I've been told by more than one person that I should enjoy the perks of being pregnant - namely, all of this extra attention. To be perfectly honest with you, I actually find it a bit annoying.
I have found people to be extra-nice to me, asking me how I'm feeling, and paying a heck of a lot more attention to me than they ever did before. I don't like it one bit. You might think that this sounds completely crazy, but the way I look at it is that I'm still the same person. So unless I'm wearing some sort of magic potion that makes everyone love me all of a sudden, I am VERY suspicious of all of this sudden attention.
Another thing that bugs me is that people seem to think that I'm in some fragile state. At work, people ask me every day how I'm feeling. I'm starting to wonder if I'm looking really sick or miserable or something, because I haven't felt like crap since my first trimester ended and since I got over the cold marathon that followed.
Besides that, whenever people at work see me carrying something heavy, they always try to grab the load from me or refuse to let me carry any heavy stuff when I offer to carry say a laptop or a projector. Little do they realize that I walk 2-3 km to work every morning with a gigantic backpack, and walk back from the grocery store each week with 2 bags and a backpack. Tsk tsk...
I've also had people open doors for me more often now that I'm pregnant. This really bothers me for some reason, especially when people give me the sympathetic "oh, you're pregnant" look. Ugh. I haven't yet had someone give up their seat for me on the subway, which is a quasi-relief to me. I feel fine right now (maybe I won't be saying this when I look like I swallowed a beachball a couple of months down the road), so I really don't want people giving up their seats for me. I think that the only reason why nobody gives up their seat for me on the subway is because you can't tell that I'm pregnant when I wear a jacket. I'm sure that won't last for long, but hopefully summer will be here soon so that I won't have to worry about whether or not I can fit into my jacket.
I'm such a whiner, eh? ;-)
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1 comment:
Ah Indy, sometimes your blog just makes me sigh. Not everyone has to be a Pollyanna, but I just can't identify with the negativity.
You *are* asking for special treatment when it comes to your work arrangements because you want something outside of the "norm". I'm not saying you shouldn't do that, but why then turn around and be suspicious (suspicious!) of perfectly lovely gestures from those around you just because it's "special treatment"?
Frankly, I'd be disturbed if nobody at least offered a noticeably pregnant woman a seat on the subway (Besides, it's healthier not to spend time just standing on your feet, plus it's safer to be sitting down.)
Isn't it a *good* sign that people respect motherhood and want to support you? YOU can decide to let it make you feel helpless or respected and loved.
Sorry, I'm really not trying to be judgmental; I guess I'm feeling we don't hear enough of the positives on the blog. I'm all about sharing the good and the bad -- I'm just feeling today that I'm not hearing anything like a balance. But maybe that's just your experience with pregnancy... in which case, all I can say is that I'm sorry.
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