"Baby Bump"

Very high on my list of things that I hate is the term "baby bump." Why, why, why does this term exist? It is constantly printed in publications like Us Weekly, on blogs like popsugar.com, and even on eonline.com and the Huffington Post. It's obviously a product of celebrity-obsession and its strange subgroup, celebrity pregnancy obsession, but it just sounds so stupid. I'm not sure who coined the term, but every time it is used I feel like the piece was written by a giggling teenager who got a 450 on the verbal portion of her SATs. (I realize I have dated myself in that last statement, because apparently the SATs are now graded on a scale of 2400, rather than 1600, but...oh well.)

Can't these publications add some variety (and maturity) their terminology? Perhaps we can look at a pregnant belly? Or maybe we can just say that someone is showing? Or that it appears they may be pregnant? Would that be so awful? Instead it's all baby bump this and "Bump Watch" that. Is it supposed to be cute? And if so, why? Why is pregnancy something that is supposed to be adorable? Is the term supposed to be witty? Because repeating an inane phrase in every pregnancy story you write is not the definition of wit. Are they just really big fans of Fergie and feel that because "baby bump" rhymes with "lady lump" they must use the term ad nauseum?

I realize that the target audience of these publications includes teens and pre-teens, but sites like popsugar and the Huffington Post are looking at my demographic as well, right? I know that I would never use the term "baby bump" in conversation, and I can't imagine anyone I know doing so. I understand that celebrity pregnancy is somehow trendy, but enough already. Trendy does not have to equal inane.

Of course, once that baby bump turns into an actual baby, the parents will be "over the moon." And you all know how I feel about that.