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Pregnant Experiences

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Written by Arian Mabe (Amethyst Mare)

Commissioned by anonymous

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Susan groaned as she opened the door to her apartment, the key slowly turning in the lock. That was one more thing she was going to have to get fixed, even though the moderately nice apartment belonged to her. The problem there was that she couldn't even afford the apartment, despite being highly driven by her career and climbing the corporate ladder, without a roommate at that time.

It was worth it, however, even as she slumped inside, kicking off her heels and wishing she was stepping into something else in that moment. She didn't want to be wearing shoes like that when she could have had slippers on, though separating the lines of motherhood, which she had wanted since her early twenties, ten years ago, and her career itself were going to be a challenge indeed.

After all, Susan still had hope she could hold out and find a partner soon enough, so she could experience motherhood before she was much older. Sure, she was lightly built and on the slim side, though she thought her hazel eyes were perhaps one of her best qualities. Susan usually only wore a light face of makeup, enough to be professional, for she had little else to worry about in life other than her career. Heavy make up just made her feel like she was itching all over.

Life was good, however, and she was ready for her next promotion – which was easily in the pipeline for the next couple of months. Long overdue, of course, but she had everything going, everything running, everything the way it needed to be.

She just wished she had that one more thing that would make her life even better than it was already, expanding her world and life in the right direction.

“Susan!"

Her roommate, who she was lucky enough to get along with, grinned and waved to her from the kitchen as Susan headed on through. Kali was a different soul to Susan but, in a way, they complemented one another quite well. Her hair was cut a lot shorter than Susan's auburn locks, which were usually loose around her face, though Susan's wouldn't have personally chosen a pixie cut or green dye either.

“Hey, Kali!" She said, feeling brighter just being in Kali's presence. “What's up? You seem rather perky today."

Kali grinned, though it was a touch shakier than usual.

“Uh…well…" Suddenly, she dithered, playing for time. “This is all kind of out of the blue but… You know that guy I've been seeing?"

Susan nodded, curiosity roused.

“Yeah… Tim, was it? He was nice."

Susan hadn't, in all honesty, spent all that much time with Tim, but that didn't stop her offering an unsolicited opinion, as was the case with so many others.

“Yeah… Hm… Well, I'm pregnant!" Kali said, the words all coming out in a rush. “I didn't expect it to happen, we weren't trying… Well, I guess we must not have been as careful as I'd thought!"

“Oh! That's wonderful news! Congratulations!"

The words came from her automatically, even as something bitter settled into the pit of her stomach. Just how long had she been wanting a child? And there was Kali… Just stumbling into it all! She didn't even have her life together, drifting from job to job. And she didn't even think she'd been with Tim for all that long, considering the fact she hadn't heard all that much about him. Kali talked a lot, babbling sometimes, so surely she would know more about the guy than she did, if Kali had really been with him for a lot longer.

She hugged Kali and smiled and said all the right things, the things she was supposed to, but…that didn't make it any easier. It didn't stop the twist in the pit of her stomach, the envy that didn't belong there.

Susan hadn't wanted to resort to artificial insemination, as she wanted a two-parent relationship, but…there was no other option for her. She'd been looking for the promotion to higher clients as an attorney, but…that wasn't going to make her as happy as having a little one around would. She'd longed for the glow of pregnancy, seeing her skin brighten and her hair gleam, resting her hand oh so very delicately on the round of her stomach as she settled down for the evening, nursing her pregnant belly.

Yet Kali falling pregnant, even though Susan had no intention at all of ending her lease agreement, pushed her to make the appointment, going alone to the AI clinic, the meetings, the appointments… Everything she needed to make her dreams happen.

The promotion, of course, would come to her before they even realised she was pregnant. After that, Susan would find a way to work it out.

It happened quickly, which was something of a blessing for her. It could have been a long, drawn-out process but, fortunately, Susan found herself looking at positive pregnancy test around the nine-week mark, meaning she was already a couple of weeks along to show at all. She headed to the doctor's office, of course, to confirm it as soon as she was able to slip out of work, though, thankfully for her, the doctor's office was not all that far away.

Things were convenient and her heart soared, imagining just how pretty her baby shower was going to be, how she was going to be able to track every little stage of her pregnancy, savouring every little moment. Of course, she wanted a child too – but, in a way, Susan almost wanted to be pregnant more than she wanted a baby.

The two things, however, went hand in hand – and it tampered down her envy of Kali. Susan could only imagine just how Kali was going to react once she told Kali she was pregnant and smiled faintly at the idea of being the centre of attention, for once. That wasn't something that happened all that often and she inhaled briefly, parting her lips as she allowed a little tension to ease from her body.

She deserved it. She was going to have everyone's attention on her, just like Kali, all because it would be her moment at last and her pregnancy.

And yet…there was something different about how their pregnancies progressed, even though they were quite close together. It only took a couple more weeks, up to about one month pregnant, roughly, before the nausea hit, sending her hurtling to the bathroom in the morning and losing the contents of her stomach roughly.

She bore through it though. It wasn't something that would last, she was sure, and it was something she heard about happening to so many women during the early stages of their pregnancies. Babies could be hard on the body, but they were so very worth it too.

“Oof…"

Susan straightened from the toilet, telling herself she already felt a little better as she rinsed out her mouth and freshened up again, though she felt like hunching forward, curling a little more into herself. Her stomach still jumped queasily and she did her best to ignore it, washing off her face and brushing her hair back from her cheeks.

Her eyes looked a little more sunken than before, as if she wasn't getting enough sleep – but she'd gone to bed early enough. Susan groaned and shook her head, an ache in her neck, though her head spun slightly.

She'd thought it would be easier, even in the early days for her, as she had been wanting it so badly. Turning back and forth in the full-length mirror on the back side of the bathroom door, she made a face at herself.

“Ugh… Why?"

She was only talking to herself, but it was difficult not to see that her buttocks looked a little thicker and heavier before, as if they were pulling down a little more under their own weight. The layer of soft fat, which usually sat so nicely, seemed a little more dimpled than usual. She turned back and forth, trying to work out if it was a trick of the light. But she still had work to get to and couldn't linger in the bathroom for all that long.

She didn't tell her roommate about her pregnancy, not quite yet, even though it was nothing all that unusual. She'd have to tell her about it sooner or later, though she wasn't all that concerned, no… Kali would either adjust or she'd move out.

Susan grunted as she drove in to work, keeping an eye on the traffic as her stomach gurgled.

“Oof…"

She was not comfortable, though didn't quite pay it all the due mind she should have, shifting her weight back and forth in the car. No position seemed comfortable in the slightest, though she had to keep trying, had to keep moving, trying absolutely anything just to find some small measure of comfort there.

Still, Susan managed, somehow, to make her way into work and to her desk, though she was at the very least grateful for her private office. The promotion would move her to a corner office and she smiled at the notion she'd get a view out over the city.

Maybe as my pregnancy progresses, she thought, I might need to work remotely some days.

_ _

It would be a tough call but, of course, she'd make it work, somehow. She was sure everything would settle down sooner or later and Susan most certainly didn't mind pulling some late nights to get all the work done.

She'd more than proven herself in times past and she took a breath, knowing, all over again, she'd continue to prove herself. It was just a shame she had to work harder at it, to be fair, than the men in the company.

But that wasn't something Susan could change in a night – and one reason she was set on improving her standing and influence in the company. The higher she went, the better placed she'd be to make changes.

“And I'll be doing it all for you," she said with a smile, sitting back in her chair and resting a hand on her stomach, though she couldn't feel any rise there, not yet. “All for you. You're going to have an amazing life, my darling."

Yet the sense of unrest in her belly continued, even if the nausea had, at the very least faded. She tried to ignore it, though had to keep a straight face in meetings that day, despite constantly feeling like she had to go to the bathroom.

And, when she finally let out a little “toot" of gas, passing wind, she sucked in a breath, her eyes going wider for a split second. Thankfully, that time, she was on a conference call with other attorneys who were out of state, though Susan could not be entirely sure she was muted at that time. The sound of her breaking wind, however, was quiet enough for it to pass by anyone else's attention, her heart pounding more quickly as she tried not to look like anything at all was out of the ordinary.

Yet it was the first note Susan had to tell her that her pregnancy, well… It was not going to be quite the same as she had imagined. She had high expectations for herself and what she wanted from her pregnancy, though things were not always as easy as wanted.

The nausea was one thing, but, as another three weeks went by, she packed on the pounds, eating her weight, or so it felt, every single day. The mornings were rough, but the afternoons and evenings cycled between the shift and gurgle of her stomach and her constant need to feed herself.

Susan packed the fridge full of goods, trying to stay as healthy as possible, though she did vaguely miss her sushi fix, not able to have raw fish during pregnancy. The lack of alcohol and a glass of cool, white wine at the end of a long day was much missed too, even though some doctors said it was okay to have a little alcohol. For the sake of her stomach and her baby, she opted not to indulge, not even a little. It just wasn't worth it to her.

But when she started eating, she so often found that she couldn't stop, even running over her lunch time at work and constantly snacking when she was out of sight of others. Her healthy snacks, carrot sticks with houmous and other such treats, were replaced with fresh bread and cheese, the former from the bakery down the street, dipping chips in ranch dressing and following the lure of her cravings. It was a lot messier, when it came to eating her fill, than she had been prior, though Susan took care to clean up her desk afterwards and vacuum out her car.

Even then, she couldn't abide the mess, though her weight gain forced her to move a little differently. She didn't feel like she had very much baby weight on her at all by that time, which was as expected, but her thighs and hips evened out the size of her belly, allowing her curves to really shine. She grunted as she leaned over into the car so she could clean it out, struggling and out of breath with the amount of effort it took, though there was little else she could do but try in that matter.

Late night snack fests became the norm too as she started to feel her bra cutting into her back, digging into her flesh. She didn't see the need to buy new bras yet, for surely her bra size was going to go up again during pregnancy as her breasts filled out, but they grew more uncomfortable, forcing her to constantly adjust and shift the straps. Even on the largest setting, the catch at the back of the bra, nothing was quite right on her, not in the slightest.

Yet her breasts were heavier and even her nipples seemed a bit larger and puffier too, more sensitive as they rubbed against the front of her bras. Susan groaned, sitting at the dining table late at night, watching videos on her phone, though she was glad, at least that time, Kali wasn't around. It was getting embarrassing simply how much she was eating, how many more inches there were around her waist, everything feeling so much heavier and clunkier than before.

The weight gain had not been what she'd thought about coming in pregnancy, with most weight rounding out her buttocks and, of course, in a pregnant belly, but it was not unexpected. The bump was evident and she smiled.

It would all be worth it.

The first trimester for Kali, on the other hand, seemed to go an awful lot more smoothly for her. Not once did she seem to have to race to the bathroom with nausea, a few weeks ahead in her pregnancy, and a small bump rose on her belly. Yet it was the kind of bump that gently pushed up her shirts as she progressed, as if she was carrying the additional weight well. Although Kali was a little larger, though only by a single dress size, she didn't really gain any weight at all – at least, not as far as Susan could tell by the eye.

She got her life together too, taking on the healthier food choices and learning to cook as Susan had been before, swapping to better choices as if it simply came naturally to her. Susan's nose wrinkled as she entered the kitchen one evening, though the scent of the stew was something that should have made her mouth water before.

“Ugh… Oh, sorry," she added, not wanting to seem rude when Kali was attempting to cook. “That's just turning my stomach today… I don't know what's up with me."

Kali gave her a shrewd look, looking back over her shoulder at Susan, though there was a twinkle in her eye too.

“You know…" She said softly, her voice low and level. “If I didn't know any better, I'd've said you were pregnant too, Susan. But surely you would have told me if that was the case. After all, I told you."

If her tone had not had that flicker of mischief in it, well…Susan might have felt bad. Though it was all fair in how Kali should have known about her pregnancy. It just wasn't the sort of thing Susan was quite ready to announce, even if she was only going to give it another couple of weeks just make sure all was well before telling all.

“Yeah… Yeah, I think… Argh," Susan grunted, confessing at last. “Yes, I was waiting a bit longer to say, Kali, but, yes, you're right… I'm pregnant too."

Her lips twitched in a smile and she clasped her hands to her chest, as if suddenly realising that she was, in fact, pregnant.

“Yes… I'm pregnant! I'm really pregnant!"

“Oh, my god!" Kali squealed, though the high-pitch of her voice caught Susan off-guard. “Congratulations! That's amazing news! I mean, I suspected, but…yeah, I didn't really think… Wow, oh my gosh! This is so wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"

Hugging tightly, they bounced up and down, caught up in one another's arms. Even Susan could not help but laugh aloud, relief washing through her at finally having something out in the open, finally revealing to someone, even if it was just Kali, the truth of her condition.

They sat together, late into the evening while tiredness pulled at Susan, talking about their pregnancies, how they'd been progressing. Even though Susan had not experienced all that much as yet, she still nodded earnestly as Kali talked about how smooth hers had been so far, even just getting a peculiar little craving for sweet things.

“Have you been craving anything yet?" She asked, holding Susan's hand as if the two of them were a lot closer than they were. “I've just wanted those sugared strawberry things… You know, the imported ones?"

Susan nodded, even though she didn't really know what they were. She grimaced.

“Uh… Yeah, weird combinations…" She admitted. “Pickles and cream… Yeah, that was the latest. I'm scarfing down practically all the junk food I can at all times of the day."

“Ew, that's so crazy!" Kali said, with a cute wrinkle of her nose. “I can't imagine eating that, how do you even get it down?"

“Uh, I don't know?" Susan shrugged. “I don't really think about it like that, it just kind of…happens? It tastes really good to me now. I can't imagine eating that before either though!"

She laughed, though it was better that things were in the open, even as she checked out her body, that evening, in the bedroom mirror. There were light pouches of fat where there had been none before, a softness to her lower body that gave her a more vivacious shape than before. If someone had been describing her, they would have said she was “thick" – and that was very accurate.

“Ugh…"

Susan made a face, turning back and forth, though it was not something she needed to spend too much time on. Though most weight had slipped to her buttocks and thighs, along with the typical gain on her stomach with the swell of her pregnancy, her upper body had a little too, with the edges softened along her arms and her breasts filling out a little more. Yet it suited her, considering the additional weight gain all seemed proportional on her body. She was most definitely curvier, of course, with most weight thickening her thighs and buttocks.

However, things would become even clearer, as time went on, highlighting the difference between Kali's pregnancy and hers. Moving well into the second trimester, Susan's stomach rumbled with gas, sometimes quiet and sometimes groaning and churning all day long while she was trying to work. When she broke wind, she quickly fanned the area around her with both hands, as long as there was no one too near, all so she could go unnoticed in her gassy state for as long as possible.

At work, however, it grew increasingly difficult to hide the fact that she was incredibly gassy. She had an office at work, though still had to go to the copy machine and kitchen from time to time, along with attending meetings. If she didn't scurry by the cubicles quickly enough, she was liable to crop dust people with silent but deadly farts – and that was only if it wasn't a noisy fart that got her in the end!

People had already started complaining about how bad the office was smelling and Susan hoped her face wasn't so red that people blamed her fully for it. Still, not much could be done except speaking to her doctor about it.

Once, when a direct report was in her office going over some paperwork, she broke wind obnoxiously, though it was quiet enough, at that time, that she was able to somewhat get away with it. Sure, it was embarrassing to make a noise like that while she was at work, though only so much, in the end, could be done about it. John looked up and got a little flustered, but, overall, it was not a terrible thing.

It was the smell that got them both as John shot upright from where he had been leaning over her desk to better see the paperwork, eyes watering.

“Oh! Oh, my god!"

He backed away, stumbling over apologies even if it was really Susan who felt she had to apologise to him. The reek of her gas sank into her nostrils and she fanned the area around her with a file, though she was hardly aware that she'd grabbed some rather important documents.

“Oh, I'm so sorry about that!" She said in an overly cheery voice, her voice higher-pitched than before, guts still rumbling. “Let me clear the, ah, air for you, John, what terrible timing…"

Yet no amount of fanning helped dissipate her gas from the office as he was forced to leave, rearranging their private meeting for later. The stench of her gas, however, sank into the file that would be sent out to their client later that day, leaving them wondering just what Susan was doing too, sending out documents in such a strange, smelly condition.

Kali didn't really seem to gain any weight at all, perfectly comfortable and happy, which was not quite Susan's experience. Kali's baby bump grew, small and cute, though Susan ended up with a big, bloated belly, which showed her pregnancy quite obviously even with the added problem of fluid retention. Sometimes, it really was stark how the difference lay between them, though that wasn't Kali's fault. The baby felt like they were growing at a massive rate, though she appreciated they were doing well when it came to her doctor's check-ups, despite the grumbling of her stomach causing issues.

When she'd been at one of her prenatal care appointments, getting an ultrasound done to check the health of her womb, as well as the developing baby, she'd had a particularly bad bout of it. She'd tried to stay as still as possible for the ultrasound, which was uncomfortable and exposing enough for her as it was. Yet every time her gurgling guts forced a “toot" out her backside it made her flinch and wobble, the technician trying to remain professional.

“Ah, if you could just lean back a little more," the woman said soothingly, though her face twitched as the smell reached her. “That's it, relax your legs, you're doing wonderfully…"

But they had not been able to complete that external ultrasound with any sense of ease as they wrapped up too quickly. Susan's near-constant jostling made it so she simply could not stay in place for the ultrasound, distorting any images seen, and stinking out the examination room.

Thankfully, the person taking the ultrasound had not been her doctor but a nurse. It meant it was not likely Susan was going to have to interact with them again, though it still left the issue of her constant gassiness to be dealt with. When the nurse left, she frantically fanned the air around her with both hands, trying to dissipate the stench the best she could. However, there was still a distinct, cheesy reek in the air when the doctor came in to see her.

“Your weight is increasing at a rather rapid rate," her regular doctor for prenatal care, Dr Jones, said, peering at her over the top of his glasses. “Have you started experiencing cravings? What is your diet at the moment?"

She squirmed uncomfortably, heat rushing to her cheeks.

“Oh… Yeah…" Susan said, feeling exposed despite wearing her usual clothes, the waistband of her trousers digging into her belly, for she hadn't needed to remove her clothes for that appointment. “Um… Just a little. I've been trying to eat healthy, a nice, varied diet…"

He nodded along with her, making notes, but it didn't escape the doctor's notice that she was dodging the question. She wriggled, embarrassed by how quickly she'd succumbed to strange food choices, even picking up fast food every day. It just felt so good to be eating! Stuffing herself full was satisfying, sliding fry after fry into her mouth, the salty goodness lingering long after she had devoured every last bite. Even when she was eating, Susan swore she could see all the fat from the food going straight to her hips, widening her girth and thickening her thighs.

Or maybe that was just her imagination. She was not so sure about that as she eyed up the rippling flesh where it'd been exposed for her examination, how it looked like she was getting cellulite, along with the straining, white stretch marks. Those were to be expected on the belly, though she hadn't thought her ass was growing so quickly as to make her skin stretch like that. Her thighs, however, rubbed together when she moved, unless she made a concentrated effort to part them.

She ran her fingers over the rise of her pregnant belly, seeming larger than ever, as she waited for the doctor to make some notes. As she lay there, the flesh of her thighs squashed and spread out, highlighting just how thick she was. It was not comfortable – but it was never supposed to be comfortable, truly, to grow another human being within her body. It was to be expected, of course, with all the cravings she'd been getting, though Susan still shook her head at how her body was expanding. There was plenty more of her body, though, even if it forced her to adjust how she carried herself, most of her weight seemed to go to her bottom half. Her thighs ran smoothly with the added, sweet layer of flesh on top of them, but the roundness of her eye-catching butt was certainly something to enjoy.

It was not her…but it was a good look.

“Right, you should take a look at this diet plan, to ensure you're on track for your baby's development," he said, offering her a sheet of paper. “This isn't exclusive, but we don't want to change your body too much in the run-up to pregnancy, just make sure you and your baby get everything you both need."

“Oh, to hell with that," she snapped, surprising even herself as her mood swung. “You try being in my place and then maybe you'd see things differently!"

He started, staring at her, though Susan grumbled and settled back. Her mood had been fierier of late, which was problematic at work – but surely the doctor had more sense to him than to pry into the diet of a pregnant woman? A dim part of her knew she should have apologised, yet she couldn't drag the words to her lips, engaging in stilted, sharp conversation until she was dismissed.

He had to have been used to it, however, though Susan noted he didn't give her anything for the gas either. Her butt no longer even fit into her chair at work, not comfortably as it had before, and she grunted and jiggled, trying to squeeze in. So much of her weight seemed to have centred around her belly and her ass, even making her feel like she was much further along in her pregnancy than before.

“Ugh… Look, it'll be fine, it'll be fine," she told herself, putting her head in her hands at her desk, though her stomach pressed up against the wood. “I just got to keep my cool. Mood swings are normal. Very fucking normal…"

Swearing also was highly unlike her, though it was hard not to feel rattled. When her phone chirped with a message, she checked it immediately and, after developments recently, was not unsurprised to see a picture of Kali with her boyfriend's arms around her.

Kali: We're heading out for a pregnancy photo shoot now. It's going to be amazing! I hope you have a good day.

_ _

Susan sighed and set the phone down. Whereas she was happy Kali's boyfriend was supporting her, the thing was that she didn't have anyone to celebrate the pregnancy milestones with. Her isolation, despite having some family and friends nearby, did not go without note.

Frustration bubbled in the pit of her belly, though she ignored the warning of the gas, even though it was most certainly something, by that point, she should have paid attention to. It had caused enough issues for people around her and she grunted as she let out a smaller “toot," her belly popping inside uncomfortably.

Yet she didn't escape the feed of pictures from Kali's Instagram account, detailing how her day was going, showing her heading out with her boyfriend, even getting a pregnancy massage. With all the difficulties, so far, in her pregnancy, Susan hadn't even been able to take any time for herself. As her frustration grew, churning into curling, twisting anger, the gas tightened in her guts, threatening to burst free. Still, she did not shift her weight in her seat and allow herself to fart, simply as her mind wasn't on it.

The door opened and her head snapped up, Susan all too aware of how much of a mess she was, her hair sticking up as if she hadn't brushed it, eyes redder than they usually would have been. Her guts gurgled and she pressed a hand to her stomach, suddenly aware as the door swung wide.

Who the hell is disturbing me right now? She snapped mentally, thoughts working more quickly than the interloper's feet. Can't they see I'm busy?

“Excuse me, Susan, but would you be able to go over these documents?"

Her co-worker entered, Jake with a friendly demeanour: yet he'd always had a habit of passing off work on her. It wasn't her role and it wasn't her department, resentment simmering barely a hair's breadth under the surface.

“Why?" She snapped back at him, not even thinking about what she was doing. “Are you not competent enough to handle basic tasks these days?"

It was too much, but she buckled down, narrowing her eyes, some part of her vindicated by how he trembled back from her.

“And another thing – you can stop acting like you're all so high and mighty around here," she went on. “Honestly, it's not like a donkey couldn't do your job, for the little you do around here. If you don't want to be laid off, you'd do better to learn the ropes of your own job instead of expecting every woman to do it for you."

She punctuated her statement, horrifically, with a loud, ripping fart, though held his gaze, fury roiling inside her. It was not something she should have said, not like that, though he looked too taken aback to do anything about it.

“I… Uh… Jeez, Susan," he scoffed at last, running his fingers back through his hair as she stared, another “toot" escaping her, though she didn't let it bother her. “You could have just said “no," you know, you didn't have to be so rude about it."

Susan understood she had been rude, yes, but sometimes that rudeness was warranted and she laughed faintly to herself as Jake was sent on his way. The crankiness remained, the sense that she was about to rip someone's head off at any moment, though maybe it was something she could turn to good rather than snapping at a poor coffee shop worker or similar.

Checking her phone, she booked a pregnancy photoshoot for herself the following week, lucky enough to find a cancellation that suited her schedule. That would have to do for her making milestones out of her pregnancy and she was the only one who could truly live the experience.

At the photoshoot, however, she felt frumpier than ever, having forgotten that it was a fifties-style photoshoot, where she was dressed up as a pin-up housewife in odd colours and patterns and textures that made her look larger than ever. The trousers just weren't the right length for her, as much as she tried to position everything prettily, sitting on a chaise lounge, a bed, posing in a set that was made up to look like a nursery too.

“Now, ma'am," the photographer said, chewing at his lip as if he'd rather be anywhere other than there. “If you could just bend over, side-on to the camera… Yes, that's it… That will show off your bump… Nicely now… Beautiful, that's beautiful!"

Susan took a breath and smiled. It helped that he said she was beautiful, even though she didn't feel all that pretty in the moment. Things just weren't easy with the weight of her belly massively throwing off her centre of balance, though she missed the gurgles in her stomach that time.

Yet her pants pulled into the crack of her ass before she realised what was happening and an almighty rip cut through the air as they split right down the middle. Susan gasped and tried to leap upright – though that was rendered even more difficult by how her belly threw off her balance, tipping her too far forward as her stomach rumbled.

“Oh! Oh, I'm sorry!"

She clawed at the trousers, trying to cover herself back up again and physically put her back to the crowd there, though it was not all that easy, of course not. It was never that easy, not for her, not as she scrambled and heat rushed to her cheeks, simmering down her neck to brighten her pale skin.

And then came the gas, the bubbling gurgles bursting from her backside in a loud wave of wind, though there was no hiding it that time. Even as one of the photographers setting up a second camera widened his eyes and covered his mouth, laughing behind it. Others tried to avert their eyes, acting, in a way, as if nothing was going on at all, as if it was easier from them and their second-hand embarrassment. Susan stood tall, looking over them, briefly fanning the air around her, just to clear the air a little more of the smell, for that had been rather a stronger one than usual.

Oh, Susan thought. Does it even matter anymore? Everyone's going to hear me having gas anyway… At least it's not worse than it is.

_ _

So, she finished the shoot with a roll of her eyes and a different outfit, which suited her a little better, though did not settle her to where she felt the entire shoot had been a success. She got some wonderful photos out of it, for an album she'd made in a scrapbook to detail the journey of her pregnancy, at least getting some solace out of it.

And yet there was a turning point too, a sense of acceptance about her difficulties in pregnancy. It was clear that things were not quite going to be as expected and it didn't dissipate her crankiness at work either, but it made things a little easier once she accepted them.

There was a little more leeway at work after she disclosed her pregnancy, although, thankfully, the HR director was too cautious about her pregnancy to really call her up on the amount of gas she was letting go in the office. It was more comfortable for her than rushing to the bathroom the whole time and Susan slightly appreciated the ability to let a big fart rip, hopefully quietly, beside the desks of those who had caused her trouble in the past.

It was a tiny bit of payback. Yet, it helped. Especially when she let herself fart quietly near Hannah Moore, who was a bit of a conniving bitch in the office. She was always gossiping and seeing her gag, eyes watering, as Susan bustled away with a smug smile on her face was one way in which she could put that woman in her place. Sometimes, however, she didn't mean to release gas when she was passing other offices or cubicles and had heard her boss coughing and hacking once when she'd passed his office. He'd been a little too close to the open door that time, poor guy.

Her lunches at work, whether she was working from home or in the office, grew in volume and she headed out a little more with Kali, more curious than she should have been about the development of her pregnancy too. Kali simply seemed to bounce along as they headed out to a coffee shop to relax one Sunday morning, her bump small and petite, as if she had been pulled from the pages of a maternity magazine.

“Oh, how wonderful!" The barista at the coffee shop, not someone Susan knew, said, leaning over the counter but thankfully not touching either of them. “You must be well into your third trimester – that's always the hardest bit! How lucky that you fell pregnant after her, you can see everything that's happening before you go through it too!"

Susan blinked, taking a moment to understand what the barista was saying, although it came to light in a few seconds. With the rise of her belly and the thicker, heavier-set nature of her body, the barista thought she was the one in her third trimester: much further along than Kali!

“Oh… Oh, no!" Kali tried to correct her, fluttering her fingers as she waved and laughed, a cute blush colouring her cheeks. “No, no… Oh, goodness! I'm due in only a few weeks now, it's all going so quickly!"

The barista apologised, though Susan rolled her eyes and ignored her belly grumbling as she left a rather fragrant fart go right in front of the counter – when they headed off, of course. It was loud and obvious, turning heads in the coffee shop, even though that had not been her intent. Yet Susan didn't want to have to take in her own smell, after all, even if it was something she was getting increasingly used to. The bubbling, popping sensation in her gut was so familiar to her by that time that it may as well have been constant.

Kali gave her a look, though otherwise didn't make a comment about the noise or the smell. Susan rolled her eyes again, wafting lightly behind her backside to make sure the sharper, more eye-watering aroma did not follow her too closely.

“I can't believe she mistook me for being less far along than you," Kali said, though it was troublesome for her to get her words out in the right order when she fumbled, striving to make Susan feel better. “I mean… You look amazing, you're holding your pregnancy so well."

“Ah, thank you."

Susan didn't want to say anything against her – though it was obvious just where the differences in their pregnancies lay. At the base level, Kali looked like she was pretty much floating through hers as if there were no trouble at all there, radiant and glowing. And that wasn't something Susan would have wanted to take from her either. Their experiences were not the same and Susan clung to the outcome, the baby who would be the light of her life not all that far in the future.

Her body changed even more as she moved into her third trimester, though Kali giving birth gave her a little hope too. She held Kali's hand when the contractions came in the apartment, a classic beginning, though she had signed up to have an epidural, so she wouldn't have to worry about the pain once she was past a certain point of dilation.

“There now," Susan soothed her, holding her hand and letting Kali grip it too tightly as they sat on the sofa, waiting for Kali's boyfriend to arrive. “It's all okay… Everything's going to be fine, very soon… Your baby is going to be beautiful, they're going to be amazing. Everything's alright."

She could push down her anxiety and the way everything about her felt rough around the edges, even as she felt her body consciously taking up more space than it had before. Kali whimpered and nodded, wrapping her arms around Susan as she cuddled in close, their bellies touching.

“Oh!" Kali blinked, pulling back a little as she was startled. “Your baby… They're moving about so much! Is everything okay?"

Susan laughed lightly, though embarrassment curled hotly into the pit of her stomach.

“Ah, yes, everything's fine," she clarified, though really would have preferred all the attention to be on Kali. “That's just gas, don't worry about it."

She farted audibly, a few rippling “toots," although they were so bubbly that they couldn't really be referred to as that at all. They were loud and made her stomach gurgle, popping under Kali's fingers as she splayed out her hand over her belly to feel the baby (hopefully, for Kali, without the gas causing further trouble) moving. Susan half-shrugged, though the smell wasn't too bad that time – enough that it didn't linger while her body released the gas it needed to.

Kali didn't have the chance to be embarrassed at her misconception, but all went well for her. Susan simply didn't have all that much of a role to play in her pregnancy, Kali's boyfriend coming to get her, red in the face and sweaty as if he had rushed all the way there. Soon, Susan was sure, the two of them would move in together and properly start their life together, though they had to take things step by step.

She wouldn't have someone to take her to the hospital, though Susan sat up with worry twisting amongst the gas in her belly, feeding her concerns. She drove herself to the supermarket to get hot dogs, shifting her weight in the car as gas bubbled and gurgled. It even felt like it was tightening in her stomach, though burps were an awful lot rarer than farts were.

“Ugh…" Susan said, wriggling in place in the car as a fart slipped out with a higher-pitched squeak. “This is so annoying… Ugh… What if I…"

She didn't finish her sentence to herself as she lifted a butt cheek and her leg a little.

Pffff-tttpppp!

_ _

The fart ripped from her with a yawning sense of relief in the pit of her belly. Even as the reek wafted around the car, she sighed in relief, shoulders slumping a little. More farts broke from her after that first, bigger one had been let free, though it was just what her body needed as her stomach gurgled noisily. The noise was not at all lie what would have come from her belly if she'd been hungry, but was raunchier and deeper, sealed within her body. Like with all farts, there was only one way out for that kind of gas.

“Ah, that's better," Susan said with another sigh, lips twitching as she broke wind again in a bubbly fart. “Phew, better out than in now, right?"

She was getting increasingly used to farting in public and, when the supermarket didn't have the exact brand of hot dogs she wanted, she headed into the mall and the food court to get what she wanted. She farted openly in line, though didn't react, as if the toxic gas seeping from her was not from her body at all. No one would usually call her out on farting if she acted like there was no way at all it could possibly be her, which was something a little more entertaining to play with. When releasing gas had becoming such a big part of her everyday life, it was hard to be as bothered as she'd been right at the beginning.

The food court hot dogs were good and she cleared a good space around her as she broke wind again and again. The farts were not particularly loud, not after breaking wind in the car, but she lifted her leg with increasing obliviousness as she ignored the looks cast her way. It was just so satisfying to devour the hot dogs, her belly settling as she slid them into her mouth and chomped them up into little bits. Ketchup and mustard dribbled from the corners of her lips and Susan barely even paused in her gluttony to wipe away the mess.

Fortunately for her, the hot dog stall was extremely glad to give her a big tub of their hot dogs in brine – something they didn't normally do – to get rid of her. Even if she was eating so much, she knew she'd be hungry for more hot dogs later on too, the weight of her stomach spilling headily out against the front of her top. A strip of skin was bared there, though Susan wasn't quite ready to try buying more clothes that she felt she was going to grow out of regardless.

Her gas grumbled increasingly on the way home but she didn't fart again even as the tight popping in her stomach grew. It looked like she was gassier when her stomach was empty, though Susan didn't know how her belly could be empty already, food moving through the rest of her digestive tract.

Back at home, she grilled more hot dogs up, with a big pack of fluffy, white buns to go with them. Kali had gone out so it left only her there, the radio on as she finally farted again. As the music rose, she farted more loudly than even the music playing, laughing aloud as the ridiculousness of her own body.

“Jeez, no wonder I can clear a room…"

Susan pinched and fanned her nose, making a meagre attempt to not have to smell her own fumes but, well, that really was a failing effort and not something she should ever really think of at all. If it was just her there, did she really have anything to worry about? It was not as if she was going to get in Kali's way as she sat down at the table to stuff herself full all over again.

Stuffing herself with hot dogs, one after the other disappearing into her mouth, buns and all, she was not satisfied with only four of the largest ones, heading back to the cupboard to fetch even more to cook. They weren't even the good hot dogs she could grill and get a nice bit of charring on them, but the cheap and cheerful ones that could be boiled.

They didn't taste good, yet they were what she craved, her stomach rumbling with true hunger.

Kali returned home after a few days, but not for too long. Moving between her boyfriend's place and hers, she tried to find a way to settle, though there was not all that much room to “nest" in the shared apartment. She really needed a dedicated nursery space and it was quite clear, even by then, that there was no room for two women there with newborn babies in the apartment.

At least the promotion covered everything Susan needed, able to afford the apartment without Kali, even though things would be tighter. Heading in for one of her last ultrasounds, she relaxed back in the doctor's office. However, her body was, as always, gassy and she shifted her weight to lift a butt cheek as a loud, trumpeting fart echoed through the examination room.

Huh, she thought, though Susan kept her expression as pleasantly schooled as she could. I didn't think there was an echo like that in here.

_ _

As she farted again, the doctor wrinkled his nose at her, Susan settling back more comfortably on the table once more. Making no comment on the state of her, he performed the ultrasound, though she was glad at the very least it was not one of the internal ones she'd had to do before the twelve-week mark.

Susan grimaced, shooting him a look as the ultrasound wand pressed to her pregnant belly.

“You could at least warm that up beforehand," she grumbled, crossing her arms. “How's my baby doing?"

“Very well, Susan," he said smoothly, as if he'd heard it all before. “The movement is wonderful… They are quite active, as I'm sure you've seen. And there is a strong heartbeat. It will not be long now."

Her heart soared and she smiled, perhaps for the first time, at the doctor. He had taken good care of her, after all, despite the challenges in her pregnancy.

“Thank you, doctor," she said, releasing a breath she hadn't intended to hold. “That's good to hear."

“Keep up on the medicine," he said, less than delicately. “The gassiness will likely remain, but we can only try, while looking after the baby, of course."

She rolled her eyes as the doctor wrapped everything up quickly, leaving the nurse to be hit by the bubbles of her gas in lieu of himself. It was not her fault she was as gassy as she was, though the lethargic, heaving way she dragged herself up from the examination bed reminded her exactly how much weight she'd gained.

Struggling to get up from the examination table with the fresh weight of her body doing its best simply to hold her in place, Susan grunted and groaned.

“Pppppffftttt-pppptttt-ppppffffttt!"

Her farts came more loudly as the nurse tried to help her, though the nurse could not help bending over and coughing. There had to be a gag in there too, though Susan just rolled her eyes as her belly gurgles heralding the encroach of even more gas.

“What is it about being in here?" She muttered to herself. “It just makes me so gassy…"

She fudged her words, trying to find a little common ground with the nurse, even though she'd pulled a mask up over her lips and nose again. Even though that was a good idea in a place like that, around pregnant and vulnerable people, it wasn't going to help the nurse not smell her fumes all that much.

Susan had to fight her way back up from the examination table herself – and, really, it was the nurse's own fault she was so gassy. She wouldn't be squirming and huffing about all over the place if the nurse had just been good enough to help her get up in the first place. The nurse fanning the room with her hands and looking for a fan to dissipate the gas wasn't going to help Susan.

Yet her gas did not bother her as much as it had before, for it was her experience – and perhaps that was just something that was supposed to come as it was, one way or the other. In the bedroom, munching on cheese sticks just to satisfy her gurgling belly, she turned around in front of the mirror. Rolling her eyes, Susan clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and ran her hands over the flesh of her belly, over where her kicking, squirming baby lay.

“Oh, it can't be that bad…" She laughed at herself, even if there wasn't any humour in the sound. “But I can't say this is anything at all how I expected."

Her thighs were much thicker than before, though the most prominent change in her, except for her huge breasts, was her ass. She'd never had a butt that round before and she'd moved quickly to wearing skirts. Even those had not been enough to keep herself adequately covered up, the back hem of her skirts rising more and more when she wore them, forcing her to find ones that were adjusted for maternity wear. Anything she wore, however, just didn't look professional anymore, so she worked from home more often than not as her pregnancy rendered her increasingly tired.

The office was glad not to have to deal with as many gassy outbursts from her anyway. Perhaps that was something Susan had become a little too comfortable with. She'd become easier of mind about her gas and let it go in a meeting with a client – which meant they'd had to bear witness to the rippling, noisy fart that stank out the entire meeting room. Which was impressive, frankly, as it was one of those big meeting rooms designed for board meetings and the like.

However, others with their eyes streaming, pulling up shirts over their noses in an attempt to block out the smell, clearly didn't feel the same way. At first, it had been the noise that Susan had been the most conscious of, but the gas itself was pretty noxious too. She just got used to it.

Regardless, as she posed before the mirror with her thoughts drifting, she turned one more time to inspect her ass, poking the flesh, fascinated by how big and round it was. It was not solely heavy flesh but pushing out as if the weight of it could not overrule the shape, even though her flesh dimpled lightly, her body easily accommodating the changes to her curvaceous figure. Her belly rounded out hugely in the shape of her pregnant belly, though she had to admit it somewhat helped balance her just a little better.

She farted as she examined the light ripples over her giant stomach where her skin had stretched, stroking the belly bump and startling slightly.

“Oh!" Her hand fluttered to her chest, genuinely caught off-guard that time. “Oh, my goodness…"

She shook her head at her own startlement, though squeezed the flesh on her thighs with both hands, marvelling at how it moved so easily over the muscle beneath it and the bone too. It looked like it had been painted there, building up the layers of her body, though her round backside was something she wouldn't have minded keeping, of course. Her belly was, of course, the largest with her ass coming up second, and she swayed her weight from one hip to the other as she farted with her back to the mirror, her lower jaw slightly slack. Even her glutes tensed when she broke wind, though it was not as if she had not expected that.

“Ppppfffffpppppttttt!"

The fart was loud and poignant, as if it was trying to draw attention. How weird that breaking wind so much had become such a big part of her life… But Susan could only move forward.

As the third trimester closed around her, the end in sight, there were still fresh challenges for Susan to take on.

“Agh!"

Susan jolted awake in bed, her eyes wide, suddenly awake despite having been fast asleep only a few moments ago. Adrenaline pumped and her heart pounded in her chest as she moaned aloud, though it was not a good kind of moan, but a moan that made her want to hunch over and forward, curling all the way back into herself.

Her stomach rumbled and gurgled and she panted heavily, sweating, damp patches under her arms. What was going on? Was she okay? Was the baby okay?

The rise of her heavily pregnant stomach called her and she rubbed it, wondering if something was going wrong. Her heart skipped a beat and Susan let out a low whimper, checking the calendar and gulping hard.

“Oh…"

Forty weeks, just about… But the baby could be coming early, as a strange pressure within her clenched, pushing down.

“No…"

No, it couldn't be! But Susan was already staggering out of bed, trying to regain her balance as she stood tall and hunted down her emergency bad. Of course, she'd put one ready, so she didn't have to concern herself with rummaging around before heading out when she went into labour but…that didn't mean she wanted to be heading to hospital in the middle of the night for an emergency pregnancy!

The contractions, grumbling and twisting in her abdomen, kept on coming, though they didn't really seem to let off at all. She heaved and panted, driving to the hospital with great difficulty, her pregnant belly squashing up against the steering wheel in her small car. Belatedly, she wished she'd bought a larger car, but as long as it was safe for the baby she hadn't really thought it mattered.

“Come on… Come on…"

The nurses didn't seem all that bothered with her as she staggered into the hospital, heavy on her feet as she groaned and grunted, almost missing her step as she headed on in and up the steps. Of course, the elevator was stuck, so she couldn't just head up the easy way, a brusque nurse standing ahead of her, trying to get her to her examination room as soon as possible.

“Come on now, up, up, up… No dallying about it now, girl, we're going to get you there."

There was no unkindness in the nurse, but a sense she'd seen it all before, which Susan appreciated, even if she didn't quite feel she was being taken seriously. She groaned as she sat on the bed in the examination room, though they didn't ask her to change and, at the very least, Susan was sure her water hadn't broken as yet. But that could be problematic in itself, if there was something wrong with the baby.

She squirmed and shifted there, sometimes getting up and pacing, while she waited for the doctor to arrive. Being still just didn't fit right with her, her body shifting like she was in motion, her hand on her stomach as the baby squirmed and changed position. Was that a good or a bad sign? They were moving, so that felt good to her, but she thought they changed position to be born, which was one of the signs they were ready to come into the world. It didn't feel like her baby had gone head down to be born, but it was her first pregnancy and she didn't know how to feel about anything.

“Okay, Susan…" The doctor said as he entered, an older gentleman with soft eyes and a kind smile. “I understand you're having some contractions. Everything's going to be quite alright, we're going to take great care of you here."

She took a breath, feeling more settled already. Even if he had called her by her first name, which felt ever so slightly too informal for the situation. She'd just have to deal with it, however.

“Thank you, doctor, I'm glad you're here," she said honestly. “I want… I don't know, it just feels so weird. My stomach is so tight, like there's pressure there. I can feel the contractions… They're pushing like they're ready to be born. But it's too early! I don't have anything ready…"

She babbled and the doctor held up a hand, quieting her.

“You're all okay, please, let's get you seen to," he said soothingly. “Please, just a moment behind the curtain, into the gown. Let me know if you need any assistance, or would like a nurse."

Susan could not help but groan as she undressed, finding that she was moving too slowly while she worked her clothes off. At least she was wearing soft, flowing fabrics, the kind of loose clothes she would wear around the apartment most often, considering she liked having the ability to move freely. That helped somewhat and she roughly shoved them in a pile on the chair, all so she could waddle back out, her swollen feet and ankles shoved into hospital slippers, ready to be examined.

Her ass showed in the back of the hospital gown and she reached behind her, trying to snatch it up to hold it closed. However, her weight gain had rendered her less mobile and flexible than she had been before, which was, perhaps, just something Susan was going to have to deal with. It didn't look like the fat on her buttocks was going anywhere in a hurry.

She shuffled to the examination table, barely lifting her feet. Her belly rumbled with the prelude to gas and she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in annoyance at her backside showing.

“Now, rest here, up on the table," he said, the bed lowered to a point where she could more easily slide on to it. “And lie back, my dear… There you go…"

He ran his hands over her stomach, talking to her the whole time, though the maternity gown had an opening so it could be unbuttoned over her stomach, which helped somewhat. She felt more covered up than she would have otherwise, but understood the doctor would need access to intimate parts of her if he was to complete his examination.

Her guts gurgled and she stiffened, yes widening sharply.

“Ah…" She tried to stay him as he soothingly spoke to her, moving her legs apart. “Wait a moment…"

The kindly doctor, however, didn't get the chance to move away as asked before a loud, rippling fart broke from her. It even sent a wave over her gown where she sat, eyes wide and staring, mentally wishing herself anywhere else than that.

The ripping fart blasted through the air as she sucked in a breath, holding her breath there, her hands tucked up to her chest even as she squashed her legs right back together again. That didn't stop herself from breaking wind, however, heat rushing to her cheeks and crawling sickeningly down her neck.

A rush of embarrassment like that seemed all too common through her pregnancy, though that was the worst moment yet, letting out a soft whimper. The pressure in her belly immediately relieved and even the shifting anxiety of the baby within her womb seemed to settle down at exactly the right moment, everything within her physically settling and easing.

“Mmmph… Oh no… Doctor… Doctor, I'm so sorry…"

Yet he only laughed and gently patted her knee, making sure she was covered up.

“Oh, it happens sometimes, my dear, not to worry," he said. “Let's continue with the examination. Am I okay to touch you again? We'll also perform an ultrasound, of course, but it seems we might have just found the culprit of your discomfort."

The redness didn't fade from her face throughout the rest of her examination, although she was grateful indeed that it was just gas pains, as embarrassing as the whole thing had been.

She kept tabs on the gassiness of her belly and digestive tract in the next two weeks, though the weight of the baby pressed heavily on her bladder. Even the medicine the doctor had prescribed her was not strong enough, but that could well have been because they weren't happy to prescribe anything that was too strong, considering they were accounting for the late stage of her pregnancy and the baby's health. Even then, gas pains were not something that was going to negatively impact Susan, at least not for long.

She could deal with it, even though she went on maternity leave from work, much to the annoyance of the attorneys who were taking on some of her workload and clients, though Susan would be back soon enough. Babysitting was set up, along with some work from home days, and she had something of an agreement with Kali to alternate babysitting, so they both could have free time for themselves and, of course, to focus on their work.

On that side of things, everything came together as she headed out to a well-regarded buffet in the city, where she could truly stuff herself with food. Her belly had a skimming more fat on it but it was her pregnancy that forced her to go two full dress sizes as she neared the very conclusion of her pregnancy, her breasts filling out the next bra size up quite nicely too. One thing Susan had going for her was the healthy glow of her hair and skin, highlighting her thickness, as troublesome as her pregnancy had proved so far.

But it had been an experience and she took a breath as she stuffed herself with chicken, just about retaining her manners even as she indulged as much as she wanted. After all, she was there to indulge and ensure her body had all the sustenance required, though it did not pass Susan's attention that she was a lot less secretive about her cravings and just how she was generally with her pregnancy.

Of course, she tried to pass gas when she was alone, though things like that weren't all that simple, not all the time. If her gut was grumbling and she thought it was only going to be a little “toot" of a fart, she took the chance where she could, whether or not she was in a crowd. As long as she was not crop dusting a waiter or releasing something with a terrible smell, Susan just didn't mind anymore. If anyone heard her, well…what harm was it going to do? She doubted anyone would even recognise her from her job anymore.

The only bad thing about farting in public, when her farts had grown bigger and noisier, was that it was pretty obvious when it was her who'd farted. No one usually confronted her about it, however, even if people shuffled away from the stench. Maybe they didn't want to be thought the one who'd farted? Yet Susan shrugged off the notion of being the culprit. It was too hard to care about that anymore, letting her ass cheek hang off the chair to better release any further cuts of gas.

She ate politely, though quickly, dabbing at smears of sauce on the corners of her lips, though the chicken wings there were some of the best she'd ever had. Most likely as they were slathered in drippings of sauce, complemented by fried potatoes and some kind of salad drowned in dressing. Susan almost didn't pause to take note of what she was eating, sparing a passing thought for the almost overly healthy meals she had barely even eaten before.

That had not been a good time for her, restricting and watching what she ate to that extent. Yet things were different, now that she was as pregnant as she was, a hand resting on her stomach as she feasted.

She waddled up, of course, for seconds and thirds too, perusing the desserts, though they were not as intriguing to her as the other food. It seemed that salty, contrasting flavours engaged her the most in her pregnancy, though her tastes jumped around to such an extent she didn't track it all that closely.

A bubbling fart broke from her, though she didn't hold that back, merely rolling her eyes and carrying on in such a way that said she didn't care it was her that had broken wind. Her guts grumbled and she paused to loose another trumpeting fart as heads turned in her direction, people obviously identifying her as the culprit. The heavier-set nature of her body rolled lightly, flesh moving on top of her frame, with every step, though, clad in a long, loose skirt and top, Susan simply didn't care about how she looked either. Surely, she would drop the weight after she gave birth. Until then, she was going to enjoy herself.

There was a big step in her life coming and, regardless of everything that had happened during her pregnancy, she was determined to snatch the joy out of every moment she could.

“Oof…"

Susan grunted lightly, the waistline of her skirt stretched, even though it was one of the maternity ones. It was laughable to think she could have fit into any of her old clothes, a wardrobe full of things she couldn't wear, but that could be fixed afterwards.

She rested a hand on her stomach as she waddled home, grunting again. Her body tensed, a strange ripple running through her – but after her mistaken labour prior, she knew what that was. They were called Braxton Hicks contractions, more frequent the closer to labour she was, though, for her, they had not really appeared until around the thirty-week mark. With all the grumbling gas pains and needing to take care of new bodily needs, they had been the least of her concerns during her pregnancy.

And yet there was something different about those, checking in with her doctor as she went past her due date and groaned, the weight of her belly and the pressure the baby put on her bladder simply impossible to ignore. Going to the supermarket was impossible, if she wanted to bring anything of note back with her, and she ordered groceries to be delivered, all so things could be a bit more convenient for her.

Susan, however, needed the baby to come, for it was not as if her little darling could stay tucked away inside her womb forever. Three days past her due date, she wobbled her way down, driving there too, to an Indian restaurant she'd heard about – but for one specific dish. It was a type of curry and she was grateful for the face that the nausea had passed, so many different, delectable spices dancing around her nose as she sat in the restaurant, waiting for her meal.

“Mmmph… You got to hurry up in there," she murmured to her stomach, a note of crankiness in her playful tone even then. “You can't stay in, I've got to get back to my normal self, you hear? You've already done a number on my body…"

Although Susan grumbled, she meant it too, as much too as she meant her quiet love for her unborn maybe, soon to be welcomed into the world. The specific restaurant she'd chosen had a dish on it that was supposed to induce labour – and she was ready to try anything.

“Madam, would you like to order?"

The waitress greeted her with a professional smile, ready to jot down her order. Yet Susan didn't need any further time to look at the menu, not as she tapped a finger on the table.

“Yes, I'll have the…lemongrass curry? With the special sauce, please."

“Ah, yes, of course!"

The waitress knew exactly what she meant and Susan sighed with relief, a pitcher of water brought out for her, for they surely assumed she couldn't handle her spice. That was a fair assumption, though Susan had gorged on so much lately that she didn't think anything at all was going to prove a problem for her to eat, unless something triggered that nausea which had been present through so much of her pregnancy.

She was sure that wasn't going to be a problem, however, as she was served the steaming dish with a heaping of rice and dug in with relish. Susan even felt like she was opening her mouth much wider than she would have ever before, just to take bite after bite, eating quickly and chewing with her cheeks slightly overfull, though that was, perhaps, not the politest way to eat. Yet there was plenty of Naan bread also for her to wipe up the leftover curry sauce from the plate with, ensuring not a single drop went to waste.

The waitress too was polite enough when she ordered a second dish, her stomach still rumbling lightly with hunger. It seemed like nothing at all was enough to sate her belly those days and Susan smirked lightly to herself, musing over the notion that she was eating for two. Soon enough, she wouldn't be.

And maybe this dish will make me give birth, at last… She thought. And this will all be worth it.

_ _

For all she had gone through, there would be beauty at the end of it, regardless of her experience. Everyone experienced pregnancy differently and the thought of Kali, back at the apartment, giggling and cooing over her soft, sweet baby, who always seemed to nap at the right time and give Kali enough time to herself too, gave her hope that she would be able to experience motherhood too, from that moment on, just as she'd imagined.

Either way, it would be hers to take forward, exactly as she willed. Her life, as ever, to do as she wanted with.

Stuffing herself full to the point her belly bloated out, overfull, against the front of an old yet oversized T-shirt she'd had (one of her few old pieces of clothes that fit her, though it had not anywhere near fit her before) in the back of her chest of drawers. Before digging around in there, trying to make space for the new clothes she'd needed to buy, well…she had not even remembered she even owned it.

Yet the changes in her body did not prey on her mind either as much as they had before; they were merely a fact of pregnancy for her to handle. She settled back in her chair, almost not wanting the bill to be brought to her, her stomach churning softly as she broke wind again. That was a softer rush of air and didn't come with much of a scent, though the rippling fart still made its presence known to her.

“Pppppfffffftttttttt!"

Oh, it had to be audible, of course, and she laughed lightly under her breath.

Huh… Susan thought. Maybe the curry isn't agreeing with my stomach? Shoot. That's a shame.

_ _

But she wasn't all that bothered by it, for she was just eating it to induce childbirth – if she could, of course. She just wanted to make sure she had the baby soon, so she didn't have to deal with the bad bits about being pregnant for too much longer.

Vaguely, she waved her hand around her ass to fan the area, though her splayed, spread fingers didn't do much good there or help all that much. She wasn't trying to do it for anyone else's comfort, after all, and the smell wafted by quickly enough for her. Farting so much, at the very least, made it something of a non-issue to her when she was so close to the end.

Lazily, Susan glanced about. There was not anyone near enough to realise it was her, though she didn't think anything could have been done even if they knew it was her. It was not as if she was constantly releasing gas when she was seated in public at a restaurant, after all.

Or maybe they had seen her and heard her – which could have been why the tables around hers had been vacated. She'd just thought they were clearing up and had finished eating at about the same time as she'd sat down, though it was none of her business really. Just like what her body did or didn't do was none of their business.

It didn't cross Susan's mind that she had been embarrassed about her gas right at the beginning, that she had struggled with the rather fragrant reek of it. The fumes were dreadful, really, but when she was around it for so long there was little to be done about it.

If a curry made it worse, was that really something that was going to bother her all that much, really?

Nah…

It was a different case entirely when she was alone, however, choosing to take a stroll back through the park, looping around to her car afterwards. The slow waddle swung her hips back and forth, the weight of her belly and lower body seeming to tip her from either side, yet she had to take things slowly. It was such a slower pace than when she was used to in her usual life and in the office, though Susan was unsure how her weight gain would change her body. Even the benches in the park creaked under her weight when she stopped twice, once by the lake and another time under the soft shade of the trees, the old wood seeming to shift against the metal framework below. At least they weren't metal, the cold seeping into her.

“Rrrrrrrrpppppttttt!"

Her body, however, had other ideas for her as she sat on the second bench, her stomach churning and gurgling as she let loose more and more wind. Just when she thought one, rumbling fart was done with, another came, forcing her to shift her weight, though it was worse than usual that time.

“Oof…"

She rolled her eyes at people passing by, though they could give her all the funny looks they wanted. Unfortunately for Susan, there was no disguising her breaking wind like that out in the park, for there was rarely another nearby at the same time someone else was passing. However, she slumped back, wriggling in place, rubbing her belly as the skin moved softly over her stomach. The baby shifted their weight inside, kicking and squirming, showing through in light jostles and bumps against her tender flesh.

She sighed. Even though she was so close to giving birth, her thick body appeared well enough as if she was giving birth to twins, though that could have explained a lot for her. She rubbed her belly, letting the smoother rise of it, which had settled in the last couple of weeks, coax her to let her shoulders roll back.

“You're not coming out, are you?" She grumbled. “Jeez… Hey, what you looking at?"

Without thinking, she lashed out at a dog walker who'd come too close, phone in hand and their mouth parted.

“Hey! Get over there!"

Her words were punctuated by several loud, farts but Susan barely even noticed the fact that she was still passing gas, as much as her stomach was rumbling. The bad gas didn't come with all that much pain, at the very least.

The dog walker jumped and, at the very least, clamped her mouth shut, scurrying away with her fluffy, white dog in tow.

Susan groaned, rising from the bench and heading home. However, two more days passed in discomfort before she felt something different down there, the contractions that she had become used to taking on a different feel and intensity.

When she went into labour, the bite of the contractions caught her off-guard, her breath ripped from her.

“Oof…" She grunted, trying to bend forward to put her hands on her thighs, though the mass of her large belly got in the way. “Ah… Okay, that doesn't feel normal."

It was not the labour experience Susan had wanted, of course, but it was still something she needed to be an active part of, huffing and puffing and pausing whenever a contraction rolled through her.

Changing clothes, she paused before the mirror when she was naked and looked up and down her body, how her breasts were full and heavy, her belly rounded out as if to proclaim her pregnancy to anyone that glanced at her. Even her big backside stood out even more as she turned, not even able to see the entirety of it in the mirror as she sighed and put a hand on her belly.

“This isn't what I expected."

She turned and broke wind again as her thick but smooth thighs jiggled faintly, so much wider than how they'd been before she'd been artificially inseminated. A smoother layer of soft fat added to the curvy definition of her hips too and she grimaced as she farted again, the gurgling in her stomach heralding a trumpeting series of farts that were not about to be sealed away as she stank up the bathroom with a gag-worthy reek.

She grunted as another contraction to hit her, though she didn't expect her water to break so dramatically at that moment, pouring down her legs and splashing back up against her. Thankfully for Susan, she'd been using the mirror in the bathroom, although that didn't mean there was anyone else there to help her.

She got herself into the car with difficulty, her belly bulging up against the steering wheel. Even if she had driven little recently, she didn't want to deal with the hassle of getting a ride there, considering there were things about drivers not taking pregnant women. Something about the mess and the risk… Susan didn't understand it.

Driving herself, however, came with sharp contractions, even if she had everything she needed in a labour bag on the back seat of the car anyway. Her water soaked through the pad she'd put in her underwear, though it was more likely slipping out the side of the pad rather than going straight through. There was no room for her belly in there, even when the seat was shoved all the way back, but she at least looked forward to the time her belly was smaller again, when she had her baby safely in the car seat and heading home again.

Once she was in the hospital itself, at least, she was whisked away by the nurses and the labour specialist coming in with her. That was something, of course, she'd wanted to do naturally, yet it was one of the most trying experiences of her life, as if everything was cumulating in that moment alone.

The labour was not as swift as it had been for Kali, though that was something Susan was almost expecting by that point. Back in the open-backed hospital gown, she was at least taken in a wheelchair to the room, her groans covering up some of her farts. Bending over and leaning against the wall in the waiting area, breaking wind as people shuffled away from her, had made it look like her situation was somewhat worse than it was. That wasn't Susan's fault, however, for she couldn't change the state her body was in.

A long labour, however, meant she had to wait for the contractions to grow closer together before she could actively push. Left alone in the birthing room, she huffed and puffed, trying to follow the breathing exercises on her phone, though her vision wavered. Blinking away moisture, emotion rising, she forced herself to keep walking lightly around the room. Every step came with a great, labouring effort, the extra flesh on her thighs shivering faintly with every short stride. But most notable was the “toot" of gas every couple of steps. It was as if her digestive tract was trying to remind her that the changes in her physically would not be truly gone, not even after she gave birth.

“Oof… Nngghhh…"

She groaned, leaning on the bed and spreading her legs apart a little more, trying to find a comfortable position. The baby, of course, had changed position within her, so it was more difficult to move as she had before; her centre of gravity had changed all over again. How would she even be able to walk after getting out there? Already, it felt like Susan was going to have to re-learn so many things.

It would be worth it, however, she told herself. Even as another contraction rolled through her, her body tightening in a way that was definitely different to the Braxton Hicks contractions. She groaned, letting out a long, low cry that was punctuated with several bubbly farts. They were almost comforting in the background of a moment that should have been better shared with family and, perhaps, friends too.

But it was okay, of course, as Susan was finally getting the life and the family she'd wanted for herself, even if that had seemed a tall order initially.

Another contraction came, but she had to check the clock on the wall to see the timing. The contractions were still too far apart and the only reason she'd been given a room was because of her state in the waiting room.

“Ugh, this is taking forever," she moaned. “I need this baby out of me already!"

She toddled back and forth, though nothing seemed to help, not even the breathing exercises. A large exercise ball (or similar) like what she'd had in her birthing classes had been left in there for her. She sat on it, though it shook anxiously under her weight as if it was going to pop, even though it just about held firm. Susan breathed a sigh of relief. That was something, at least.

It didn't do the trick for her comfort level, however, and she was up and walking again. The ache from her feet spread all the way up her legs, her body not used to carrying her weight around for so long. Yet lying down and resting just didn't feel like something she could do was she puffed out her cheeks with air, focusing on breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth for a certain number of seconds. Perhaps the exercise was just not effective enough when she was as bad at counting the seconds as she felt in that moment.

“Oof… Okay, this is going to be fine," she told herself, even as her forehead broke out in a sweat. “I'm going to be okay, I can do this, it's all okay…"

“You're going to need a lot more self-talk than that, dearie," a nurse said as she bustled in, though her cheeks were rosy and there was a kindly smile stretching her lips. “Come now, sit in this chair I've got for you. You've got to save your strength too for when it's time to push, you hear?"

Susan nodded and allowed the nurse to sit her down, though the birthing doctor – she couldn't remember their name after everything. Wasn't that weird? – wouldn't be there until later. Apparently, there was another in the ward on their list who was giving birth before Susan. Susan groaned as she let loose a fart, squirming in her seat where she could not lift a leg to release it. The nurse gave her a look.

“Why, you're a gassy one, aren't you?" She said shrewdly, though as if it was all matter-of-fact to her. “Here now, I'll open a window. You will not be too cold, are you?"

Susan shook her head.

“As long as I won't disturb anyone, that would be great… Agh…"

She huffed as another contraction rolled through her and she glanced at the clock. Had that much time passed since she'd entered the hospital? It'd already been a few hours since her labour had started!

“It'll have to be closed when you start pushing," the nurse said as she fluffed up the pillows behind Susan so she was more comfortable. “But, until then, you've got a lick of fresh air in here, that's lovely."

The window only opened a few inches, as was the case of most hospital windows, though Susan was grateful for any relief she could gain for herself. Settling on the bed, the weight of her stomach lumbered over her midsection, but there was nothing else for her to do until the contractions grew closer together. Only at the last moment would it be time to push.

The doctor came by to check her dilation when it seemed to be taking longer than usual and she broke wind as her gown fluttered around her thighs. The doctor made a face and didn't comment, though Susan caught their eyes watering from the smell.

“Ah, sorry, doctor," she said feebly, though her mind wasn't quite working as it should have been. “It's all…a lot today."

“Better out than in, my girl," they said with a smile, acting professional even as they had to raise their voice over Susan's further farts. “This baby is going to be here in the world soon enough!"

And that was true as her contractions pinched and pushed and she devolved into a sweaty mess on the bed. When the nurse came back to help her up so she could walk around, she let out her loudest fart yet as she hopped clumsily off the bed, though it didn't bother her mind all that much. The nurse laughed and helped her keep her modesty, somewhat, by pinching her gown behind her so her ass wasn't out. It was not as if she was going to have all that much dignity left when she was in the act of giving birth itself, after all.

“Ohhhh…" Susan groaned, shuddering as a bubble of farts popped from her. “No… I think… I think this is it!"

The nurse got her in position with her legs bent and spread so they could easily assist, the birthing doctor back in, though Susan's head swam. Foggy with pain, she wished she'd taken something to lessen the pain as the contractions came with increasing frequency. Every contraction seemed to tense every muscle in her body at once, though none of that made sense.

There was nothing in her birthing books that could have prepared her for that as she gripped someone's hand, sweating profusely as she soaked the gown and the bed. Her hair clung to her face and she screamed, the window now closed, as she bore down, following any instructions she was given. In a moment like that, it was all she could do.

“Push! Now, you have to push!"

She screamed, not wanting to think at all about how she looked, pain rolling through her. Yet it was an expected pain, even if it sent tears streaming down her face, her body aching in places she'd never even considered pain. They'd helped her prop her legs up and yet a part of Susan felt as if she was watching the scene of herself giving birth from a distance.

“Push! Push now!"

She did as they told her, though she didn't really see them around her. She felt her guts churn but was barely even aware of the loud, almost rumbling farts that broke from her. With all the stenches and dirtiness of giving birth, however, they were really by the by for the delivery team, which was one thing, at the very least, that worked in Susan's favour.

She pushed and clenched her jaw against a scream as the biggest contraction yet pushed through her. She bore down against it, feeling something shift inside her, though it was hard to pull any single sensation out from the rest of them.

I've got to do it, come on, I'm so close, come on, just do it, just PUSH!

Susan didn't know she would give birth, however, and none of the excess weight would just fall off, leaving her much thicker than before, flesh looser and more pliable where it had been smooth and tight before. Her appetite would remain, even as her baby emerged, squalling healthily, into the world, and Susan collapsed back to the bedsheets until her baby, wrapped up, was pressed to her chest, in skin-on-skin contact. The moment seemed very quick, but she held them gently in her arms as she was propped up, helped into position and glad of the help.

Everything had changed. She smiled, exhaustion lining every trembling inch of her body, though she was right where she wanted to be, where she needed to be. Even as another fart bubbled from her, wetly, for the mess of childbirth was hardly to be set aside so easily, even afterwards.

Everything came right in the end.

Holding her little one in her arms and leaning back into the pillows, she still yearned to fill her stomach, the rumbling grumbles remaining. No one noticed her passing gas all over again, her bodily changes remaining, despite everything.

In experiences, there would always be something new. Yet Susan had the challenge of her life ahead of her, all as a single mother.