3:50 p.m. - 2006-06-20
Sexy Beast
Of course I am referring to myself here, now that I have perfected the Pregnancy Waddle. I've been feeling like a waddler for a few weeks now, but thought perhaps I was imagining it -- until a co-worker helpfully pointed it out to me, confirming that yes, I do look like an overweight penguin making my way through the office halls.
In addition to my come-hither gait, I've also heightened my sense of klutziness. I've always been uncoordinated -- I could trip over dust molecules and twist my ankle -- but pregnancy only makes it worse. I can't even begin to enumerate the number of plates and glasses I've dropped and shattered since January (mostly my own, but I've also had the misfortune of damaging others' valuables, too -- sorry, Shay!). This phenomenon is actually a documented fact; here's an excerpt from one of my daily pregnancy emails from this morning in case you don't believe me:
Feeling less gazelle-like, more bull-in-a-china-shop? Don't worry — even gazelles might have trouble living up to their graceful images when they're expecting. That's because pregnancy-induced clumsiness is as real (and, unfortunately, as plain for everybody to see) as that growing belly of yours — yet another side effect of pregnancy. And though it may seem random (why should growing a baby make you clumsy?), there's actually biology and physics behind that extra set of thumbs and those two left feet you suddenly feel you're sporting.
First of all, your burgeoning belly has shifted your center of gravity, throwing your balance off-kilter. This uneasiness in balance (whether conscious or not) is most apparent when you're climbing a flight of stairs, walking on a slippery surface (something you really shouldn't be doing anyway), or carrying something heavy (ditto). Not being able to see past your belly to your feet (which if it hasn't happened yet, definitely will) can also make tripping (over curbs, on steps) a lot easier to do. Second, the loosening of your joints and ligaments (plus all that extra fluid you're retaining), can make your grasp on objects less firm and sure (oops, again). Third, pregnancy fatigue can keep you off your game (or knock you off your feet, when you're too tired to notice the box your husband left in the middle of the living room floor), making it easier to both trip and drop. Finally, pregnancy scatterbrain syndrome can also give you a leg up (and down) on clumsiness, making it likely that not only will you forget where you left the keys, but that when you actually find them, you'll keep on dropping them.
