Apparently people still don’t realize that healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes
The third trimester can be brutal. As if the aches, heartburn and swollen feet aren’t enough to deal with, being visibly pregnant often seems to open the door to uninvited comments.
When Las Vegas mom Eliana Rodriguez posted her pregnant belly on Instagram, commenters came charging through that door.
They were relentless: “You are huge” “Why her stomach look like that?” “Omg it was just one baby???????” and “It’s like she doesn’t have ANY stomach muscles to support the weight of the baby.” Rodriguez told TODAY Parents she faced similar comments and stares while out and about.
All the negative attention put a damper on what should be a joyful time. “I was so excited that I wanted to share—we had been trying for a second baby and hoping for a boy and I am an open person,” she said.
Though it hurt, she kept her composure. “I was never rude back,” Rodriguez explained. “I’d answer, ‘Yes, I am huge and it’s hard.’”
At 4’11” with a short torso, Rodriguez’s size was normal, doctors told her. On top of that, she carried more than the average amount—though still within the normal range—of amniotic fluid. And when her son, Sebastian, was eventually born, he measured a hearty 8.3 pounds.
Now she’s reminding people that such input is unnecessary. While Rodriguez’s pregnancy was a healthy one and her baby is doing great, the size of a baby bump can sometimes indicate a condition like diastasis recti or fetal macrosomia (the medical term for a really big baby), making comments of any kind even less warranted.
Rodriguez was open about her pregnancy on Instagram and dealt handily with her critics, but she cautioned people to keep such thoughts to themselves, noting that they could easily put someone “in a dark place.”
So when it comes to a pregnant person’s body, best to keep your commentary to yourself.
