Pregnant Writer

I don’t get the desire to capture your pregnancy on film.

I have no need to see photos of myself looking tired, uncomfortable, and yes, as big as a house. I can’t imagine wanted to look back 20 years from now and see anything that contradicts my memory of how lovely and amazing this time was and how vibrant and happy I must have looked while I was bringing this new life into the world. I mean, I haven’t looked at my wedding photos once. And I don’t know if I will ever watch the video–the picture is much prettier in my mind.

I’m all about photos of the baby, but I don’t get the current obsession with bump shots.

What do you think about maternity photos?

Is it easier to have short hair that you don’t have to really style or long hair that you can just throw into a ponytail?

I was watching the season 3 premiere of Supernatural the other day in syndication. Those of you who are familiar with the show may remember it as the episode with the personifications of the seven deadly sins.

A few years back, this episode sparked a group of my friends to dress up as the seven deadly sins for Halloween. I was Pride. These days, however, I would be Wrath.

There is an episode of Friends in which Phoebe, pregnant with her brother’s baby, lashes out at her friends and cries with little provocation. When asked how her mood swings are going, she replies, “I haven’t really had any.”

I know intellectually that I am being visited by Wrath on a daily basis, and the things that make me mad really don’t matter. But, my emotions are out of control when the last person to finish eating doesn’t put away the dinner leftovers or my husband buys yet another T-shirt, even though the T-shirts he already owns don’t fit in the allotted space in our closet. And don’t get me started on the fact that he takes his socks off inside out and doesn’t turn them the right way before putting them in the laundry. Or that he will put his jeans or shorts in the hamper with the belt still on.

Typically, these personal affronts are met with a little grumbling, then I go about my business.

Now that I am pregnant (and firmly ensconced in the third trimester), these are Capital Offenses of the Highest Order. I long for the days when I have some perspective on what matters and what doesn’t. Until then, I will do my kick counts, eschew alcohol and more than 200 mg of caffeine each day, and try to keep the laundry door closed so no one else hears my mini-meltdowns.

I haven’t really loved the pregnancy books I’ve read so far. I don’t know what it is about them, but they have seemed less than accessible and a little boring. And pregnancy is not boring. Tiring, amazing, overwhelming, and bizarre, yes. But definitely not boring.

A friend loaned me Jenny McCarthy’s book, Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth the other day, and I read the whole thing in one sitting in about an hour and a half. And I loved it. I laughed, and I cried. Why did I cry? I have no idea. If any of you pregnant ladies or mothers out there have a specific reason for even 10% of your crying, you’ve got me beat.

McCarthy is extremely open, speaking to the reader as if the two of you are chatting over a couple non-alcoholic beers. (No, I haven’t tried non-alcoholic beer as a means of dealing with my beer cravings, but I’ve considered it!) She is frank and graphic in her descriptions of the myriad physical changes the average pregnant woman notices, but I found that refreshing and honest. Some might be put off by it, so you should know that going into it. If you want to get a taste for McCarthy’s method of expressing herself, watch this video.

I will definitely be reading McCarthy’s other book, Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood.

Note: This review contains affiliate links.

My friend submitted a photo of her little boy to the Parents Magazine Cover Model Contest. If you are so inclined to help him win, here is a link to vote.

Green Baby Guide is hosting a contest for a copy of The Eco-nomical Baby Guide and a bunch of other green and organic items.

Read about the contest here.

I’ve always struggled with the desire to be completely green and organic versus the economic realities I sometimes face. We all know that the vast majority of writers do not make millions, especially not when their fiction careers are so new.

As I look at my plans for my soon-to-arrive son, I am even more torn. I believe strongly in limiting his exposure to unnecessary chemicals and pesticides–I mean, I threw out all of my makeup and shampoo when I found out I was pregnant because it contained parabens or Vitamin A derivatives. But, until I go Stephenie Meyer on y’all, I’m going to need to do do on a budget.

The awesome thing about the Internet? I have found blogs written by other moms who are struggling with the same cost versus chemicals concerns. And, with the recession, a lot of mainstream media are covering how to thrive on less money. Here are a few of the resources I have found. Feel free to share your own tips and any other resources we can all benefit from.

Articles

Navigating the Grocery Store
In this piece from Oprah.com, Lynn Okura shares her experience trying to find natural, real food products in a conventional grocery store.

17 Tips for Buying Organic Food on the Cheap
Bankrate.com (who would have thought to look here for food shopping tips?) give a nice set of tips to help you green your kitchen without breaking the bank.

Blogs

Crunchy Chicken
Deanna Duke’s chronicle of greening her life.

Enviromom
A Portland, OR, mom who talks about how to recycle and live a green lifestyle with kids.

Green and Clean Mom
A site that provides tips from a variety of contributors who want to help you live a stylish and environmentally conscious life.

Green Baby Guide
By the authors of the recently released Eco-nomical Baby Guide, this blog covers issues and tips for green moms. This site does take submissions, so if you are looking to write about green mama-ing, give this one a look.

Great Green Baby
A review site for new baby products that are organic and/or sustainable.

Katie and I apparently read many of the same books as children, so she reminded me of quite a few that (I think) I still own, such as a few Black Stallion books, the Fudge series, the Chronicles of Prydain, the Narnia series.

I also found out that Beverly Cleary wrote some books about Henry Huggins, a character in the Ramona Quimby books that I so loved. Those should be good and contain the ever-important male protagonist. I also learned that Cleary’s books take place in Portland, Oregon. I don’t know how I missed that as a young girl, so they will have that added element of personal interest.

Finally, I had a brainstorm and remembered Clarence the TV Dog. I loved that book ans its sequel, and I will need to find a used copy to add to the library. Some Clifford the Big Red Dog books will be fun for when the boy is little because our dogs are both over 100 pounds and will tower over the little one just like Clifford does in the books.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress as I plow through my collection to see what I really have and what I just think I have. Until then, please feel free to shoot me more recommendations. A child can never have too many books!

I have a standard set of books I give to all of my friends who have a little girl baby. They are some of my childhood favorites.

• The Secret Garden
• Ramona the Pest
• Charlotte’s Web
• Anne of Green Gables
  
• Little House on the Prairie

Mr. Pregnant Writer and I found out that we are having a boy, and I am struggling to think about what books to buy him to begin his book collection. (I fear that my favorite books might be too girly.) I’d love some suggestions of books your boys loved, books you loved when you were a young boy, or books you loved when you were a young girl that show true genderless appeal.

Thanks in advance!

No, this isn’t just the name of a store in Salem, Oregon.

Words are the reason we write. We love to read them, to create with them, sometimes to kvetch about them.

Sadly, the brain defects that come with being pregnant can affect our ability to use the words we love so much.

Since becoming pregnant, I have noticed that I need to be more diligent not only with self-editing but with having other people read my work. I type the wrong word without even realizing it, or I skip a word.

And, I have noticed this happening with other writers when they get pregnant, too. I read a particular entertainment blog regularly, and for the past six or seven months, I have noticed the writer making more and more errors. Small errors, but still noticeable to someone who either knows a lot about the topic or who has been copyediting for a couple decades.

Monday, she announced that she was getting ready to head out for maternity leave. (She hadn’t mentioned her pregnancy in her column before.) All of a sudden, the mistakes made sense. And, I breathed a sigh of relief that it isn’t just me who needs a little extra editing help now!

Ladies, are you pregnant and bemoaning the loss of your error-free writing talent? Or, did you experience the same thing when you were pregnant?

Here’s the real question: Does the ability to use words return after you give birth?