A Nevada mom who was gawked at for having a big baby bump won't yield to pregnancy shaming. Eliana Rodriguez just gave birth to her second child, a son named Sebastian.
Rodriguez's pregnancy and her baby were healthy, but the 29-year-old's larger-than-average stomach drew wide eyes and unfiltered comments such as "You look like you're having twins," "You must be in so much pain," and "You are huge."
While a huge pregnancy bump can signal certain health problems for some women, in other cases, it is natural and just how a female body grows. That was the case for Rodriguez, who told TODAY Parents that she and her young child were healthy.
Rodriguez carried big during her two pregnancies
Rodriguez explained that she carried big during her pregnancies, with both of her children weighing 8.3 pounds at birth. She said her newborn son measured 20.5 inches at birth and her 3-year-old daughter Sofia was 19.5 inches.
She added that it was easy to ignore trolls on Instagram, but people were often nosy in person as well. Rodriguez understood the people's curiosity about her body, saying she was never rude right back, and she would answer that indeed she was huge and it was hard.
Rodriguez, who owns a health-and-wellness company in Las Vegas, said that she also wondered why her belly was bigger than other women, according to the Daily Mail. She added that her doctors said it was normal because she is only 4'11 and has a shorter torso.
Rodriguez started showing a bump when she was two months pregnant. She was so excited about the pregnancy that she wanted to share the baby news immediately. She noted they had been trying for a second baby and were hoping for a baby boy.
Was Rodriguez suffering from polyhydramnios?
Rodriguez carried a lot of amniotic fluid during her second pregnancy. Amniotic fluid is a liquid inside the amniotic sac that protects the fetus while allowing it to move. An excess amount of amniotic fluid is called polyhydramnios, which according to the Mayo Clinic, happens in one to two percent of pregnancies. However, most cases are not serious, although the condition can cause preterm labor.
Rodriguez said that while she had a lot of amniotic fluid in her body, her doctors said it was not enough to be diagnosed as polyhydramnios. She said the doctors checked the amount of fluids and the baby's size before announcing their findings.
Dr. Kiarra King, an OBGYN based in Chicago, Illinois, said that other reasons for excess amniotic fluid are malformations in fetal anatomy, fetal macrosomia (when babies weigh more than eight pounds and 13 ounces), maternal diabetes, maternal obesity or unhealed Diastasis recti (when abdominal muscles separate during pregnancy) from previous pregnancies. Fortunately for Rodriguez, she experienced none of these complications.
