(BBW = Big, Beautiful Woman)
This is a sequel to the story “The BBW Next Door: A Love Story”. Ryan is now married to his childhood sweetheart and next-door neighbor Raven, who was once a chubby girl and is now a BBW (big, beautiful woman). Ryan and Raven explore intentional weight gain, feederism, and bondage as the story progresses from them being newlyweds to shortly after the birth of their first child several years later.
Part 4 includes the following chapters:
Chapter 14: Body acceptance
Chapter 15: Oopsie
Chapter 16: Adjustments
Chapter 17: Preparations
Chapter 14: Body acceptance
Fat Raven was pleased that her friend Tori was willing to give her the contact info for her therapist, who specialized in treating women with body acceptance issues, so Fat Raven could have her as guest on her vlog. Fat Raven knew how important it had been in her own life to accept and appreciate her own size and shape, and that was a recurring theme in her vlog episodes. But it would provide more credibility to have a therapist say the same things to her viewers. So Fat Raven contacted the therapist, whose name was Tessa Collins, explained who she was and the purpose of the vlog she hosted, and asked if Tessa would come speak to her audience about self-acceptance of one’s own body, both its importance and ways to achieve it. Tessa was happy to participate, as this was a topic near and dear to her own heart. They arranged times to meet and plan out the vlog episode and then to actually record the episode right after Fat Raven returned from Baltimore.
[Author’s note: Tessa Collins is the title character in my Giga Girl story. Yes, this is a crossover chapter.]
Go to Giga Girl, Part 1
Here’s the conversation the two recorded for Fat Raven’s vlog episode:
Fat Raven: Hello, everyone, this is Fat Raven once again, and welcome to another episode of my video blog “Living Your Best Fat Girl Life”, where we discuss how to not just survive, but thrive as a fat girl and live your very best life. You know that I regularly preach about body self-acceptance, and today’s episode is again going to be devoted to that subject. With me today is my very special guest Tessa Collins, who’s a licensed clinical therapist specializing in treating women with body acceptance issues. Tessa, welcome, and thanks for taking the time to talk to my viewers today.
Tessa: Thank you, Fat Raven, and thank you for having me here. I’m always happy to discuss body acceptance with people who need to hear it.
Fat Raven: Now, before we met, I had this preconceived notion that you were either going to be a big, beautiful woman yourself, or you’d be normal-sized but have a plus-sized relative such as a mother or sister who had struggled with body acceptance. Well, you’re certainly big and beautiful, but not in the way I was expecting.
Tessa: Well, thanks for that. I have a condition called gigantomastia, which is a medical term that simply means extremely large breasts.
Fat Raven: I would think most women who have this condition get breast reduction surgery, but you didn’t. When we talked beforehand, you were explaining that you chose not to because you had developed a positive body image about yourself. Could you explain that for our viewers?
Tessa: Gladly. My story is probably both the same and different from yours or those of other women of size. As a teenager, I was teased and insulted and shamed about my body shape from both my peers and adults, and it destroyed my self-confidence and self-worth. In my case, I also had to deal with girls who felt either very jealous or very threatened, boys and men who fetishized my breasts and forgot that there was a person attached to them, and adults who thought that just by existing I was being deliberately sexually provocative. I hated the way I looked, and I felt like my body had betrayed me. My parents took me to a surgeon to get a breast reduction, but he said there was no point as long as they were still growing, which they were. But my parents didn’t believe in mental health therapy, and so I had no choice but to endure the reactions to my size completely on my own.
Tessa: Anyway, once I reached adulthood, I sought out therapy on my own and found it to be tremendously beneficial, so much so that I decided to become a therapist myself, and help other women in the same way that my therapist had helped me.
Fat Raven: So what made you decide against a breast reduction?
Tessa: By the time my breasts stopped growing and I had health insurance that would pay for the surgery, I had developed such a positive attitude about my own body that I saw no reason to any more. It also helped that I had learned ways to strengthen my back muscles to support the weight so that it wasn’t painful. Then I had one amazing thing after another happen to me only because I was shaped the way I am, and that made me certain that I shouldn’t get a reduction.
Fat Raven: I suppose the way a typical fat girl could relate to you contemplating breast reduction surgery would be if they were considering liposuction surgery to remove body fat.
Tessa: Yes, much of my experience can be directly relatable by anyone who has body acceptance issues, no matter what they’re shaped like.
Fat Raven: So, I want to know two things. What did you learn in therapy that helped you accept yourself the way you were, and what were some of those amazing things that happened to you?
Tessa: Let’s take those two questions one at a time, because there’s plenty to talk about with each. First, it’s relevant that I was raised a Christian and that my therapist was also a Christian, so we were able to discuss my issues in the context of our shared faith. She instilled in me the understanding that God had made me this way, and that he loves me, so it couldn’t have been a mistake or a punishment. He must have had a good reason for doing so, which I might someday understand or might never understand, but regardless, I should trust that he knows what’s best for me better than I do. By thinking in those terms, I gradually came to think of my unique shape as something special, rather than as something repulsive that I had been cursed with. I also eventually came to the realization that it really didn’t matter what other people thought of me, and I shouldn’t let them influence me negatively. Admittedly, that’s much easier said than done.
Fat Raven: Well, you couldn’t do much to control how big your breasts got, so it was clearly God’s doing. But what would you say to the obese woman who loathes herself for not having the self-control to stop shoving food in her face and get some exercise? Someone like that is going to blame themselves for being the way they are.
Tessa: This question comes up in therapy sessions all the time. First, in many cases, your size and shape was determined by God. If you’re “big boned”, or are tall, or short, there’s nothing you can do about it; that’s how God made you. But even if you think it’s just a matter of too much food and too little exercise, there’s still a lot to consider. God designed the human body to add weight easily and shed it only with great difficulty. God made you with your weaknesses and predispositions, and put you in the environment you grew up in. So your impulses and cravings aren’t necessarily character flaws, they may be inevitabilities. That doesn’t excuse you for bad behavior you can or should control, but neither should you hate yourself for what you can’t control. Nor should you hate God. Instead, look for the reasons why God might have made you the way you are. There have to be some good reasons, because God is good and God is love.
Fat Raven: I’m a Christian, too, and so I appreciate your perspective about God making each of us they way we are and that being a good thing. But unlike you, I wasn’t raised a Christian, so I understand the secular person’s perspective as well. How would you tailor your message to someone who doesn’t believe in God, or who isn’t religious or spiritual at all?
Tessa: I think you can apply most of the same principles to what anyone might believe in, or even if they believe in nothing. You were made the way you were made, and you can’t do much to change that, regardless of whether you believe you were made by God, or by the universe, or just by random chance. Therefore, there’s no reason to hate yourself, because you had no say in the matter. If you don’t believe in God as a discrete living being, then there’s no one else to blame, either. If you were made by random chance, who’s to blame for you being the way you are? No one. So you should instead accept it and find ways to make the best of it. That, you do have control over, but I’ll be the first to admit it’s not easy. It seems that nothing worthwhile is ever easy.
Fat Raven: Okay, I want to hear about the amazing things that happened to you because of your size and shape!
Tessa: And I want to tell them! First, having such large breasts makes having normal romantic relationships with most men impossible. For most of my life I found this to be extremely frustrating, and I couldn’t understand why God would deny me having a relationship with a man who could just love me for being me. Then I met the man God had intended for me all along, who could and did do just that. He could look past my breasts to see the real me and he loved what he saw, but he didn’t love me in spite of my breasts, either. He loved the entire package. And just as important, God had intended me to be the perfect woman for him as well. If I had gotten a breast reduction, we would have never connected and discovered how much we have in common and how much we complement each other so perfectly.
Tessa: It was only because I hadn’t gotten a reduction that I was able to find a wonderful support group of similarly-shaped women who I love like sisters. It was only because I hadn’t gotten a reduction that I’ve been able to connect with and help many of my clients. So I realize that God knew what he was doing all along, and I’m glad I trusted him and didn’t take matters into my own hands. I’m actually now very glad that he made me this way, because I’m very happy with the way my life turned out because of it.
Fat Raven: I can see a lot of similarities between your story and my own, so I’ll drive home the same point. I’m also very happy with the way my life turned out, and much of it was not in spite of being fat, but because I’m fat. As much as I used to hate being fat, now I wouldn’t want to change it for the world.
Fat Raven: And I just want to say something to the women out there who are having a hard time understanding that perspective. Yes, we fat girls may have some disadvantages and some prejudices to have to overcome. But, just like Tessa, I’m a living example that there are amazing experiences, and amazing people, out there waiting for all of us. You are perfect for some situation that will make you feel fulfilled, and you are perfect for some special person who will make you feel loved and accepted, regardless of your size or shape. If you can’t imagine that, at least stop blaming it on being fat. It might be something else entirely that you need to work on, such as your self-esteem.
Fat Raven: I was able to figure this out on my own, without having to go into therapy, but I’m probably the rare exception. For the rest of you, finding someone like Tessa who can help you sort through all of this is invaluable. I would highly encourage anyone with self-acceptance issues to seek out a qualified therapist. Before she became a therapist herself, Tessa did that, and now she’s living her best life! You can live yours, too!
Fat Raven: I’m Fat Raven, and thank you for watching another episode of “Living Your Best Fat Girl Life”. Thank you, again, Tessa, for joining us today.
Tessa: Thank you for having me. It was my pleasure to be here.
After they stopped recording, Fat Raven said to Tessa, “You know, you’d be a great guest to have on one of our fashion and appearance segments, too. I’m sure you have great difficulty finding clothes that fit and are flattering, and yet you’re rocking it! Many less well-endowed fat girls have similar problems, so I’m sure you could provide some excellent advice. Would you consider coming back and doing that sometime?
Tessa replied, “I’d love to. That sounds like a lot of fun. Just let me know when, and I’ll be there.”
Chapter 15: Oopsie
Not too long afterwards, Fat Raven started feeling a bit strange, but yet it was a familiar kind of strange. Yeah, she thought to herself. I know this feeling. I’m pregnant. It was too soon for her to have missed her period, but she knew. Once she did, she took an at-home pregnancy test, which was positive. Fat Raven was excited and apprehensive at the same time. Apprehensive because she couldn’t help but be reminded of her first pregnancy, when she was a 19 year old college sophomore and had gotten pregnant from her abusive boyfriend. That had gone very badly when her boyfriend had found out, to put it mildly.
But this was not that situation, she reminded herself. She was now 24 years old and a responsible, successful adult, happily married to a kind, gentle, loving man. But she was still apprehensive. They hadn’t planned for her to get pregnant just yet. They were still trying to save money to buy a house without having to depend on her paycheck. And they were still in a one-bedroom apartment that they’d outgrow in short order once the baby arrived. She wondered whether Ryan would be overjoyed at the thought of being a daddy or resentful that they’d have to modify their plans and reel in their expectations.
Fat Raven was more excited than apprehensive, though. She had put her first baby up for adoption. This one she’d get to keep, and she and Ryan would raise him or her together as a team, as loving partners. They would become a real family now, not just a couple.
Last time, she hid her pregnancy from her boyfriend because she was justifiably afraid of his reaction. That’s the first of many things she’d do differently this time. She would tell Ryan immediately. He was in the living room playing a video game.
“Ryan, you want to pause your game for a minute? I need to tell you something,” she said as she sat down next to him. Ryan wondered what was up and did as she asked. He just hoped he hadn’t screwed up and done something to annoy her. It wouldn’t be the first time. Fat Raven waited until she had his full attention. “I’ve been feeling like I did when I was pregnant, and my period’s late, so I just took a pregnancy test. It came back positive. Ready or not, it looks like we’re going to be parents.”
Ryan immediately broke into a huge grin and gave her a long bear hug. “That’s wonderful news, Fat Raven!” he said as he went in for a kiss. “I couldn’t be happier!” Fat Raven was very relieved at his reaction, of course. “That’s good,” she said. “I didn’t know what you would think. I know we weren’t going to do this for a while yet, and it’s going to change all our plans.”
“Hey,” said Ryan in reply, trying to reassure her. “Don’t worry about it! We both knew there was a chance this could happen, and it’s not like it’s any more your fault than it is mine. It’s just a plot twist, that’s all. We’ll make the necessary adjustments and everything will be fine, you’ll see.”
“I know that, but thanks for saying it. This is kind of triggering my anxiety. You know what happened the last time my partner found out I was pregnant. I know you’d never in a million years react the way he did, but for some reason I was, and still am, anxious about your reaction. Even now, as if I can’t really believe you’re okay with it.”
“What can I do to help?” asked Ryan. “I don’t really know,” replied Fat Raven. “Maybe just hold me tight and tell me how much you love me. Tell me how wonderful everything is going to be.”
Ryan resumed his hug and said, “Everything is wonderful! We are so blessed! And I love you more now than I ever have! After all, you’re carrying my baby this time! I already love our baby, too! I’ve always looked forward to us being parents together, even when we were little kids playing house. And now it’s finally coming true. I’m ecstatic!
“And this baby and your pregnancy aren’t unplanned. I don’t want you to use that word. He or she was planned all along; they’re just a bit ahead of schedule. You know what happens when your party guests arrive early, or your house guests arrive early? You’re still glad to see them. You’re still glad they came. You just make some adjustments. Maybe you haven’t completely finished preparing for them, but they probably don’t even notice that, and wouldn’t care even if they did. This is no different.
“Maybe we don’t have a house yet before the baby comes. So what! The baby certainly isn’t going to know the difference, and neither of us is going to resent the baby, or each other, for disrupting our plans. We’ll get that house eventually.
“If people waited to have babies until they’d checked off everything they wanted to do beforehand, and until they were completely ready, and until they could easily afford it, the human race would have died out eons ago. We’re prepared for this and able to afford a baby much more than most people, and for that I’m grateful. I’m not worried about a thing, except that you and the baby will be healthy.
“Now as for you, my beautiful pregnant wife, you’re an old pro at this pregnancy thing. Think of how much easier it’ll be this time, not also having to recover from injuries both physical and psychological, already knowing what to expect, and having my full support and involvement the entire time. It’ll be a piece of cake! Plus this time, we get to have pregnant sex!”
Fat Raven laughed at that last bit. She was already feeling better about this whole situation.
Fat Raven scheduled an appointment with her ob/gyn doctor to get an official confirmation of her pregnancy and to get started on her prenatal checkups. She knew the doctor was going to give her a hard time about her weight, so she wasn’t looking forward to it.
At the appointment, the doctor told her, “You’re definitely pregnant, Raven. Congratulations. However, I’m very concerned about your weight. You’re at 348 pounds. That’s three times as much as a normal-sized woman your height. That automatically makes this a high-risk pregnancy. You’re at much greater risk of a variety of serious complications, such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, blood clots, and so on. There are additional risks for the baby, too, and it’s going to be much more difficult to get a good sonogram.”
“For what it’s worth, my health numbers other than my weight and BMI are all good, at least they have been,” Fat Raven said somewhat defensively. “My blood pressure, cholesterol, A1C, and so on, are all in the normal range. You can get the full report from my primary care doctor. And I do exercise regularly. I swim several times a week, and have done so for years now. So maybe it’s not as bad as you think.”
“Well, if that information is correct, it’s favorable and encouraging, but it doesn’t change anything,” said the doctor. “Last time, your post-pregnancy weight was about 50 pounds more than your pre-pregnancy weight. You cannot do that this time, because you already weigh about 150 pounds more to start with. I want you to continue the regular exercise, and I want you to be careful to not gain any more weight, at least during the first trimester. Don’t rationalize eating more by saying you’re eating for two now. You already eat enough for three adult women as it is.
“I’m going to need to see you more frequently than normal because you are high-risk,” he continued. “We’ll need to monitor your weight carefully, and test earlier and more frequently for likely complications. They’ll schedule your appointments at the front desk.”
Fat Raven left the doctor’s office in a bad mood. She hated being hassled about her weight when she was otherwise healthy. At least she had gotten her regular doctor to stop doing it, but now she’d have to start all over with her ob/gyn to make him a believer as well.
She was somewhat bemused to learn that based on the doctor’s calculations, he estimated that she had gotten pregnant right around the time of their trip to Baltimore, most likely while there were there.
Chapter 16: Adjustments
Fat Raven and Ryan both realized they were going to have to make a number of changes to accommodate the addition of a baby to their little family. They knew they’d need a bigger place to live, if not before the baby came, within a few months afterwards. They also were going to have to figure out whether Fat Raven would continue to work, and if so, what the child care arrangements would be. Since Ryan earned about three times what Fat Raven did, him becoming a stay-home dad was out of the question.
Fat Raven discussed her employment situation with her boss Suzanne early on. Suzanne owned the lingerie store and order fulfillment operation, but Fat Raven managed it for her. There wasn’t anyone obvious who could be trained to replace Fat Raven if she were to quit, or say, cut back to only working part time. Either Suzanne would have to find someone to replace her, she’d have to resume managing the business herself, she’d have to scale it back, or some combination of the three. Or she could persuade Fat Raven to stay on as the full-time manager. At this point, no one made any decisions; they were just exploring various possibilities. Suzanne very much appreciated having such a significant advance notice, giving her time to figure it out and make her own adjustments.
Ryan didn’t think they’d be able to afford both buying a house and either Fat Raven drastically reducing her income or the additional cost of child care. They could certain move up to a larger apartment, though. Ryan made more than enough money for that, which means they’d still be able to save toward a house purchase, albeit at a slower pace. Their current apartment lease was up at the end of April, so that would be a logical time to move. The baby was due in mid-July.
Fat Raven was torn about what to do. She didn’t want to be a slave to her job and have mostly day care workers raising her child. She didn’t want to leave Suzanne in the lurch, either. She knew she couldn’t cut back her hours and remain a manager. And she wasn’t sure about completely giving up work and becoming a full-time, stay-home mommy.
Suzanne was torn as well. She certainly didn’t want to lose Fat Raven. She was very pleased about how well Fat Raven managed her business, and knew it would be difficult or impossible to replace her. She had even given consideration to someday selling the business to Fat Raven when she was ready to retire. She didn’t want to go back to managing it herself; she had run herself ragged doing that, and the business had suffered for it.
Fat Raven had the typical tender, swollen breasts and nausea during the first trimester. The nausea helped her to not gain weight, in fact, she had even lost some weight, down to 342 pounds at the three month mark. But then those symptoms subsided, and were replaced with two new ones: increased appetites for both food and sex. Being a feedee who became sexually aroused from being stuffed, both of these appetites were already substantial.
Ryan thoroughly enjoyed the new, even hornier Fat Raven, and he now was getting all the sex he wanted and then some. Fat Raven pleasured herself more than she ever had, or she’d have Ryan put her in bondage restraints and strap a vibrator to her upper thigh so it was positioned to do its job. She could orgasm over and over again that way.
It was her appetite for food that was more of a concern. Her ob/gyn had told her he wanted her to gain no more than a half a pound a week during her second and third trimesters, and Fat Raven really didn’t want to gain weight that would remain after the baby was born. But her appetite was now voracious and incessant. She would shovel food into her mouth all day long if she had no self-control. As it was, she often didn’t have much self-control and she knew she was eating a lot more than she should. And that was despite completely stopping the stuffing sessions. She tried to make up for it by swimming more, but she wasn’t sure if that was helping or making her even hungrier.
Over the course of her pregnancy, Fat Raven kept her health numbers reasonably steady, and none of the predicted complications came to pass. The doctor had a hard time believing the lab reports when they kept coming back saying she was in the normal, healthy range for everything except her weight and BMI. Those kept going up. She began gaining an average of 2.5 pounds per week, rather than the half a pound a week the doctor had wanted.
The doctor never was able to get a good enough sonogram to determine that the baby’s sex, but it appeared to be healthy. That meant Fat Raven and Ryan needed to have both boy’s and girl’s names picked out. Ryan said, “I’ve had a name in mind for our daughter ever since we were kids. I think it’s perfect, but of course, you need to be okay with it, too.” “Fat Raven replied, “I haven’t thought about it nearly that long, but I think I’ve come up with the perfect girl’s name, too. How about if we both say the name we have in mind at the same time?” Ryan was agreeable, so Fat Raven counted, “One, two, three,” and they then simultaneously shouted, “ROBIN!” They both busted out laughing that they had chosen the same name.
“I’ve always liked it because it starts with “R” and ends with “N”, just like both of our names,” Ryan said. “There aren’t many other names that do that. Plus, it’s a bird name like yours,” Ryan said. Fat Raven replied, “I like it for the exact same reasons. Great minds think alike! I guess we’ve got a girl’s first name, then. What about a middle name?”
“I dunno, I was thinking maybe your maiden name, Parrish,” replied Ryan. “Maybe,” said Fat Raven. “I was thinking maybe it should be something related to Baltimore, where she was conceived.” Fat Raven smiled as she recalled their lovemaking sessions in Baltimore. “What name is related to Baltimore?” Ryan asked. “You can’t use Raven or Oriole as a middle name if her first name is Robin; that would seem like we were obsessed with birds or something.”
“I researched it some,” replied Fat Raven. “The best I could come up with that was specific to Baltimore was ‘Calvert’. The colony of Maryland was founded by Lord Baltimore, whose last name was actually Calvert. But I don’t like that name for a girl, even as a middle name. There are probably better names related to Maryland, which obviously was named after someone named Mary.”
“Actually, Robin kinds of works as a Baltimore name. Two of the greatest Orioles baseball players ever were named Robinson,” said Ryan helpfully.
As his brain was recalling Orioles players’ names, another idea popped in his head. “Okay, here’s a name for a boy that has the right letters and a strong Baltimore connection,” said Ryan. “Ripken! Another great Orioles player!” he said, proud of himself. Fat Raven contemplated Ryan’s suggestion. “That could work,” she said. “Even though we went to a Ravens game, not an Orioles game.” But Fat Raven couldn’t think of any better ideas off the top of her head.
They left the discussion of middle names for another day.
Fat Raven started exploring her options for child care in case she wanted to continue working, which she was still undecided about. She asked both her mother and mother-in-law whether they’d be willing to watch the baby at least part-time. She checked out child care centers that had been recommended to her, and asked about both full-time and part-time enrollment options. She asked Suzanne about possibly working Saturdays when Ryan could watch the baby, and having a weekday off instead, or maybe working four ten-hour days. And if she could manage either of those, she considered asking her vlog guest Tessa about each watching the other’s baby one day a week. It turned out Tessa had gotten pregnant about the same time as Fat Raven.
Suzanne came up with an offer that she hoped Fat Raven would take and remain as manager, which would be good for the business as well. Only the retail store was open on Saturdays, but the most of their business was fulfilling online orders. They were always swamped on Mondays from the orders that had come in since Friday. On the other hand, their shipping services were only open half days on Saturdays. So Suzanne suggested that Fat Raven, along with whichever order fulfillment employees were willing, work four hours on Saturday mornings and four nine-hour weekdays. They’d each get a different weekday off to keep the workload balanced.
Fat Raven liked Suzanne’s idea. It was a good compromise between having to work all day Saturdays versus having to work four long ten-hour days, and she could keep her full-time manager job. Now she just had to nail down the child care. Fat Raven’s mother was willing to watch the baby on Fridays. Tessa decided to do pretty much the same thing as Fat Raven, working half a day on Saturdays as well as four weekdays. Tessa wanted Mondays to be her days off, when she’d watch both her baby and Fat Raven’s. Fat Raven was able to reserve a spot at a day care center for Tuesdays and Thursdays only. So she would take Wednesdays off work, when she’d watch both her baby and Tessa’s.
As far as finding a new place to live, Fat Raven and Ryan concluded that they weren’t yet in a position to buy a house. They decided to move up to a two-bedroom apartment in the same apartment complex where they presently lived. It wasn’t new or flashy, but it was affordable and well-maintained and safe. Their rent would only go up a modest amount, and between that and only having to pay for child care for two days a week, they could continue socking away money towards a down payment on a house.
Chapter 17: Preparations
Fat Raven and Ryan enrolled in childbirth classes, which were refreshers for her and new for him. Ryan was determined to be an effective birthing coach this time, though he had a valid excuse while attending Fat Raven’s first delivery – they weren’t in a relationship then, and he had taken her to the hospital only because her parents were stuck in massive traffic jam.
The baby’s due date was in mid-July. They apartment manager was happy to let them stay in their one-bedroom a few extra months before they signed a lease for the two-bedroom. They could even move mid-month if they wanted to, and he encouraged them to do that. They decided to make the move in mid-June, one month before the baby was supposed to arrive. Like most young people, they recruited friends and relatives to help them move. It was relatively easy, considering they only had a one bedroom apartment’s worth of stuff, both apartments were on the first floor, and they were only about 100 yards away from each other.
Fat Raven’s co-workers gave her a baby shower, and Ryan’s mother Janice, along with Erica Harper, the woman who had adopted Fat Raven’s baby from her teenage pregnancy, organized another one for family and friends at the church fellowship hall, which was big enough to accommodate everyone. Among the guests were Tessa, who was going to take turns with Fat Raven watching each other’s babies; Emma, Fat Raven’s classmate who had recently married the guy she and Ryan had set her up with on a blind date; and Tori, the other classmate whom Fat Raven had befriended following their class reunion.
Once they’d moved into the new apartment and took inventory of all of the baby shower gifts and free stuff people had given them, they figured out what they still needed for the baby, as best as they could determine, being newbies. They did end up getting a fair amount of duplicate gifts, and those that they could return or exchange, they did, and used the money or store credits to get what they did still need. They were about as ready as they could be.
Fat Raven was bigger than she’d ever been in her life. With the steady and substantial weight gain she’d had during the second and third trimesters, she was on track for weighing in the neighborhood of 405 to 410 pounds by the time she went into labor. She’d probably lose about 25 to 30 pounds after giving birth, but that would still put her in the range of 375 to 385 afterwards, versus the 350 or so she weighed pre-pregnancy. Her breasts had gone from H cups to L cups during the past nine months; last time, they’d grown from DD’s to H’s with her 50 pound net weight gain and never shrunk down.
Ryan couldn’t keep his eyes or her hands off of her ever-expanding body, but that was fine with Fat Raven because her sex drive had been crazy high ever since her nausea had subsided. Since she had avoided any health issues, her only concern with the increased weight was her reduced mobility. It was getting harder and harder to get up out of a chair, for example. But all pregnant women have those kinds of problems, and once she lost the baby weight, it certainly wouldn’t be as bad. Previously she had been pretty adamant about not going over 350 pounds, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to try to lose the extra 25 to 35 pounds that would remain after the baby was born. She’d have to see how it went. Regardless, she couldn’t wait to start having those milkshake-and-funnel stuffing sessions again.