Pregnancy is miraculous. You are growing a new life (or lives, Lord help you) INSIDE YOUR BODY! That is no joke.
But let’s be honest, quite often through those nine months, it sure does feel like a joke – and one that’s being played at your expense. Body parts and bodily functions gone haywire; random people you barely know offering unsolicited advice and opinions, often while touching your belly in the process (which should be illegal, in my opinion); and the creeping realization that the baby getting bigger and bigger inside of you will eventually, somehow, have to get outside.
Thank goodness, then, for people like Jordan Reid, who realize that the only way to get through pregnancy and stay sane is to have a sense of humor about all of it. The Silicon Valley writer, lifestyle blogger and mom of two is the co-author, along with New York-based artist Erin Williams, of The Big Fat Activity Book for Pregnant People, published in April. The hilariously illustrated book is chock full of diversions to keep you laughing from the time you get that plus sign on your home pregnancy test, all the way through those fun-filled hours in the labor room as you wait for your little bundle of joy to hurry the bleep up.
From a word search for bad baby names, to nursery décor ideas you won’t find on Pinterest (Goth theme, anyone?), to a maze challenging you to make it from your desk to the bathroom without throwing up, Reid and Williams mine every pregnancy milestone—and cliché—for its full comedic value.
Reid, who has written two parenting and style memoirs already, says she and Williams hope to offer an alternative to the current pregnancy literature, much of which “tends to skew more in the direction of Overbearing and Judgy,” she tells San Francisco Moms Blog. “This book does not judge you, even when you pour some Chinese food over your cold pizza and call it breakfast.”
Reid says she always loved writing, but it remained a hobby as she pursued a post-college career as an actress. Full-time writing seemed “daunting,” she says, until she started blogging and truly found her voice. In 2010, she founded the lifestyle blog Ramshackle Glam as a newlywed living in New York City, focusing on fashion, beauty, entertaining, and home décor. Those elements remain, but the site has evolved along with Reid as she became a mom to a boy and girl (currently 5 and 2 ½, respectively) and moved to the Bay Area. “The content has definitely shifted along with my interests and lifestyle,” she notes, “but the point of the site has always been the same: Say Yes.”
Comparing her experiences as a mom in New York City and the Bay Area, Reid says she has found the Northern California stereotypes –laid-back, physically active, nature focused, etc. – to be pretty accurate. “I definitely feel more comfortable here, more like myself,” she says. “But the more I think about it, the more I come to realize…it’s me who’s changed. Whether because of the move to California, or just ‘because,’ I’m even more disinterested in being anything I’m not these days – which, as it turns out, makes life a whole lot more fun.”
That attitude is certainly reflected in Reid’s new book. And while we could all use some laughs at various moments in pregnancy, the underlying message of self-acceptance and self-love is even more valuable. Take page 85, for example: a picture of a unicorn prancing in front of a rainbow, waiting to be colored in. Facing it in giant bold letters are three words: “You right now.”
If you want to get your hands on a copy of “The Big Fat Activity Book for Pregnant People” right away, join us at our BLOOM event this Sunday, May 7th. Everyone will walk away with a free copy, as well as lots of other goodies. Then, go buy more copies of the book for your girlfriends, so they don’t try to borrow yours. Get your BLOOM tickets here.
