Rebecca: Premium Maternity Style For Less

What could I say? I was indeed pregnant, but the last thing I wanted to do was tell anybody about it less than a month in. I knee-jerked "NO!!"My poor ex scuttled away, shamed and horrified. I felt guilty, yucky and afraid I'd jinxed it all with my flat out lie. I resolved not to go out again until I was out of the secret first trimester, for fear I'd be called out again. Who knows how many ex boyfriends I might run into before I was able to comfortably spill the beans? Morning sickness kicked in soon thereafter, which made my resolution that much easier. But I always wondered if there was something I could have done to prevent that awkward moment for both of us.

The first trimester can be an uncomfortable phase for fashion. Even if you haven't eaten enough gelato to sink a gondola, you may find your waistline looking considerably larger considerably quicker than you expect it to. It's hard to know how to dress the growing belly without calling attention to it. No one may be so bold as to flat out ask, but there can still be weirdness when people wonder "Is she or isn't she?"

After an embarrassing encounter on a public bus, one fed-up woman wrote some fashion rules for those who want to avoid being seen as pregnant…whether or not they are. Her recommendations are perfect for early pregnancy discretion, as well as general gut-friendly dressing.

More from Rebecca: The (Real) Shape of a Mother