What I Wore: 23 Weeks Pregnant

This week marks my 23rd week of pregnancy. My belly is getting a lot more attention from strangers lately in the form of lingering looks, excited smiles from passing strangers, and my first well-meaning but still rude comment about carrying twins or triplets. Brett mentions every day how much he loves seeing me pregnant though, so he gets a gold star. 

I have a history of big bellies. My kids were both born around 9 lbs and I usually start getting comments around this mark. With Sebastian it was a twenty-something male working at Subway that mentioned I looked like I was going to pop any day. I was six months along. With Ruby it was the older man working the flea market register. I brought two vintage globes to the counter and he asked me if I was hiding another one under my dress. I was five-and-a-half months along that time. 

It's actually funny that while we were taking these photos in our alley way before I ran up to get Sebastian from school our neighbor's nurse asked me if I wasn't sure if I was having twins or triplets. I smiled graciously and she asked again like she really wanted to know if I had considered how big I was. I may have been more offended but we'd actually ordered a diagnostic ultrasound a few days prior to check for twins.

My midwife measured me at the beginning of 22 weeks and I was 7 weeks larger than I should've been. She briefly mentioned she'd had a surprise set of twins this past summer and the mom measured that big but they'd never seen the second on her ultrasound or heard a second heartbeat. Her second baby was hiding in there. The same day I measured big my friend called to tell me another gal she knew just found out that same day she was having twins. The funny thing is she is due in seven weeks! Her midwife hadn't seen the second baby or heard that second heartbeat, either, and nothing else had given her the idea she might have two in there. It was enough to get Brett and I talking about the possibility. If not twins, then there was also the possibility of too much fluid which could also be a concern. Either way we needed to know what was going on to put our minds at ease.

Our diagnostic ultrasound was pretty thorough and confirmed there was indeed just one occupant but that said occupant had a large head-within normal range but still larger in proportion to the rest of it's measurements. Sebastian had a big head, too. At one point the stenographer needed to see where the cord was and told us not to look since she knew we weren't wanting to find out the gender until birth but Brett and I both peeked! Unfortunately, she was so quick and the baby was so fidgety that neither of us could tell. It was all I could do not to stay back as my family walked back to the waiting room and beg her to tell me if it was a boy or girl!

So, no lady in the alley, I'm not having twins or triplets. I'm having one large-headed, healthy baby and this belly will only be getting bigger in the weeks to come. Any future comments about the size of my belly will be met with my own polite retort. Don't mess with mama bear. This isn't my first rodeo.

-Rachel

Outfit Details: Black shirt and vest, Target. Maxi skirt c/o Gypsy Threads. Moto boots c/o Gypsy Threads. Crystal necklace c/o Moorea Seal. Bag c/o Jo Totes.