Sympathy

by Jennifer White

 

When Jane got pregnant, her whole life changed. It wasn't just the flood of new hormones giving her mood swings and cravings at odd hours of the night, it was also the way her body changed. She was always a woman who had to struggle to lose weight, and to keep it off. Her husband Kyle seemed to be able to eat and drink all he wanted, with no problem. But if she had one bite of chocolate for dessert, she swore that she gained three pounds.

But now, she was storing weight more and more easily. And she always felt hungry. She didn't want to starve herself, not with the precious life she had growing inside her. So she was gaining a lot of weight, and this made her feel depressed. Many expectant mothers feel depressed about how their body is changing. Yes, your boobs get bigger, but so does your belly, your thighs, you butt...all the things you've worked so hard to keep in shape! And here you are, this blob that can hardly move, hardly do anything. Even just walking makes your back sore.

Sometimes, you get so fed up with being pregnant that you have a moment where you hate the baby for doing it to you, and hate the father for the same reason. These conflicting emotions of course make you feel guilty, and only add fuel to the depression.

"How can I have felt anything but love for the baby?" she thought to herself as she cried. And to make matters worse Kyle had so little understanding of what she was going through.

"You look fine" he said, obviously lying. She could tell when he lied, after living together for ten years. "You'll lose the weight in no time after the baby is born."

Yeah, right. If it took a month of hard work and dieting to lose four pounds, how would she lose the twenty or more she had gained? She felt fat. She felt ugly. She felt unsupported. So it was only natural that she felt depressed. She never wanted to get pregnant, at least not yet. It was Kyle always pushing for he. He just had to be a father. She wanted babies some day, but she wasn't sure that she was ready to put her life on hold yet. But she loved Kyle, so she gave in, went off the pill, and in no time she was pregnant. Now she was suffering the consequences.

 

Jane's friend Amy suggested something to her one day when she came over for a visit.

"So, you're just four weeks away from your due date" she said.

"It can't get here fast enough!" said Jane.

"I know what you mean. I hated that last part. It wasn't the thought of the pain you'll have when you give birth...that is almost a relief! It's what your body is going through."

"Tell me about it! I feel so awful. Like this isn't really my body. I can hardly get in and out of a car anymore. I can't walk. My back aches. And Kyle doesn't even seem to think that its anything at all. He acts like I've just got the flu or something. I can tell he is getting tired of all my whining, but he has no clue what I'm going through!"

"Exactly" said Amy. "When I was carrying our second child, I was getting so fed up with Raymond. He had no clue! But I found this therapist who helped us. You might want to look into it."

"I don't know. I don't need a doctor right now. I need to get this over with! No, I didn't mean that."

"That's ok, I know exactly what you mean. I know just how you feel. You're not the only one to suffer. That's a burden we women have to bear."

Jane nodded.

"But no, this therapist isn't a shrink or anything like that" continued Amy, "she does a couple's therapy that is meant to make your husband understand what it is you're going through."

"And how is that possible?" asked Jane.

"They have this thing now called a 'sympathy vest', which is also sometimes called a pregnancy suit. A man straps it on, and it gives him a realistic bulge in his belly, with the weight and everything. Doctor West makes you go for four or five days together at this private spa. He has to wear the thing the whole weekend, and you get to be pampered with massages and makeovers. And the best thing is that insurance pays for it, so it only costs you your deductible."

"Wow, that sounds fun. What else do you do?"

"Other exercises to grow as a couple, and things to make him understand what it is you're going through. I promise you, he will emerge a changed man, and you'll feel so much better after you get your feet massaged every day, your hair done, your nails....it was so fun!"

"Get me her number. I'm signing us up today!" said Jane.

 

* * *

 

When Kyle got home, Jane told him what they were doing for the weekend, and the following few days.

"But I was going golfing with my buddies" he said.

"This is your child too that I've been carrying for eight months. I've been doing all this extra work. I think that the least you can do is to tell your buddies that you'll go out with them some other time. You need to do this for me. For you. For us."

They debated for a while, but of course women have ways to make sure they win any arguments at home. Jane twisted his arm until he relented. Of course, she only told him what the goals of the 'getaway' were, and did not mention the pregnancy suit. That might have scared him off.

 

Friday after work, they packed their bags. Kyle carried them to the car, since Jane wasn't able to do much more than get herself in (with some struggling...cars are not made for pregnant women!). They drove four hours out into the country, then took route 37 until they saw the signs for the place.

They drove in, registered at the front desk, and were driven by golf cart to their little cottage, which was very cute, and nicely decorated. They unpacked, and went to bed early.

 

* * *

 

In the morning, they ate breakfast at the lodge, then went into the meeting room with the four other couples. A tall red headed woman walked out to the podium, and started to speak to them.

 

"I am Doctor Gloria Janson. I am the director her, and I want to welcome you all!"

There was a smattering of applause.

"You are in for a fun weekend. As you know, our goals here are to bring a greater understanding between husbands and wives, during this critical time in your relationships. You are about to become parents for the first time, and you are going to learn a lot of things in a short time. So welcome, and lets get right down to business!"

 

The women were told to follow Claudio, an Italian hunk who was to escort them to the spa for their massage. The men were instructed to go with Doctor Janson. The loving couples parted, with the women's eyes firmly glued on Claudio's butt, and men gaping at the Doctor's cleavage. Both groups had gone a long time without sex, and both were excited and aroused.

Kyle and the other four men were shown into a smaller room, where they all took seats. There was coffee and doughnuts, which they attacked as they waited for the session to begin. All felt that this was going to be a waste of time, but they did it for their wives.

Finally, a very beautiful woman came on stage. They all gaped at her. She just oozed sex.

"Hello, I am Ashley. I am Doctor Janson's assistant, and I will be working *very* closely with each of you."

The men looked around and grinned at each other. She was a knockout, and they were undecided whether to stare at her long legs or her large breasts.

"Today, you are going to start to gain an understanding of what your wives are going through. To do it, you are going to each be fitted into a 'sympathy vest', which Bob will now model for you."

In walked a man, who immediately looked ridiculous. Over the top of his clothes, he had on a vest which was fastened in the back. The front of the vest was shaped like a pregnant woman's belly, as well as two large mounds for the breasts.

"This sympathy vest is weighted exactly like a pregnant mother, so you will experience not only her difficulty in moving, but the extra weight she has to carry. After wearing this all weekend, you will know what it is she is going through" said Ashley.

"I'm not wearing that thing!" said one man, triggering laughter from the other four guys, who were thinking the very same thing.

"But you have to" said Ashley. "First of all, your wives would all be upset with you if you didn't. And secondly, so would I. You don't want to disappoint *me*, do you?" she said, putting her hand on the man's cheek, her breasts only inches from his face. They could all smell her perfume.

The man stood up, and she led him by the hand into a waiting room. Four other equally attractive women came in, and led away the other four men. Men sometimes needed some 'encouragement' to get going on something like this. And woman have known for ages that sex is one of the best mutilators.

 

* * *

 

So it was that Kyle found himself in a room that looked like a doctor's office. He stripped as the sexy blond had asked him to, down to his underwear. He shivered as he sat on the table, covered with the white paper coming off the roll at the far end. The near end of the table had foot stirrups folded down. He shivered thinking of the women who must lie on their back, and have their legs spread out in those things.

The blond woman, Amanda, returned to the room with something that looked like a suit rack on wheels. There were two black plastic bags covering two large objects, and a hanging clothes bag as well. First, she unzipped the large black plastic bag, revealing the vest.

"All right tiger, lets get this on you" she said. Kyle was reluctant, but when she measured his chest (to properly fit the vest), her hands lingering for too long in certain places, he was like putty in her hands. She put it on him, fastening the straps in back very tight.

"We can't let these slip now, can we?"

She expertly closed the buckles, then sealed the membrane over them, so that his back didn't have any rough edges or zippers exposed. This would prevent the vest from snagging any of his clothes she explained.

Next, she unzipped the second black bag, and pulled out a large skin toned blob of what looked to be rubber. It was shaped like a woman's butt, with pads running down the legs too.

"This simulates the larger butt you get when you're pregnant, and the weight you gain in your thighs" she said.

"That model guy wasn't wearing one of those!" protested Kyle.

"He must have forgot to put it on. But it is a standard thing. Come on, drop your drawers so we can get this on you."

Kyle was embarrassed as she pulled off his boxers, and helped him slip into the thing. It was like putting on shorts, but it took a bit of work to pull up. The top of it attached to the vest, keeping it in place like suspenders do for slacks. He felt silly, and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

"Now for your undies" she said.

Kyle grabbed his boxers, and started to put them on.

"No no dear" said Amanda, who unzipped the garment bag, and pulled out panties and a bra.

"I'm not wearing those!" he said, now clearly upset.

"You have to. You're going to experience what your wife does, and this is part of it. Besides, all of the other guys are wearing them. You don't want to be the only one who is too scared, do you? Are you that insecure about your masculinity? I thought you were braver than that" she said, shaking her head.

As if on cue, he snatched them out of her hand, and quickly pulled them on. He felt somewhat relieved to be covered up in front. She had been staring at him, down there, and it had been making him excited.

"Ooh, he likes that. What a big boy you are" she said, licking her lips.

He hardly protested as she fastened the bra on him, over his large breasts. Now the weight of the breasts pulled on the shoulder straps, which dug into his shoulders. He had never worn a bra before, and it made him feel quite uncomfortable.

"Now you an get dressed up" she said.

He grabbed his pants, but he was too big to get into them. And it was quite a struggle to even get one leg started, because he was so unwieldy now with all the extra weight. His back was already protesting, with twinges of discomfort.

"What am I supposed to do now? I can't go outside like this!" he said.

"Well, I have some maternity clothes here for you too" she said, pulling a dress out of the garment bag. There were also capri pants, and a frilly white top.

"I would recommend the dress. You'll be a lot less constricted, and you'll be more comfortable. Believe me: when I was pregnant, I wouldn't wear anything else.

Kyle reluctantly slipped into the dress. He felt so foolish, dressed up like a girl. He sat on the table, and held his back.

"Is your back sore dear?" asked Amanda.

"Yeah, just a bit" he admitted.

"Here, take two of these. Keep the bottle, and use these when you need to. But not more than four times a day. And remember, anything you take effects your baby. Pregnant women have to deal with that."

 

* * *

 

The five men felt very sheepish as they waited in the first room they had met in. Each was heavy now, looking very pregnant. They were all in dresses, and each felt foolish.

When the wives came back in, led by Claudio, they all lit up with delight. Jane made a big fuss over Kyle, as did the other wives. Each wife had a glowing face, with delight that their husbands were doing this for them. They knew their husbands were squirming, embarrassed to wear a dress, not to mention have the body of a pregnant woman!

 

"It is time for lunch" said Doctor Janson, who led them over to the lunch room. It was hilarious for Jane to watch Kyle struggle to sit down, then to pull himself close enough to the table to be able to eat.

"How do you do it?" he asked, still squirming. Jane just laughed at his plight.

They were served a healthy lunch, with a salad (light dressing on the side), chicken salad sandwiches on whole wheat bread, jello for dessert, and fruit.

"I'd like an iced tea" said Kyle to the waitress serving their table.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but you're pregnant, and the baby can't be exposed to caffeine. How about some water, or some fruit juice?"

Kyle raged for a second at being called "ma'am", but Jane soothed him.

"It's part of the experience Kyle. They are going to treat you like I get treated, so just grit your teeth and bear with it. You're being such a dear. And you look so cute!"

He muttered under his breath. At least she wasn't asking him to pose for pictures.

 

 

After lunch, there were some togetherness exercises. There was a one hour clinic on basic care and feeding of infants, how to change a diaper, and tips on caring for young babies. Next, they were told that they were going to the spa.

Each couple was led by a young woman, to their private room. Both Kyle and Jane received facials, foot massages, and had their legs waxed. Kyle protested a bit, but Jane kept him in line. He didn't realize until too late that when their facial masks were removed, they had their eyebrows waxed too. He yelped at the moment of pain, and was upset when he saw the results in the mirror.

His skin looked smooth and glowing. And he now had thin pretty eyebrows.

"Don't worry honey, they grow right back. It's just for the weekend. Don't you want to understand how I feel?" she asked. He again had to grit his teeth, and go along with this latest torture. He didn't even protest when they did the manicures and the pedicures, with each couple getting matching colors of polish on their nails.

Next, the women had their hair professionally done, while the men were fitted for realistic wigs. When it was done, both the husbands and the wives had stylish, pretty hair. Kyle's back was aching again, so he took another one of the pills that Amanda had given him. Was that three or four so far? He had lost count.

 

* * *

 

The men did a little better at eating dinner, after their practice at lunch. Their worst experiences of the afternoon (other than having makeovers, and getting their faces prettied up), was when they had to drive to the 'store' to buy supplies. It was impossible to get into a car and drive, when you're that big and pregnant. It was quite a struggle, and each left with a great appreciation of their wives and what they were able to do.

All were tired after the long day, and were eager to get some sleep. But they didn't realize how difficult even that would be. First of all, it was almost impossible to find a comfortable position with the large belly that Kyle had. He had to lie on his back, but every time he tried to roll over, he woke up.

And then there was the part when he woke up at 4:30, and he felt so hungry! They had only fed them light food all day, and he was starving. He wanted...pickles. He felt so hungry for one, he just had to get one. He got up, walked to the fridge in the cabin, and munched on some pickles that were in the jar there. After four of them, he felt satisfied.

He had to sit on the toilet to go now, because his belly was so big he couldn't see what he was doing down below. He grumbled as he got back into the bed, and tried to get more sleep.

 

* * *

 

Kyle woke up bleary eyed from such a poor night's sleep. No wonder Jane was so grumpy in the morning. He didn't realize how hard it was to sleep while pregnant. He was beginning to appreciate some of the trials and tribulations that she had to go through each day.

While eating breakfast with all the other couples (the men all looked equally bleary eyed), he felt something strange.

"Jane, come here. Feel this!" he said, putting her hand on his now greatly enlarged tummy.

"I think your baby is kicking!" she said.

"Wow, this thing is more realistic than I had imagined. I thought it was just some rubber thing, but there must be electronics inside it or something."

 

After breakfast, they went back to the cottage to clean up. Because Kyle looked so bad from the poor nights sleep, he relented and allowed Jane to put makeup on his face. She expertly hid the dark circles under his eyes, put on some blush to give him a healthy glow, and used eye liner along with mascara to draw attention to his eyes, which she thought were his best feature. Little did he know, but the women had been instructed to do this, so that the men would have to understood what they went through each day, trying to remain pretty while carrying their children.

 

All made up and ready to go, they returned to the meeting room where they started on their next set of exercises. The speakers were interesting, and they both learned a lot. Then it was time to go to the spa, for massages. They both enjoyed it immensely.

"Can I go in the hot tub now?" asked Kyle.

"Not while you're pregnant you can't. It wouldn't be good for the baby. And you have to watch your blood pressure too."

"Aw, I can't do a lot of the things I want to do!" he said.

It began to sink in that Jane had been going through that for months now.

 

* * *

 

During the afternoon sessions, Kyle was overcome with an urge to go get some chocolate to snack on. He couldn't get it out of his mind. He excused himself, saying he had to go to the potty. But he snuck over to the vending machine, pulled a dollar bill out of the purse he had to carry now (with all of the things like Jane had to drag along day to day), and bought a milky way bar. He never was a big fan of chocolate, but for some reason, he just had to have one.

He was scarfing it down, when another one of the men came over to the same machine.

"Hey Kyle" said the man.

"Hey yourself Bill" he replied.

To an outside observer, it would have been funny to see two men who looked like pregnant women talking to each other as if they were still guys.

"Man, I'm just dying for some sweets. I need some chocolate." said Bill.

"I just felt the same thing. I snuck out so I could get my own fix."

"That's funny, we both had the same urge."

"And I needed pickles last night. I got out of bed to get them. I was glad they had some in the fridge."

"Me too! Something is going on here."

They slung their purses over their shoulders, and walked side by side back to the classroom. Once inside, they confronted the teacher.

"What's going on? We both had an urge last night to eat pickles, and now today we both suddenly had a craving for chocolate. What gives?"

"Well" said the instructor, "in order to simulate what your wives are going through, we added a few special ingredients to the juice you drank at your first meal here. It triggered something in your brain, to tell you that you needed a specific food. A pregnant women's body may be low on something like salt, and she'll suddenly get an overwhelming urge to eat salty popcorn, or crackers. You're feeling the same thing now, so when your wife wakes you up at 4am and asks for something strange, you'll understand and be able to sympathize with her."

"What else was in the drinks? I don't feel right" said one of the guys.

"How so?" replied the teacher.

"I was so upset last night, then I felt so happy. I'm not an emotional guy, but I'm having these mood swings."

"Ah, you've discovered the other ingredient. We added in a few chemicals that mimic some of the hormones that women are bombarded with during pregnancy. All five of you men will find that you are now every bit as emotional as your wives. You will understand what I mean when little things that would normally be insignificant become unbearable hurdles, or huge victories. You will experience for the first time what your wife has felt for months and months. And remember, you're just getting a small taste of it; it is much harder for her. Be glad you're not getting all the hormones she has raging through her body at this moment!"

There was a lot of muttering. Kyle didn't like it that they had done something like that to him, without telling him about it. He felt very upset. How could they do that to him? He started to cry.

"Don't cry dear, you'll smudge your makeup."

"I can't help it" said Kyle, unable to reign in his emotions, or control himself.

"But you've told me not to cry, and expected me to just stop" said Jane.

"This is hard! I can't do this anymore! I want to stop" he said.

"There there, there there" said Jane, patting him sympathetically.

 

* * *

 

By the third day, Kyle's back was really killing him. He started taking more of the pain pills, even though he knew he wasn't supposed to. This just hurt too much. He felt bloated, and miserable. It was hard to do everything. Just sitting up, or walking across the room was a major task. He didn't know how his wife did it.

He felt confused and awash in a sea of emotions. He didn't know whether to be happy, sad, or both at the same time. But he talked to his wife, and they really started to communicate at a level they never head reached before. He had to admit that they were never this close before, in all their lives.

 

They were back at the classroom, learning about yoga exercises that they could do to help with critical muscles like those in the lower back, but in a safe way that didn't bring up the heart rate too high, or do anything to endanger the baby.

While doing some stretches, Kyle suddenly cried out in pain.

"I must have pulled something! Ow! I really hurt!"

"Show me where" said the yoga teacher.

Kyle started to point but suddenly, the pain went away.

"It must have just been a cramp. I feel fine now" he said.

The class continued on, but some minutes later, he had the same pain again. It was like no muscle pull he ever had before. This was more intense, and came from a spot where he didn't even know he had muscles.

Again, it lasted for a while, then went away. He decided to sit out the rest of the class, and just sip some water to rehydrate. But while watching Jane, he was hit with yet *another* cramp. He decided that he had to go to the infirmary.

They brought a wheelchair, and rolled him into the waiting room. Jane was at his side, and held his hand as they waited. Again, he almost yelled out loud as the pain struck him again.

 

"Doctor, I'm getting these awful cramps. The pain is terrible!" he said.

"How often are you getting them?" she asked.

"Well, at first they were several minutes apart. But now it seems like they are coming faster and faster. Ow!"

He recoiled with the latest shock of pain.

 

"Nurse, prepare delivery room three. Get an epidural ready. Get Doctor Green."

The doctor turned to the couple.

"Dr. Green is the head OB-GYN on staff here. She will help deliver the baby. We'll get you to the delivery room, and get you all set. We need to see how far you've dilated."

"But I'm a..." started Kyle.

"You're about to give birth, and you need to listen to us, or else it will be a lot more painful for you. Now get back into your wheelchair, and we'll get you to delivery."

 

Kyle was wheeled down the hall to the delivery room. He saw Ted, another one of the guys coming into the room at the end of the hall. So, they must all be going through this. It must be some exercise to simulate what the wives will go through for when they have their baby. All right, but did the pain have to be this intense?

 

* * *

 

Kyle sat in the delivery room, with his legs spread wide in the stirrups. His contractions were getting closer and closer now, and Doctor Green said the baby would come at any time now.

"Push! Push! Come on, you're almost there! I can see the head!" she said, trying to encourage him. He was now covered with sweat, exhausted and spent. Jane help his hand and gave encouragement.

"Breathe! Remember the Lamaze class we did together! Breathe!"

He felt another painful contraction, and a new pain, a stretching feeling. He must be delirious; he could feel something starting to come out between his legs.

"That's it, keep going, you're almost there!" said Doctor Green. There was one final giant push, where he strained with all his might, then suddenly there was a release. He heard a slap, then a scream. the scream of a tiny baby.

"Congratulations, it's a girl!" said the nurse.

"You're a mommy!" said the Doctor, cutting the umbilical cord, and handing the screaming infant over to Kyle. It was wrapped in a towel, and was the most realistic baby doll he had ever seen. He held it like a baby, and was amazed to see it moving. He touched it, and it was warm! This wasn't any mechanical doll, it was a real baby! He looked up to Jane, amazed.

He was even more shocked when Jane undid her surgical scrubs she was wearing, and took of a 'sympathy vest', like he had been wearing. She wasn't pregnant after all! He was really confused now, and upset.

"Jane, you're not..."

"No my dear, not any more. After the first day here, when I found out what they could do, I changed my mind and took the more expensive option. After the first day, while you slept, they performed a little procedure on us. We transferred the baby into you, along with my reproductive system. When you recovered, we made you think you had just been here one day. But it was a month."

"You carried the baby for the last month of the pregnancy, and gave birth to it. I know, it's hard to believe, but look what you just did! You're the mommy, and I was able to work out at the spa, and get my body into the shape I've always dreamed of. And as soon as you're ready, we'll have another baby, so she can have a sister. Won't that be wonderful? You always said you wanted a big family. Both of our dreams have come true now."

"So I...."

"Yes, you're a functioning woman now. We froze a good sample of your sperm, so we can inseminate you, and you can get pregnant again. Unless you'd rather find another man for the father. Once you go through a full pregnancy, I think you'll really understand what it means."

Kyle was in a state of shock, and didn't even notice the technicians cleaning up the afterbirth. He wasn't really a 'he' anymore! He was a woman! He had just given birth. Impossible! But it had to be true.

When they pulled the baby away from him to clean up some more, he felt like crying. He just had to be near it. He felt so anxious that someone else was holding it. He was so upset.

"Give me my baby back" he demanded.

"In a moment. We're just cleaning her up. What are you going to name her?"

Kyle looked at Jane, who nodded back to him.

"We were going to go with Kelli" he said, "but she looks more like a Christine to me. What do you think dear?"

"I think that Christine is a wonderful name."

"Christine" it is, said the Doctor, filling in the birth certificate.

 

* * *

 

Kyle and Jane took baby Christine home, and began the long process of nurturing her, and watching her grow up. It was just four months later when Jane started the treatments on Kyle, who soon became pregnant again. He knew what he faced for the next nine months.

Jane had told him that she wanted him to keep his name, even though he was a woman now too. But he felt so wrong being called by that name when he was out shopping, or hanging around with his girlfriends. He had decided that it was time to change his name legally, and he decided that *he* was the one who should be called Kelli. And then he could legally change his gender too. He was tired of being called a man, when he knew he wasn't. He really didn't have anything to do with men anymore.

"Jane" he said, "From today on, I want you to start calling me Kelli. And I want you to start referring to me as 'she' and 'her'. I'm not a man, and I don't like being treated like one."

"Yes dear" she said.

Kelli read the family section of the news paper, and sat back. She wondered what color they should paint the room for the next baby. Blue for a boy, or pink? If she gave birth to a boy, they'd have to try again so that Christine would have a little sister. She smiled, and sighed. She was feeling the glow of early pregnancy, and all was right in her world.

  

  

  

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