Body Image

So on a funny note, this past week at work these maternity mannequins popped up all over the building. I work at the Old Navy corporate office for those who don't know. So its not totally strange have naked mannequins sitting around the office, but since I don't work near the maternity group, we usually don't see them. Every time I walked by, I just felt like they were staring at me, probably because I was staring at them. Seriously, I wanted to go touch them and try to imagine if my belly will look like that. These darn things are so tiny, just another reason why body image can be difficult during pregnancy. They just look so unrealistic. So i decided this is the last time I will feel bad about my body during pregnancy. I will continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle, exercising, eating my fruits, veggies and frozen yogurt, but I will also embrace the other changes!! Enjoy the pics of these silly naked mannequins, they even have them in different colors.

Your body changes A LOT when you become pregnant. I guess I was under the assumption that the changes did not start to take place until the 3rd or 4th month when you have a noticeable bump. I will add that to the list of pregnancy misconceptions I was living under. Needless to say, about right after I took the test, things started happening. Weird things!! Some I don't like, some my hubby likes, but they all come with the territory. One of my Good friends Tiama, who is currently in Med school, was kind enough to give me info on a few other changes that will happen also. " I know that at 22 weeks the uterus size usually reaches from the pelvic bone to your belly button and after that the number of weeks old the baby is equals the number of centimeters big your uterus is. For example at 30 weeks your uterus will be 30cm large. So that's some info that you can expect to happen. They will also test you for all kinds of stuff like STD's, Diabetes, and GBS (group B strep) but that is all normal to test for. Hmmm what else can I tell you, drink plenty of water even though you may not want to because you have to pee constantly. Water helps with the constipation, and overall health too."Thanks Tiama Mama, you are such a good friend!

I am starting to feel much better and the nauseous feeling that had become my friend night and day is beginning to pass. I am still feeling extremely tired and spent this past weekend taking very long naps. Not feeling guilty about napping is defiantly a perk of being pregnant. So anyway, I finally had this amazing realization sitting in Church on Sunday. Bare with me, it may be a bit mushy... We were singing this song about giving yourself up to be completely used by God, and I realized how much i feel like that applies to being pregnant. Romans 12:1 says"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." I just felt like God was reminding me that there are numerous ways to worship him. Right now, my body kind of feels like it being sacrificed for the health and well being of this child. This is not just our baby, but its God's Child and Jerome and I get the privilege and task of raising him or her in the image of Christ. This is just the beginning of a life long sacrifice that we will make for our child and God. What a gift to be able to worship and give thanks to God in this way. He is allowing us to be parents and I get the privilege of carrying this child and feeling the presence of another human being so close to my heart. I will really have to continue to pray that I enjoy this time and this special act of worship and obedience.