I love to lie on my stomach. Sometimes I’ll sprawl out over my bed with a book. Other times I’ll prop my head up on my hands and watch a movie on the couch. Many times I like to sleep on my stomach as well. It’s very comfortable…. unless you have a big baby belly. Lying on my stomach was one of the things I missed most during my pregnancy. After I had my son, I couldn’t wait to go to sleep and not have to lie on my back anymore.
Even though my belly was in the way, it also became pretty useful. For instance, pregnant bellies make great arm rests. When you are at the movie theater and your friends take both arm rests on either side of you, it doesn’t matter because you have an arm rest right in front of you. Baby bellies are also the perfect TV tray. Lay a towel across the top and you have the perfect spot for your bowl of ice cream, cereal or pasta. Don’t be surprised if your dinner starts to wiggle a little bit when the baby starts to kick. Just for fun, balance a half filled water bottle on top of your belly and hold very still. The bottle will make any movements your baby makes extremely visible. It’s really funny when the baby kicks so hard that the bottle flies off. Holding a baby while pregnant is easy because you’ve got another place to distribute the weight; your arms don’t tire out as quickly. I used my belly as a writing surface, a mouse pad, a cup holder, and a spot to rest my book or hand-held game. I think I actually missed having that portable table with me wherever I went.
What does your baby belly keep you from doing? How does it benefit you?