The Pregnancy Archive

At our Labor & Birth class at Grand View Hospital, they have a special "costume" for the guys to try on called "The Empathy Belly." It's a 35-pound belly, complete with breasts, bladder and lung-capacity-restrictor. First they put on the breathing band, which wraps tightly around the lungs. Then comes the belly, along with a piece that fits behind the belly to press on the bladder. It's ingenius! This gives the guys a small glimpse into the world of being pregnant. When Nate tried it on, I had him lie down so he could see why I have so much trouble rolling over in bed. I think he was more sympathetic after he tried it on. If nothing else, I had a really good laugh while he was wearing it! No pregnant woman likes to highlight the fact that her belly has grown to the size of a basketball, but that seems to be the thing that most people are interested in. So with reluctance, I've put up these pictures. As you can see, we didn't take them with any consistency or regularity. The last photo is a special one for me...I was 30 weeks pregnant, and the baby model I'm holding is the size of an average 30-week-old baby. It was really neat to see and hold it at our labor and birth class because I spend so much time wondering what the baby looks like and how big he is. This gave me a good idea of his size and position (although it seems like he is always moving around!). If you can distinguish ultrasounds, you have a real skill! All I can tell you is that the baby's head is on the right, and he's facing the "camera." If you look closely, you can see his fingers around his face.