Going through the ups and downs of pregnancy is always so much easier to deal with if you have the love and support of your hubby, right? Between all of the changes that you go through emotionally and physically, it just helps if he is right there the whole nine months to hold your hand and tell you that you are still super-sweet and beautiful and that everything is going to be ok even though your life is totally about to change.

But wait a minute -- what happens if your husband experiences classic pregnancy symptoms too? Because it totally happens. There's even new research that shows that men can experience changes during pregnancy too. Perfect. Can't we have just one thing in our lives that totally revolves around us?

I really didn't think that it would happen, but my own hubster definitely had the whole sympathy weight gain thing going on while I was pregnant. He put on a good 15 pounds or so, and I can even remember certain family members comparing the size of our "bumps" at my baby shower. (For the record, he wasn't exactly amused.)

In addition to indulging in pregnancy cravings along with me, he also complained about having backaches and not being able to sleep. Um -- hello? I was carrying around an extra 50 pounds by my ninth month, not to mention that I had a small human inside of me who was constantly kicking me in the ribs in the middle of the night. I was the one who deserved the pity party as far as the whole lack-of-sleep thing went. Gah!

Apparently there is actually a physiological reason that men experience changes during their partners' pregnancy. Basically, their hormone levels change, making them automatically feel more protective toward their spouse, and making them feel less aggressive and competitive, which supposedly makes them less likely to cheat or get a wandering eye. Huh. Sounds pretty good to me.

Considering just how overly emotional and irrational women can be during pregnancy, it kind of makes sense that mother nature would lend these poor dudes a hand so they are better able to cope with crazy mood swings, middle of the night requests to go on food runs, and all of the other funky stuff that happens to their expecting wives that they just don't quite understand. Let's face it ladies -- we need all the compassion we can get.

Is your husband experiencing any pregnancy symptoms along with you?

 

Image via EmilyGrace Photography/Flickr