“Yes, I’m huge, and it’s hard!” A Woman Responds to Hurtful Comments She Unexpectedly Received While Pregnant

Pregnancy can be the most blissful time in a woman’s life, but it can also bring unexpected challenges and push a woman’s body to a limit. Moreover, moms-to-be often get unsolicited advice, unwanted attention, and even rude comments. Most women don’t find it easy just to brush this stuff off and get over it, but one mom recently showed everyone how to deal with negativity gracefully.

A mother who receives mean comments because of a “huge” belly won’t give in to bump shaming. 29-year-old Eliana Rodriguez from Nevada gave birth to her second child, a baby boy, in June. Though her pregnancy and little Sebastian were healthy, Rodriguez’s large belly drew a bunch of hurtful comments, ranging from “You look like you’re having twins” to “You must be in so much pain.”

While a big pregnancy bump can signal specific health problems, in other cases, it’s perfectly natural and just how a woman’s body grows. Rodriguez says that she and her baby were and are totally fine. Her doctor reassured her that it was nothing to worry about and that her petite build and short torso might have something to do with it.

Rodriguez emphasizes that both of her babies were big while pregnant, so she wasn’t surprised: “My first pregnancy was exactly the same!” But she confesses that compared to her first pregnancy with her now 3-year-old daughter Sofia, this one was a bit more challenging because she had to fight anemia.

What came as an unpleasant surprise, however, were rude comments from some people. Rodriguez said it was easy to ignore mean comments from strangers on the Internet, but people were also often rude in real life. She was even told that she looked “gross.” Some suggest she ’’check if there’s another baby inside,’’ while others pointed out how ’’huge’’ she was.

What shocked her the most was the fact that a lot of insensitive comments came from women. But Rodriguez managed to remain unfazed, and she never responded rudely. She’d usually just say things like, ’’Yes, I am huge, and it’s hard.’’ Her Instagram post, where she shared these insults with a smile on her face, took the Internet by storm, and her story resonated with many other women.

Despite all the negativity, this young mother has chosen kindness. She says that people shouldn’t be quick to judge and ought to show more love and compassion for pregnant women. “It’s already hard to go through so many physical changes that you literally cannot control — not to mention emotional changes too,” Rodriguez said.

“Regardless if a person is pregnant or not, I’ve always said if you have nothing nice to say, it’s best not to say anything. This is why I love empowering and uplifting others because there’s already enough hate and negativity everywhere,” Rodriguez added. Sebastian, who was born on June 11, weighed 8.3 lb and was 20.5 inches long at birth. His proud parents and older sister welcomed him.

How did your pregnancy go? Did you experience something unusual? How did you deal with it?