It’s hard to believe that I am now 27.5 weeks along. My belly has been expanding at an alarming rate. No seriously. My doctor told me I gained 8 lbs in the last 4 weeks. Talk about an OMG moment on the scale. She then politely joked that the scale might be wrong. HA! Nice attempt to question my guilt about eating all those desserts while on vacation.


At the end of the day, I am healthy and so is the baby and that’s all that matters.

I have actually really been enjoying pregnancy so far. There are always a few uncomfortable moments but overall I must be lucky because I feel pretty good. Over the past few weeks/months I have definitely learned some things I did not know about being pregnant and some which I suspected but have come as a nice surprise anyways.

1. People LOVE to help a pregnant lady.

This is a fact I am slowly getting used to. Strangers hold doors often; colleagues carry things for you; people on the street smile at the belly. Just the other month, we had a small but significant earthquake in the area. I think 10 people must have asked me how I was feeling. Is the baby ok? Do you need to sit down? Can I get you some water? I don’t like feeling dependent on the kindness of strangers or even friends but some days I think ‘’Meh the hell with this. You’re right. I am growing a human in my belly so sure...you can lift my 7 lb grocery bag since you insist.’’

2. People bring you food.

This could be grouped in with number one but I think it deserves special mention. After all, this is probably why my scale tells me I have been gaining 2 lbs per week! People also love to use the line that I am eating for 2. Well technically I’m not but it depends on what you’re offering. White chocolate cheesecake with raspberry syrup? Did I tell you I am having triplets? Better make that a thick slice please.

3. Darkening of the areolas.

Back when we were just trying, I read this as a symptom of pregnancy. I am sure there are countless women out there (myself included) who stared at their breasts in the bathroom mirror after showering wondering if their period might come late because suddenly their nipples got darker. Let me just say that when this happens, the symptom is not so subtle. It makes sense physiologically-baby needs to have a visual target of its food source. In that case, perhaps my little bean is going to be visually impaired.

4. Pregnancy slows you down considerably.

I was by no means super fit before getting pregnant but I went to the gym, ate sensibly and was well within my normal BMI. Just the other day after going for an hour long walk on vacation, I felt exhausted. My lower back ached and I needed to sit down. It’s incredible to think of all the changes taking place inside my body. I think my stomach is somewhere jacked up against my ribs by this point. As much as I want to accomplish a million tasks my body is telling me to slow down.

5. Extra hair and other non-sexy things.

Maybe I had read about the darkening of the areolas but nobody ever mentioned any other skin discolorations. I am learning that women with darker or an olive skin tone like me may notice these changes more. Suddenly my armpits look like they have not been washed in a month. What’s up with that? How does the darkening of my armpits contribute to the health of my baby? The answer is that it serves no purpose other than to make me sweat off the summer in T-shirts instead of evil tanks tops.

Also, a few weeks ago, a pregnant friend of mine told me that her belly was getting covered in tiny dark hairs. She read that as the baby was growing hair, our bodies were overcompensating with the responsible hormone. GROSS. I was proud to say that MY belly was still void of dark hairs and the ever dreaded stretch marks. The only thing  my belly has to bare is the other lovely skin discoloration known as the linea nigra. No sooner than I was thanking my lucky stars, I noticed a ton of blonde peach fuzz growing on my jaw. My husband was actually the one to point out my ''new beard''. Thanks hun. Love you too!