Size Does Matter

Regardless of your stance prior to pregnancy about whether or not size matters, you quickly learn during pregnancy, that size does matter.

From your first doctor's appointment, you are keenly aware of your size as revealed by the scale. You are expected to gain weight, of course, but not too much weight.

Then there are clothing sizes. You are the same size you were pre-pregnancy, but now in the maternity section of the store...at least in the beginning. (And yes, as in your pre-pregnancy life, your sizing depends on which brand.) By the end of the pregnancy, maternity section or not, you are a larger size then you were in the beginning.

As your appointments become biweekly, then weekly, your belly is measured and recorded in your file, noting your size progression. The size of your baby is estimated in simple terms - small or big. (As in, 'Elizabeth, you have a small baby in there.')

But the most important size of all, as I am acutely aware of this week, is described in centimeters and followed by the word, 'dilated.' (As in, 'Elizabeth, you are 2 centimeters dilated.')

And although I am very aware of the fact that I could hang out at 2 centimeters for weeks, I am excited because it indicates I am that much closer to labor, which means I am that much closer to meeting my sweet girl.

Behind closed doors, on carnival rides, and fishing trips aside, during pregnancy, size does matter.