Area Man Achieves Pregnancy Empathy After Trying on a Weighted Pregnancy Suit

Chicago, IL - After weeks and months of working toward a more complete picture of his wife's many pregnancy metamorphoses, Nathan Nordlund now claims to have achieved "Pregnancy Empathy." The epiphany occurred on Saturday, December 16th at a Prepared Pregnancy class offered by their hospital. Directly preceding a 10-minute break in the 7-hour class, the instructor directed the group's attention to a 25-pound nude-colored body suit scientifically proportioned to simulate the extra weight endured by a woman in late pregnancy.

"I knew I wanted to try it on the second I saw it," Nordlund said. "But I played it cool and hung back until some of the other guys tried it out first." As one man stood wearing the suit, his pregnant partner smirked and dropped a pen on the floor in front of him, challenging him to pick it up. "You'd think that would make me reluctant to face the same embarrassment in front of a group of strangers, but no, that just made me want to try it even more!"

When it came to his turn, Nordlund inspected the suit and noticed its surprising weight and realistic appearance. "It had breasts and a definitely pregnant-looking belly. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I was helped into the suit. Once they got the adjustable velcro straps in place, it was like bam, I opened my eyes and it was like I was a pregnant person, even though I knew in my head that I was just a guy wearing a carefully-made pregnancy simulation suit."

Nordlund noticed that all the normal, everyday actions became a lot harder, like getting up from a sitting position and feeling extra weight continuously compressing his bladder. "But it went further than that," Nordlund explained. "I felt the emotional weight of pregnancy as well, and it was such a reponsibility! But at the same time, it was, like, so fulfilling! I can't really explain it, except by saying that for the 5 minutes I spent carrying that symbolic weight, it made all the pain worthwhile."

According to his pregnant wife, Barbara Nordlund, Nathan now thinks he knows everything she's going through. "I'm glad he had the chance to put on the suit, but he's taking it too far. He'll say things like, 'Isn't pregnancy heartburn so weird? I mean, it's like regular heartburn, only different. I just can't really explain how. I mean, you have to experience it to know what I'm talking about.' And it kind of weirds me out when he says, 'I'm doing my Kegels, are you?' I think I liked it better when he assumed he could never fully understand my experience. I liked the suit thing at first, but I kind of hate it now."