Creeped out by being pregnant? Is that normal? [Archive]

Queen Tonya

08-29-2005, 09:04 PM

Sure it's possible, why not?

One of my cousins hated being pregnant, absolutely despised feeling like her body wasn't her body, couldn't wait to give birth each time. I always thought it kinda weird, it's not like she's some athlete or anorexic or any type of person I could think of that would be hyper-aware of their body, y'know? She always likened pregnancy to hosting a parasite, but wanted kids so she put up with it.

It's not the typical response, but it's certainly possible.

Cyros

08-29-2005, 09:06 PM

How'd you feel about being pregnant?

Would it be "normal" to be creeped out/grossed out/weirded out by being pregnant? Maybe a little too conscious of the changes happening in your body, and it bothered you?

NOT weirded out by having a baby.. y'know, after the birth. Just the whole pregnancy process/a human growing inside you type thing?I felt sick throughout most of it and I'm not enamoured of the process, but I wouldn't say I'm creeped out.

I have a friend who felt exactly like that. She said it freaked her out every time the baby moved and when it got big enough to see it moving it made her feel ill. She said it reminded her of an alien or a parasite that was going to tear it's way out.

So it's not unheard of.

Kyla

08-29-2005, 09:09 PM

I've never been pregnant, but I do have an absolute horror of pregnancy. My feelings about pregnancy are strong enough that I don't want to go into detail for fear of giving offense. Note, this is only for me, not in general. I have a couple friends who are pregnant right now and I couldn't be happier for them.

I love kids, too. I'd like to adopt someday.

My mom had a very difficult pregnancy with my younger sister when I was five. I think that's where this comes from.

Caricci

08-29-2005, 09:21 PM

Oh, yeah, I can see that. When I was pregnant the sight of babies made me nauseous. I was such a bitch to all medical staff I encountered, as if it was their fault I was pregnant. Don't even get me started on how grossed out I was about having my milk come in.

Hal Briston

08-29-2005, 09:37 PM

I'd just advise against watching Alien while pregnant.

GingerOfTheNorth

08-29-2005, 09:53 PM

08-30-2005, 12:38 AM

I'm pregnant with my second child right now and, while I wouldn't say that I find it creepy, I do find it a little bizarre. It just seems weird that there's a person living inside of me. It gets weirder when you know the fetus has fingernails, is peeing, sucks it thumb, and, if it's a girl, has developed her eggs so that she can have a baby. That said, I really like being pregnant and think it's weird in a cool way.

Rhiannon8404

08-30-2005, 12:55 AM

I don't know if creeped out is the right phrase, but I really and truly hated being pregnant. It didn't feel like my body, I felt like I was inhabiting someone else's. On top of that I was just so freaking huge and uncomfortable.

I would gladly have gone through twice as long a labor with a migraine, if I could have had ½ as long a pregnancy.

nevermore

08-30-2005, 01:30 AM

ugh, I can totally see that. in fact that's why I keep saying I'd rather pay someone to have my kids for me; the whole process and concept just freaking squicks me out. I tried watching a live birth videotaped in some class in high school, and I quite literally ended up under the desk yelling trying to drown it out... half-playfully, but only half. ir makes my stomach turn thinking about some living thing residing in my abdomen and then exiting via my genitalia. BLEH.

Saint Cad

08-30-2005, 01:52 AM

I'd just advise against watching Alien while pregnant.

It freaked me out when I'd see a moving lump in my wife's abdomen and realized it was a foot or something. :eek:

Sarah Woodruff

08-30-2005, 03:53 AM

Yeah, the thought of a watermelon coming out of an inner-tube is kind of creepy.

But that's what all those powerful hormones are for - to make you think of the Wondrous Miracle of Life! Seriously, it's a natural function, no stranger than the idea of food being squeezed through your intestines at all hours of the day and night.

Remember, you are not John Hurt.

Anastasaeon

08-30-2005, 04:17 AM

I tried watching a live birth videotaped in some class in high school, and I quite literally ended up under the desk yelling trying to drown it out... half-playfully, but only half. ir makes my stomach turn thinking about some living thing residing in my abdomen and then exiting via my genitalia. BLEH.

This is almost like my reaction to the same thing. In highschool, I needed a bird course to fill up a slot, so I took Child Care. I like kids, the class was easy as pie, no problem. Easy credit. Until she brought out the birth video.
I thought like other "birth" videos I had seen, this one would be shot from over Mommy's shoulder. Ho hum. Wet, sticky, icky baby, miracle of life, cuter once they've been cleaned and put in a warm blanket, yada yada. Except it wasn't. They showed the whole thing...
At first, like the rest of the class, I was fascinated - oooh! This is explicit! Now I'll actually get to see what happens! Dear Og. When that sucker started to crown, the rest of the class stayed leaning forward, eyes glued to the television - I literally screamed, uncontrollably and covered my eyes.
The film ended, the class looked at me, white with shock, and I proclaimed loudly, for all to hear: "I AM NEVER HAVING CHILDREN."

I don't know what happened, but somewhere along the way, I became interested in having babies. I think it is my husband's enthusiasm. He loves babies and wants to have a family (thankfully not a gigantic one, two or three kids at the most is more than plenty). Part of me feels kind of excited about the idea, but another part of me keeps thinking, man, it's going to be so weird. A little human will be in there, doing little human things. It will bump and move, eat and sleep. My body was always my own, but for nine months, I'll have to share it with someone else. How intensely bizarre.

As for being creeped out, maybe. I'm a moody dickens. It will probably depend on how I feel that day. Some days I'll probably be all fascinated by the whole thing, other days I'll just want the whole thing to be over, other days I'll start thinking too hard about Alien. I think it is probably all normal - everyone handles pregnancy differently, and you just don't know for sure until you experience it. And even then, a second pregnancy could be completely different than the first in terms of how you feel during it.

irishgirl

08-30-2005, 04:36 AM

I've met a mummy-to-be who had to have valium before every doctor's appointment because she found the whole thing so traumatic. I saw her at her final appointment, and she cried the entire time. Unsurprisingly she had an elective section, because giving mummy massive doses of tranquilisers just before delivery is a no-no.

Once she had the baby though, everything was fine (she bottle fed) and she and hubby seemed overjoyed with their little girl.

It's odd, but it's not unheard of, the consultant said that although she was the most extreme he'd seen, she wasn't the first.

OtakuLoki

08-30-2005, 09:29 AM

My sister has commented about her horror of having 'that parasite' growing inside her.

So, no, I don't think it's anything but normal to be a bit creeped out or more by it. You'll have to find another rallying standard for your campaign to convince us you're really an alien. :p

Hal Briston

08-30-2005, 10:08 AM

It freaked me out when I'd see a moving lump in my wife's abdomen and realized it was a foot or something. :eek:Heh...that's one of my favorite things right now -- seeing this odd bulge scurry from one side of my wife's belly to the other, or poking at the kid and feeling him/her poke back. :)

mlerose

08-30-2005, 10:15 AM

I'm completely weirded out by the idea of having a parasitic-like being taking over my body for nearly a year. I'm hoping someone close to me (sister, close friend) goes through it first so I have some more positive feelings about the whole process.

I'll probably eventually have a kid or two but the whole concept of being pregnant? Completely weird.

MLS

08-30-2005, 11:19 AM

Well, just to counter the trend here, I thought it was great. Uncomfortable, but great. I realized that I was doing nothing more than any other mammal had been doing for countless millennia, but it was neat to realize that I was creating, cell by cell, a new person. Could have done without the backaches, though.

NinjaChick

08-30-2005, 02:29 PM

Velma

08-30-2005, 03:48 PM

I was thrilled when I found out I was pregnant and really enjoyed most of my pregnancy, but I had a definite creeped out moment the first time I felt the baby really move in there. I had felt a few tiny taps before, and I thought it felt strange but not unlike bubbly gas or something. Then one day I was at work and the baby all-out stretched or jumped or turned over or something massive, and it suprised me so much that I dropped what I was holding and I had to sit down because it freaked me right out. I felt a little sick for a while and I remember thinking I really did not like that feeling at all! I felt guilty for a while because everyone told me how great it would be to feel the baby move and I did not like it.

After a while I got used to it and it became routine and even something I missed after he was born. I think that especially for your first pregnancy, there are so many things going on with your body that it can be overwhelming and strange, and creepy. It is odd to have a seperate being inside that you cannot control and yet is a part of you. I don't think it is bad to have feelings like that, it does not make you a bad person or mean you will not love your child just as much when s/he is born.

CrankyAsAnOldMan

08-30-2005, 03:56 PM

Personally, I found being pregnant pretty cool, and there was plenty about it that felt miraculous and amazing. Overall I didn't mind pregnancy, even the inconveniences. But I confess there were times when I thought about the fact that another human was forming and growing in my body and found the idea more than a little creepy.

Sometimes when I see pregnant people I feel that same shudder. Like, holy crap, there's a foreign THING in there. Growing. Squirming. And I grew one too. Yikes. Another Doper recently pointed me to a site that illustrated how your internal organs move around to accommodate the fetus and my first thought was "I'm sorry, that's just wrong. This is no way to propogate a species. Gross."

This from a person who pretty much enjoyed pregnancy once the sickness passed.

Ethilrist

08-30-2005, 04:01 PM

Eh?
That's the :O smiley, also known as :eek: in some circles.

So, to sum up, I would be very freaked out if I found out I was pregnant.

Velma

08-30-2005, 04:10 PM

Another Doper recently pointed me to a site that illustrated how your internal organs move around to accommodate the fetus and my first thought was "I'm sorry, that's just wrong. This is no way to propogate a species. Gross."

Yes, I prefer not to think about that either! Plus after you have the baby it takes a while for everything to find its proper place again and you have that empty space. I remember feeling my stomach area soon after birth and feeling....nothing. It felt like I could push all the way to my spine without hitting anything. Weird!

Idlewild

08-30-2005, 05:50 PM

I hope to never, ever be pregnant. I find it creepy to have something inside you, living off of you. The side-effects would not, in my opinion, be worth it. Not to mention the fact that it would pretty much force me to quit whatever job I may have, thereby ruining my career, and drastically curtail my recreational activities.

Maternity leave? I'm childfree by choice and find the thought of pregnancy unappealing but c'mon. This is 2005. I work with many women who have been pregnant and had children since I started working at this company (we're having a baby boom, which is in itself weird and we're running out of volunteers to knit blankets ;) ) and none of them have been forced to give up their jobs or ruin their careers.

elfkin477

08-30-2005, 05:58 PM

My sister has commented about her horror of having 'that parasite' growing inside her.

This is one of the many reasons I don't think I'm ever going to have biological children. The unborn and liver flukes are distastefully similar.

DMark

08-30-2005, 06:09 PM

My neighbor is pregnant - due in October. She has told us she intends to give birth to this baby, like she did with her other child, in water. Namely, their pool in the backyard.

We have a great view of their pool from our kitchen window.

I am SOOO dreading going to the kitchen to get a glass of water and casually looking out the window, only to see her giving birth in the pool next door.

Does this put me in the creeped out club?

Geobabe

08-30-2005, 10:16 PM

Another Doper recently pointed me to a site that illustrated how your internal organs move around to accommodate the fetus and my first thought was "I'm sorry, that's just wrong. This is no way to propogate a species. Gross."Heh heh heh. Yeah. Here's the link (http://www.umm.edu/pregnancy/9monthmiracle/tools/fetaltool.html), for anyone who wants to get REALLY freaked out. I kept looking at it and going, "WTF???" Crazy.

I can definitely understand why some women would find it unpleasant, but I'm finding being pregnant pretty freaky-cool. It is an awful lot like Alien to see this lump moving across my belly. I push on it and it pushes back. Whoa!

My neighbor is pregnant - due in October. She has told us she intends to give birth to this baby, like she did with her other child, in water. Namely, their pool in the backyard.

We have a great view of their pool from our kitchen window.

I am SOOO dreading going to the kitchen to get a glass of water and casually looking out the window, only to see her giving birth in the pool next door.

Does this put me in the creeped out club?No, because because that's just weird. I'm down with the water birth thing, but not in a SWIMMING POOL. In the BACKYARD. GAH!

Telperien

08-30-2005, 10:21 PM

Maybe I'm the weird one, because when you think about it, the fact that there is another living being (or more) inside your body, living off you, should creep you out. I've always found it fascinating myself. I don't know how I'd feel about it if I actually became pregnant, though, even though I do want to have kids. The worst part to me would be the length of the pregnancy--I'm very impatient and I hate waiting for things.

InternetLegend

08-30-2005, 11:11 PM

I thought like other "birth" videos I had seen, this one would be shot from over Mommy's shoulder. Ho hum. Wet, sticky, icky baby, miracle of life, cuter once they've been cleaned and put in a warm blanket, yada yada.Remember, this is the view you get when you yourself are giving birth, unless you ask for a mirror (ha!). Had I seen the whole "crowning" thing and the rest of it the first time, I believe I'd have an only child.

I was a little creeped out by my first pregnancy, even though it was something I wanted desperately and had very consciously tried for. Once I could feel the baby moving around in there, I had some very panicky moments when I felt like I'd been invaded and occupied. I also found myself really worrying about how I'd react to having a stranger move into my house and take up my space, as odd as that might sound. The feeling of alien occupation subsided as time went on (although it got uncomfortable as all get-out), and once I had the baby and realized that, although she would be sharing my house, I'd get to make all the rules, I was fine with the rest of it, too.

Reading over this post, I realize that it focuses completely on me and my feelings, as if Mr. Legend didn't even exist. That's very accurate, because when I was pregnant, it was All About Me.

RickJay

08-30-2005, 11:29 PM

I don't know if it's normal or not. I can tell you that with both of my pregnancies, I was exhausted and tired of being pregnant near the end, and couldn't wait to get my body back. So, while not being creeped out, I was sick and tired of it.
Exactly how Mrs. RickJay feels now. She thinks the process is cool, but she's now of the opinion that it should only last 35 weeks.

Large Marge

08-31-2005, 02:11 AM

I'm pregnant with my second child right now and, while I wouldn't say that I find it creepy, I do find it a little bizarre. It just seems weird that there's a person living inside of me. It gets weirder when you know the fetus has fingernails, is peeing ... <snip>

It pees (and poops?) in there?!

:eek:

Sarah Woodruff

08-31-2005, 03:44 AM

It pees...but it's only swallowing amniotic fluid in the first place. It shouldn't poo - nothing to eat!
But I've heard overdue babies can have a bowel movement called meconium, but most only poo for the first time after birth.

IANAD, just have a best friend who is a nurse with a dramatic flair for description of what she's done at work recently.... :eek:

Shana

08-31-2005, 05:03 AM

Ah Jessity , don't sweat it. Normal is whatever is normal for you. Don't feel guilty or bad about any of it. It's no reflection on what kind of mom you will be or how much you will adore your child once she/he is born.....

I've spent a lot of my pregnancy feeling like I'm missing a vital, maternal gene - because quite frankly, I really don't like being pregnant! My back hurts, I can't turn over in bed, can't get out of bed, the mood swings have NOT been fun, I don't like resembling a hippo, I miss my jeans...I could go on and on - but that's me. Some women are euphoric over the whole process. To each her own!

I felt really guilty that I was icked out the first time I saw my stomach lurch. I've gotten used to it now. Sometimes I even find it quite cool...but usually I'm visualizing "Alien" and feeling slightly queasy. Damn that movie.

And don't even get me started on birth videos....I just watched one at my OB's office in preparation for my big day - complete with screaming, crowning and blood. Dear God :eek: ..My husband had to restrain me from running out of the room. Unfortunately, I won't be able to do that when I'm in labor....(I'm thinking maybe I'm not a good candidate for watching with the hand mirror? Gah!)

Jessity

08-31-2005, 06:23 AM

Oh no, I'm not pregnant, Shana.

Someone close to me is, and while she wants a baby, she doesn't want to be pregnant and feels bad and I think a little abnormal for being weirded out/creeped out/grossed out by it.

She said she'd looked around online for a message board or something where she could find maybe other people who felt the way she does, but came up with nothing.

Nutty Bunny

08-31-2005, 11:11 AM

I'm 9 1/2 weeks pregnant and I'm still creeped out by it, but not as much as when I first tested positive. Then we saw the heartbeat at 8 1/2 weeks and I was icked out all over again.

For me, it's the whole idea of a creature with a heartbeat growing inside me that's a little creepy. This is my first and I haven't been around babies for my entire life, so I'm freaking out about the entire prospect of prenancy and motherhood. Don't get me wrong--I want this badly and I'm looking forward to it. We're very excited, but we're just scared. Not to mention the fetal movement, the epidural, mucus plug, episiotomy, delivering the placenta, milk coming in, etc. I've got plenty more to freak out about in the coming months.

CrankyAsAnOldMan

08-31-2005, 03:46 PM

She said she'd looked around online for a message board or something where she could find maybe other people who felt the way she does, but came up with nothing.

Snort.

I certainly enjoyed the wealth of support and information I received from the internet when I was fumbling my way through pregnancy symptoms and worries. I am still in touch with some of the women I met that way. But there was no shortage of pregnant women on the internet who veer towards the florid and giddy, and who romantacize the state of pregnancy. One might envy them their positive frame of mind, but it was also a bit alienating to folks like me.

I can recall a poster who was writing an angry letter to her OB after the ultrasound operator cracked a gentle joke about the fetus being uncooperative (she couldn't see the heart because the arm was in the way). The woman was highly insulted that the innocent, beloved miracle growing within her womb would be criticized in such an unfeeling manner.

Voices like that seem a little louder on pregnancy message boards for some reason.

NinjaChick

08-31-2005, 04:23 PM

Maternity leave? I'm childfree by choice and find the thought of pregnancy unappealing but c'mon. This is 2005. I work with many women who have been pregnant and had children since I started working at this company (we're having a baby boom, which is in itself weird and we're running out of volunteers to knit blankets ;) ) and none of them have been forced to give up their jobs or ruin their careers.
Yeah, but I'd like to end up in politics or perhaps journalism. I want to be competitive - one of those people who works non-stop simply to be the best. Being off your game because you're pregnant, then missing at least a few months completely just doesn't fit into the recipe for "out-do your [mostly male] colleagues".

I didin't mean to say that you automatically need to completely forfeit your career, but taking the nessecary time off would prevent me from meeting goals I've already set for myself. Also, I think a lot of women (like my mother did) take maternity leave, and for one reason or another, never end up going back to working full-time.

Cyros

09-01-2005, 12:44 PM

I've spent a lot of my pregnancy feeling like I'm missing a vital, maternal gene - because quite frankly, I really don't like being pregnant!So it's not just me!I find a lot of people don't understand that I can really want the baby but think pregnancy sucks. And don't even get me started on birth videos....I just watched one at my OB's office in preparation for my big day - complete with screaming, crowning and blood. Dear God :eek: ..My husband had to restrain me from running out of the room. Unfortunately, I won't be able to do that when I'm in labor....(I'm thinking maybe I'm not a good candidate for watching with the hand mirror? Gah!)Ugh, I could have done without the close up crowning shots. No desire to see what's going on. You know, I have no problem watching major surgery on television, but this? No mirror for me either.

CrankyAsAnOldMan: Gotta love those women who blow sunshine up your ass. I especially love it when they brag about feeling fantastic and not having any symptoms and every day was filled with rainbows and kittens. I mean, if you had a good experience, good for you, but try not to rub it in to those of us who you know are having a hard time. And the woman who was insulted about her uncooperative baby? I've been referring to mine as the evil monkey, and demon spawn. I'm sure I'm going to hell for that! :D

Shana

09-01-2005, 03:04 PM

Ah Cyros ...No darlin' you are most certainly not the only one. I have been having a real difficult time emotionally with this pregnancy. I think I was bombarded by those "blow sunshine up your ass" (aptly put!!) women that you mentioned...That probably added to my guilt and feelings of, "Gee, what's wrong with me? Why am I not loving this? I don't hear harps playing damnit!!"...The bottom line is that everyone is different - and I should have known that I would be, since I don't ususally respond the way everyone does anyway. I don't like weddings that much. I don't think all brides are beautiful. I don't think all babies are cute for that matter....I think it's perfectly natural that I would be kicking and screaming through my entire pregnancy now that I think of it!

I call my little one "the freeloader"...I'm sure I'm going to hell in an express hand basket for that as well... ;)

Jessity , just have your friend look at this thread. I'm sure it will make her see that there is nothing wrong with her at all. Plenty of women that feel the same way as she does.

monica

09-01-2005, 04:18 PM