I think "bun in the oven" is kinda cute. I've never been a big fan of the "p" word myself - why can't the English language come up with something with the sublime quality of, say, "enciente?"

But the again why is Broadsheet so concerned about a non-existent presidential baby when we should be talking about the California octuplets instead?

I just knew that the next "thing" would be a pregnant Obama mama to keep the hype alive! I mean, now that the historical and hysterical Inauguration is over and the actually dull reporting of this country's problems continues, there has to be SOMETHING new or else the media just can freakin' stand it!

And how this woman is "a star" is beyond me. Her clothes are NOT that appropriate OR stylish thus far(Jackie Kennedy references must have Jackie spinning in her grave! Jackie would never have been caught dead in that black busy printed picnic garb Michelle Obama wore the day after the Inauguration to the National Church service!)

And with all that Ivy League education and so forth, I expect more from her than to get pregnant. I mean, don't we have enough teenagers out here breeding because they think it's "so cool" or for whatever reason of the day they are breeding?

This county's problems deserve sober and sincere treatment by Barack Obama - not some sensational bullshit hype to distract through a White House pregnancy!

I'm not faulting Broadsheet for covering this, but I'm so sick of the whole "baby bump" thing. All the speculation about celebrity pregnancy in general is so. incredibly. tedious. Almost as boring as the breastfeeding-in-public debate. Makes me long for the fifties, when it was taboo to utter the word "pregnant" on the teevee and movie stars very carefully stage-managed their images and were fiercely protective of their privacy.

But all the comments expressing hope that this imaginary child will be a boy--they kind of bother me a bit, you know? As if two daughters, no matter how delightful, could never possibly be enough.

Or possibly British. They've been using the term "bump" for a long time (though I never heard "baby bump").

The voyeruism can go, sure. I always liked "bump" though... its better than talking about how the expectant mother is "fat" or "huge".

voyeurism is another matter. First Lady or not, Michelle Obama is a human being and should be allowed to settle into her new role without another woman (TC-F) speculating on what is essentially Michelle Obama's private life. Maybe it's not believed that she should have any privacy at all. The late Princess Diana found out all about that attitude.

Anybody check out his "baby-bump" lately? He's about ready to give birth to a baby whale.

I'm not too crazy about "baby bump" either, but let's face it, for as long as the English (or any other) language has been in existence, slang terms have co-existed with "real" words when it comes to certain aspects of human anatomy/psychology/behavior. We make up less clinical, less "threatening" terms for all manner of phenomena that for whatever reason we feel uncomfortable talking about in "real" terminology.

Of course, sometimes the slang words are more, rather than less, "acceptable" than the actual words, but let's not go there right now.

Slang, argot, colloquialisms, etc., are part of our culture and no amount of PC-ism will wish them away!

This brings to mind Dave Barry's admonition: never ask a woman if she's pregnant until you see the baby actually emerging from her body.

I put up this poll: (linkback) Yes or No? Obama baby bump watch begins - think Michelle Obama is pregnant? [VOTE] - http://www.thriveorfail.com/dc76c

I thought the same thing when I saw her in that one-shoulder ball gown, and then it occurred to me to switch the ratio on my wide-screen TV back to 3:4 (i.e. "normal").

Without the TV's stretching effect she doesn't look pregnant at all.

"Now everyone's talking about it,..."

This is the first I've heard of it.

A woman in Los Angeles had octuplets. I suppose that's as marginally interestin as a Romanian woman having a baby in her sixties in 2004/05. Having babies didn't seem to have been such a spectator sport until brainless gossip-writers decided to make it so. I think the last baby born in the White House was Patrick Kennedy, son of President Kennedy and Jackie. The infant lived for only a brief time.

"Why do we need all of our high-profile women to be constantly pregnant?"

Ha, excellent point. I remember thinking way back when Britney got pregnant that a baby would be the new Hollywood accessory - forget Hermes or teeny dogs!

That said, I'm a troglodytic childless specimen :(

instead of worrying about a non-existant baby bump, how bout talking about the disgustingly racist smear by Fox News pundit Juan Williams on Michelle Obama, he called her "Stokley Charmichael in a designer dress" and said that her first instinct was to "blame America"

http://mediamatters.org/items/200901270002

What kind of fools are making up these rumors?? The woman is 45 years old! She's already got two kids! Why do we need all of our high-profile women to be constantly pregnant? This is ridiculous!

I sure am glad I'm never photographed by the tabloids; I've had one of those "baby bumps" for 27 years straight.

This pornification of pregnancy is a decidedly female sport. So although you may say everyone is watching.....let's be clear it's not everyone....it's the sisterhood.

I seriously doubt that Mrs. Obama is pregnant, and I should hope she would know the difficulties of having children after the age of 40.

People who use the term "Baby Bump" are just inherently vicious, idle, and jealous gossip mongers who have nothing better to do than watch the midsection of no-name celebrities.

It is an insulting and demeaning term, and it should be eradicated from the language-like the term "Preggers."

While I'm a feminist from way back, there are certain human conditions that shouldn't be diminished by cutesy, stupid terms.

Would you call cancer the "those bad cells", if it were less threatening? Of course not.