Just a lighthearted post of being pregnant in Bangkok.

1. What a beautiful day! It’s the perfect weather.

That’s because no matter the month Bangkok is hot. You can have sticky heat, humid heat, pouring sweat heat, heat that makes your skin burn, hot rain, hot wind, the list goes on and on. It’s hot but the best part is you can wear shorts all the time. Also it’s not a big deal if you look like a pregnant hot mess because everyone else in this city is looking like a hot mess.

2. The khlong smells like roses today!

There isn’t a day that goes by that I do not walk out of my building and gag from the smell of the khlong that runs under my home. I mean it’s emits an awful stench to a non-pregnant person but when you are pregnant and have pregnancy nose it’s an entire new level of disgusting. You can actually vomit a little in your mouth… blah

3. No please don’t get up. I don’t need a seat.

During the nearly 8 months I have been pregnant and riding public transit, I have had maybe 10 people give me their seat on the train. Some pregnant ladies are lucky and don’t have this problem but for some reason I cannot get a seat to save my life. I think to myself: “No…. I don’t need to sit for the next 30 minutes. I only have a human being growing inside of me that is trying to escape out of my whooha. Yes, please look up from your iPhone long enough to smile at me and look at my pregnant belly which is strategically placed in your face to look back down at your phone. The candy isn’t going to crush itself now is it.”

4. It isn’t a baby… I’m just fat

Culturally Thai people are brutally honest. They will say exactly what is on their mind.  You will be  asked without hesitation in Thai “you fat? or “you have baby?” I think to myself: “No, it’s not a baby. This perfectly formed basketball under my shirt is years in the making of chocolate and alcohol over indulgence.” Or if you are really lucky you will just hear from your lobby staff every single day “oooooo you are so big!!!” You know they mean well but no pregnant lady wants to hear that.

Let’s be real:

Being pregnant anywhere can be difficult. Especially if you are living abroad, the cultural differences can put extra mental strain on a momma. In all honesty, Bangkok is a great place to be pregnant. Bangkok is known for medical tourism. So at the very least the doctors have all attend schools from around the world and most speak English well. The hospitals resemble hotels/shopping malls offering great amenities and huge hospital rooms. Anything you could possibly need can be delivered, which saved my life during the first trimester nausea.

The heat might be awful, the smells might make you want to hurl, there might be a few cultural hurdles to clear but really it’s not so bad to pop out a kid here.