Sunday, July 8/18
Today's topic is less of a topic and more of a rant. Sort of a discussion with myself. So bare with me, and please leave comments if you've ever experienced similar things regarding your baby's weight/length/weird toes/unibrow/bellybuttons or any manner of things which members of the public feel they can freely comment on. Friends and family too, for that matter.
To begin, my baby was born at 9lbs 2oz. And when I tell people this, I now feel the need to add afterwards, "she was a whopper!", or "yeah, she's a big girl!" and I have found over the course of the last 3 months I have almost become this self-deprecating spokesperson for my daughter. I'm certain at some point in older posts I've mentioned the weight of my baby. And when I sit back and think about it, it's absolutely ridiculous! Within the first week I had people commenting on her size, giving me sympathetic looks (probably worried about my vagina but JOKES ON YOU I had a c-section) and from then on, it sort of became second nature to joke about how chubby my baby was (is). It started as early as her NICU stay, where they skipped over newborn sized diapers (which fit her, thank-you-very-much) and put her in size 1's because "we're not used to having such a big baby in here- usually they're preemies in teeny diapers!"- which is fair enough, but my baby juuust made it to 37 weeks and was very almost a preemie herself. And then when I got home I switched back to newborn diapers I had because the size 1's were definitely too big for her. They even gave us a stack when she left, and I felt like it was because they don't often have larger babies in the NICU- but what about when a poor 11 pounder comes in and they've given all the size 1's away to a baby who didn't even wear them for a month and a half?! Babies come in all shapes and sizes. It's not even genetic, I was born at 5lbs something, and my husband at 10lbs, so for our daughter to be 9.2lbs it neither shocked or surprised us, in fact I was just in awe that my body (mainly my back) had carried her around for so long. And still, I find myself getting unnecessarily sad about her being in clothing that says 3-6 months when she should be in 0-3. I was a mix of sad and pleased when we took the newborn insert out of her carseat because she should still need it, and yet she's far more comfortable with the extra space. I've had numerous comments worrying that she won't fit her thighs into her Bumbo by the time her head will be fully supported. And to be fair, I know none of these comments come from a bad place, everyone who mentions her size adores her, but I can't help but feel that we (and yes, this is myself included) are beginning this body-shaming (might be a tad extreme) or at least some kind of ashamed attitude towards her growing and looking quite a bit larger than other babies at her age. Even the constant jokes about how large she is are getting quite old. And then there are the comments about other babies who are either very small or at least average size, and people I know referring to these babies as "skinned rabbits" (yes, seriously) or saying that chubby babies are definitely cuter. What if I have a 6lb baby next time around? I doubt they'll be throwing around "skinned rabbit" comments at me then, and if they don't, did they just say it to sympathize with the fact my baby is much larger? I don't know why it's bothering me- because she is very happy and very healthy, and I would adore her if she was double the size, but lately I can't help but worry that this attitude may continue into her older-baby months/toddler years and could even have an impact on her perception of beauty and what's considered "normal" before we even realize how it began. I suppose I'm just worried that if this continues it may cause damage that none of us are aware we are inflicting. So, that's my rant! I absolutely adore my 3 month, 14lb baby more than anything and wouldn't change her for the world. I'll include a picture that shows her body exactly as it was supposed to be: rolly (with a few chins), very pale, sometimes a little dry and flaky, but absolutely scrumptious in every way.
Thanks for letting me rant, and as I mentioned before, please do let me know if you've experienced similar comments, whether your baby was a teenie preemie, average weight with a huge head-circumference, or incredibly long and lanky. I'd love to hear about all of your uniquely precious and perfect babies.
Today's topic is less of a topic and more of a rant. Sort of a discussion with myself. So bare with me, and please leave comments if you've ever experienced similar things regarding your baby's weight/length/weird toes/unibrow/bellybuttons or any manner of things which members of the public feel they can freely comment on. Friends and family too, for that matter.
To begin, my baby was born at 9lbs 2oz. And when I tell people this, I now feel the need to add afterwards, "she was a whopper!", or "yeah, she's a big girl!" and I have found over the course of the last 3 months I have almost become this self-deprecating spokesperson for my daughter. I'm certain at some point in older posts I've mentioned the weight of my baby. And when I sit back and think about it, it's absolutely ridiculous! Within the first week I had people commenting on her size, giving me sympathetic looks (probably worried about my vagina but JOKES ON YOU I had a c-section) and from then on, it sort of became second nature to joke about how chubby my baby was (is). It started as early as her NICU stay, where they skipped over newborn sized diapers (which fit her, thank-you-very-much) and put her in size 1's because "we're not used to having such a big baby in here- usually they're preemies in teeny diapers!"- which is fair enough, but my baby juuust made it to 37 weeks and was very almost a preemie herself. And then when I got home I switched back to newborn diapers I had because the size 1's were definitely too big for her. They even gave us a stack when she left, and I felt like it was because they don't often have larger babies in the NICU- but what about when a poor 11 pounder comes in and they've given all the size 1's away to a baby who didn't even wear them for a month and a half?! Babies come in all shapes and sizes. It's not even genetic, I was born at 5lbs something, and my husband at 10lbs, so for our daughter to be 9.2lbs it neither shocked or surprised us, in fact I was just in awe that my body (mainly my back) had carried her around for so long. And still, I find myself getting unnecessarily sad about her being in clothing that says 3-6 months when she should be in 0-3. I was a mix of sad and pleased when we took the newborn insert out of her carseat because she should still need it, and yet she's far more comfortable with the extra space. I've had numerous comments worrying that she won't fit her thighs into her Bumbo by the time her head will be fully supported. And to be fair, I know none of these comments come from a bad place, everyone who mentions her size adores her, but I can't help but feel that we (and yes, this is myself included) are beginning this body-shaming (might be a tad extreme) or at least some kind of ashamed attitude towards her growing and looking quite a bit larger than other babies at her age. Even the constant jokes about how large she is are getting quite old. And then there are the comments about other babies who are either very small or at least average size, and people I know referring to these babies as "skinned rabbits" (yes, seriously) or saying that chubby babies are definitely cuter. What if I have a 6lb baby next time around? I doubt they'll be throwing around "skinned rabbit" comments at me then, and if they don't, did they just say it to sympathize with the fact my baby is much larger? I don't know why it's bothering me- because she is very happy and very healthy, and I would adore her if she was double the size, but lately I can't help but worry that this attitude may continue into her older-baby months/toddler years and could even have an impact on her perception of beauty and what's considered "normal" before we even realize how it began. I suppose I'm just worried that if this continues it may cause damage that none of us are aware we are inflicting. So, that's my rant! I absolutely adore my 3 month, 14lb baby more than anything and wouldn't change her for the world. I'll include a picture that shows her body exactly as it was supposed to be: rolly (with a few chins), very pale, sometimes a little dry and flaky, but absolutely scrumptious in every way.
Thanks for letting me rant, and as I mentioned before, please do let me know if you've experienced similar comments, whether your baby was a teenie preemie, average weight with a huge head-circumference, or incredibly long and lanky. I'd love to hear about all of your uniquely precious and perfect babies.
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