I was guilty of it. Most women are guilty of it during their first pregnancy. I bet many of you did this as well. As soon as your pants were even remotely tight, you donned the maternity pants. You might have put on the whole ensemble, including the adorable fitted shirt with side ruching. First time moms are notorious for pulling out the maternity wardrobe long before it’s absolutely necessary, while it’s not uncommon to see “experienced” moms waiting until the last second. In protest, they button their pants with an elastic band and stretch out their t-shirts.
Putting on maternity clothes is like an outward parade of all the excitement going on inside that no one can see. For weeks upon weeks, you know that you are carrying a precious bundle around, but you feel as though all anyone else sees is bloating. But when you slip on that empire wasted blouse with the bow, it feels like you’re wearing a sign that says, “I’m not getting fat; I’m pregnant.” It’s not just the maternity clothes for first time mommies, though. You find yourself relaxing your stomach so it protrudes a little more (ruining your posture in the process), placing your hand on your belly, and making a big deal about your fifth trip to the bathroom. You relish in refusing the wine sample at Olive Garden (“I can’t, I’m pregnant.”), you linger in the baby aisle at Target, and you head up for seconds at the buffet with no shame or guilt, announcing to a perfect stranger at the salad bar that you’re eating for two.
Plenty of women get just as excited about subsequent pregnancies, I’m sure, but a lot of the novelty wears off. You realize that once you put on those maternity pants, there’s no turning back until after the delivery and you know how much you will miss your old wardrobe. You anticipate the overload of comments and questions so you hesitate to announce or display your pregnancy to every stranger you come across. Eating for two (more like three for some of us with a sweet tooth) isn’t as exciting when you remember how much work it was to lose the baby weight from child number one.
Even though every pregnancy is different, second pregnancies aren’t as bewildering, and with a child to take care of already, there isn’t time to dwell on the little novelties like there was with the first. We focus on the children that we have and look forward to the new addition more than we focus on the pregnancy itself. Perhaps it’s because we realized that while pregnancy is exciting, it has nothing on the sweetness of a newborn. Its memory fades so quickly once that child is placed in our arms for the first time.