For my mother's birthday a few weeks ago, we thought it would be cute to send her a special e-card. The idea was that we would photograph each of her grandchildren (who all live in different parts of the country) holding up a part of a sign that read in whole, "Happy Birthday, Grandma! We'll Always Love You" (hey, Ma has a lot of grandchildren, OK?). We'd thought it would be funny if the next screen was just a picture of my bare pregnant belly with a sticky note on it that read, "Love, The Grandchildren." Well, my mom is a very traditional-type mama, so she was all in tears when she saw all her beloved grandchildren's photos together. She loved it (note: feel free to rip off this idea for your own ma; especially if you've been naughty this year).
I thought the whole project went nicely--until last Friday. My sister and her family came to visit, and I picked them up from the airport. After the initial hugs and whatnot, one of the first things she said to me was, "You know that card you sent Mom for her birthday? Well, where were your mommy marks?"
"What's a 'mommy mark'?" I said.
"A stretch mark. Where are the stretch marks on your belly? I didn't see any."
Honestly, this was the first time I had ever thought about stretch marks seriously. I had never seen a stretch mark (think about it: how often does that come up at a party?), so I hadn't bothered looking for them. Now, I was on high alert.
"Well, Mom doesn't have stretch marks, so who knows if I'll get them?" I said.
"Mom has stretch marks, and so do I. So does (our sister-in-law) and (our sister)."
What?! So the next time I was in front of a computer, we (by that point, I had alerted Tim to the situation) looked up images of stretch marks. I have no idea if the images were worst-case scenario-type images or average shots of stretch marks, but I was horrified. Even Tim looked a bit disconcerted (which is hard for him, since emotion isn't one of his favorite activities). All I could think was, "Is this genetic? Is it permanent? Do they hurt? Where's my tummy lotion!!"
I went home and lathered my belly with cream as Tim gently pointed out, "I think you're scaring yourself and are going to make them come because now you're focused on it."
Could I bring about my own demise from panic? But, how could I not panic when, according to the Internet, stretch marks can appear on thighs, bottoms, and breasts, too? Half of pregnant women get them, and genetics seem to play a part. So, I officially hit the PANIC button.
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3 comments:
Lol! I had no idea that you got so worried about that comment! Wow, what can I say that would put your mind to ease? Nothing, but here goes anyway:
Only half the pregnant women get them. If you do happen to get them, they don't hurt..they don't itch.. they fade over time..they aren't contagious (rest assured Tim).. they are like moles: you can't feel them, but you know they are there. Surgery can get rid of them, but why go through it?
Whatever pics oyu saw of them, that's what they look like when they first appear. They don't look that way forever...
You doomed me from the beginning. We've now located what seems to be a stretch mark, so I'm sure his friends are not far behind. I put all the blame squarely on your shoulders! :)
I bet it isn't a stretch mark... it's a worry wart.
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