I first encountered the “bump pic” when I was pregnant with my now three and three quarter year old daughter, Frog. I was browsing something online (probably, “Can I STILL not eat blue cheese when pregnant?”) when I came across a gallery of bumps. Not celebrity bumps either, just normal people bumps. It was a revelation. I laughed. “Why are people taking pictures of their preggo bumps?!” I wondered aloud to my colleagues in the newsroom.

Of course I’d seen the Demi Moore bump pics. Those tastefully shot naked pregnancy photographs displaying her huge belly in all its glory. I found that kind of funny too, although I can’t put my finger on why. Maybe it’s because, in my non-parent, non-pregnant state I didn’t really see what the big deal was. Are we supposed to bow down in amazement at this beautiful bump? Should this woman be placed on a special pedestal of awe just because she’s got a baby inside her tummy? I didn’t get it. 

Then, when I was just about to pop, my next door neighbour (who just happened to be a professional photographer) asked if she could take some photos of me. “I had some done when I was pregnant and, honestly, it’s nice to look back on once the bump has gone,” Caroline said to me. I felt foolish, sitting there with my big old bump out. I don’t think I showed anyone the photos at the time, feeling a bit silly about them and not wanting to be one of those, “I am pregnant, REVERE ME!” women.

But now, nearly four years on, I’m glad I had those pictures taken. I can’t believe my stomach was ever that big and it’s kind of mind blowing for me to imagine my long-limbed, feisty daughter was growing inside that huge belly. Now, at fourteen weeks pregnant I wonder what I looked like at the same stage with her. I sort of remember my clothes felt tight and my husband tells me I moaned about my bras digging in… but I have no concrete evidence of any kind of bump or bulging belly.

And so I’ve changed my mind about the bump pic. Every now and then I’m going to attempt to take a pic of the bump and use it to keep a record of this pregnancy. Maybe it’s because I’m a blogger now so feel the need to keep a record of everything (even what I ate for tea last night), or maybe it’s because I’ve been pregnant before and find I’ve forgotten lots of things about that pregnancy, things that I now want to remember.

Either way, I won’t be sharing the pics all over Facebook, Twitter or Instagram every single day. But I can’t promise the odd one won’t make it through. So, you know, I’m sorry about that.

In the meantime – what’s your stance on the bump pic? Cute or a little bit cringe?

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