Large...and In Love

I love being pregnant. Let me just start out by saying that. I'm glad that we're doing this, and all the drama and pain and frusteration that goes along with it are worth every second. So, I love being pregnant.

What I don't love is being a plus-sized pregnant woman. Do you know that that Target, Walmart, Kohls, Sears, Lane Bryant, and Old Navy only have maternity closes for women who start out below a size 16? Apparently, if you're a larger woman you're not supposed to be pregnant. Or maybe the assumption is that if you're a larger woman, all you're going to do is sit around and eat and watch TV and get even larger.

Well, this plus-sized pregnant lady has a lot to do, and TV isn't one of them. I have to work and continue my life, even as my belly (and boobs, and probably hips and butt) expand. It's not pretty, but it's reality.

So...thank goodness for Motherhood Maternity. Not only do they have a super-large collection of plus-sized maternity clothes online, but they also have a relatively nice selection in their brick and mortar stores. I was able to go to their store and walk away with two pairs of work pants, a pair of jeans, some pregnancy panties and a couple of bras. There were plenty of shirts (although we didn't buy any yet) and even plus-sized pajamas. Ahhh...finally - a place that recognizes that larger women do get pregnant and that even we need some clothes to bring us through those larger months.

Let me just pause for a minue and give some props to my partner. Never in my life have I been so taken care of, so loved and felt so protected. Kelly is attentive, interested in all not-so-pretty parts of what is happening to me, willing to love me through the crabby moments and in general has just stepped up to make this transition into pregnancy easy for me. There are people in this world who truly rise to the challenge when it's presented to them, and my partner is one of them. So - three cheers for my Kelly. And thank you, honey, for being my very best friend and strongest support through this. I love you.