Couvade syndrome

Quite a few weeks ago Jon complained that he wasn't feeling too good. I assumed it was just a "man cold" but he assured me it was much more along the strains of "man flu." He felt sick, was exhausted, and lightheaded. Hmmmm, sounds like someone else in this house. So I did a little research and found the following in one credible piece of literature, "What to Expect When Your Wife is Expanding":
Couvade syndrome is a psychosomatic condition also known as sympathetic pregnancy. Its male victim suffers from all the symptoms of pregnancy. In the most serious cases, his belly will actually swell. In less serious cases he will simply suffer from morning sickness and general crankiness.
Now I don't know about your house, but in our digs, there's only room for one preggo. Thankfully, Jon's "symptoms" only lasted a few days. Perhaps he followed the advice of Thomas Hill, author of "WtEWYWiE" and a self-proclaimed "Registered Father" when he said, "The best way to avoid a sympathetic pregnancy is to not be too sympathetic." Now that I think about it, he did tell me recently that he thought I was whining more this pregnancy than the last one. But that's only because he's remembering the fun, glory days of Jack's gestation. I'm sure I was just as ornery during the first half as I am during this one.
In defense of my baby daddy I have been feeling a bit more sympathetic to his situation. It must be very difficult to have to "weigh in" periodically for your job (and have your employment reviews depend upon your physical fitness) when you're married to a woman who has spent the last 20 months, and at least the next year or so, either pregnant or nursing. My metabolism has always been much faster than Jon's, but I'm sure he doesn't enjoy watching me relish all those necessary additional calories with so much ease. How would you like to watch movies with a girl who's sipping on the biggest homemade chocolate milkshake! Or be restricted to only one piece of pizza while your wife is going strong on her fourth. Or constantly be requested to pick up a candy bar "while you're out." Yeah, it must be rough. But I'm quite sure, given the choice, my husband would much rather count calories while watching me suffer from morning sickness for 2 months, deliver a child, and get up at all hours of the night to nurse ... than switch places with me. And personally, I'd much rather be in my position. The more I live, the more obvious it is to me why God chose woman to have babies. :)