# Creeped out by being pregnant? Is that normal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 30, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192 "2005-08-30T01:51:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/21 "2005-08-30T19:29:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/22 "2005-08-30T20:48:20Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/23 "2005-08-30T20:56:45Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/24 "2005-08-30T21:01:54Z")
> [@Jessity](#): > > Eh? That’s the 😮 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. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/25 "2005-08-30T21:10:21Z")
> [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](#): > > 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! ---
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/26 "2005-08-30T22:50:50Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/27 "2005-08-30T22:58:53Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/28 "2005-08-30T23:09:30Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/29 "2005-08-31T03:16:32Z")
> [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](#): > > 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! > [@DMark](#): > > 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! ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/30 "2005-08-31T03:21:51Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/31 "2005-08-31T04:11:49Z")
> [@Anastasaeon](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/32 "2005-08-31T04:29:08Z")
> [@GingerOfTheNorth](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/33 "2005-08-31T07:11:04Z")
> [@C3](#): > > 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 … \ It pees (and poops?) in there?! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Sarah\_Woodruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sarah\_Woodruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarah_Woodruff)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/34 "2005-08-31T08:44:17Z")
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: ---
**Author:** ![Shana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Shana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shana)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/35 "2005-08-31T10:03:01Z")
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!) ---
**Author:** ![Jessity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jessity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jessity)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/36 "2005-08-31T11:23:40Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/37 "2005-08-31T16:11:49Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/38 "2005-08-31T20:46:52Z")
> [@Jessity](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/39 "2005-08-31T21:23:09Z")
> [@Idlewild](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192/40 "2005-09-01T17:44:21Z")
> [@Shana](#): > > 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. > [@Shana](#): > > 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! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creeped-out-by-being-pregnant-is-that-normal/319192.md?page=3)