It's funny how people treat you differently in pregnancy.
For one, people stare at me now. Openly. With no shame. They stare directly at my enlarged belly, then some move up to the mounds above said belly. Sorry to disappoint, people, but they're only a large B to begin with and they're probably a half-decent C right now. Nothing to write home about (I don't know how you'd right home about that, either: "Hey Maw, I saw a big pair o' titties on a pregnant lady today. Have you made any jam yet this year? How's uncle Ned's back?) I'm not carrying around double Fs. I'll get to a D when InUtero Boy is born, but that's probably it. I don't think I'll ever get a job on lactatinghooters.com (and if that's a real website, I wont' be surprised).
I was in the doctor's office yesterday and had yet another rude gender comment thrown about. I brought the boys to my prenatal and they were active, but not pull-my-hair-out misbehaving. This woman said to me, loudly 'I bet you're hoping this one's a girl, eh?'
Right in front of my kids, who stopped and listened. Grr.
I said 'It's a boy, actually' with the biggest smile I could muster and hiding my clenched fists behind my abundant waist.
'Oh NO!' she exclaimed. 'Next time, I guess'.
Did I mention she said this right in front of my beautiful boys? Look, I can deal with people's skewed views on gender and their wonky stereotypes (and I hear that people with all girls get similar comments), but I don't think my children need to hear about how bringing a third penis-carrying child into the family is somehow a bad thing.
People feel they can comment on absolutely everything to a pregnant woman. Probably because they know they can run faster.
Another thing... This morning I woke up, had a shower, got dressed and put on my wedding ring before going to Tim Hortons for a morning coffee fix. Why did I put on my wedding ring? Because people always look at my left hand when I'm pregnant. I got this a lot when we were unwed and pregnant with Intrepid. And while I tell myself that I'm not a traditionalist and that we got married because we wanted to celebrate our love and our new baby and that over half of marriages end in divorce and that I don't care whether people are married or not... I think that insecure part of me still wants to display the sign that I am, indeed, traditional on some level. Look! Look! I fit in with you suburban, classist people. Even though I don't want to join your elitist little group, I could if I wanted to. So there.
Must examine that part of me further. This is not a good thing. I am much too foward thinking for that. I'm the ex-welfare recipient, recovering alcoholic/addict, listen-to-rap-music-in-my-minivan, think-outside-the-box woman. Right? RIGHT?! What is wrong with me? Insecurity is ten shades of suck.
When I put on said wedding ring, I jokingly said to Geekster 'Oops! Can't forget this. Don't want people to hit on me'. And that's funny in itself. See, the irony is this: Nobody looks at me in that way when I'm pregnant. At least not openly. And you'd think in some weird way that I might get hit on more.
After all, I have an obvious sign that I put out.
Somebody should come up with a maternity shirt that says 'Dirty Girl: for qualifications, please see stomach'.
Hrmm... my idea + cafepress t-shirts = profit. Although it would be a small profit, because I'd probably be the only one who would wear that shirt. With my wedding ring on, of course.
For one, people stare at me now. Openly. With no shame. They stare directly at my enlarged belly, then some move up to the mounds above said belly. Sorry to disappoint, people, but they're only a large B to begin with and they're probably a half-decent C right now. Nothing to write home about (I don't know how you'd right home about that, either: "Hey Maw, I saw a big pair o' titties on a pregnant lady today. Have you made any jam yet this year? How's uncle Ned's back?) I'm not carrying around double Fs. I'll get to a D when InUtero Boy is born, but that's probably it. I don't think I'll ever get a job on lactatinghooters.com (and if that's a real website, I wont' be surprised).
I was in the doctor's office yesterday and had yet another rude gender comment thrown about. I brought the boys to my prenatal and they were active, but not pull-my-hair-out misbehaving. This woman said to me, loudly 'I bet you're hoping this one's a girl, eh?'
Right in front of my kids, who stopped and listened. Grr.
I said 'It's a boy, actually' with the biggest smile I could muster and hiding my clenched fists behind my abundant waist.
'Oh NO!' she exclaimed. 'Next time, I guess'.
Did I mention she said this right in front of my beautiful boys? Look, I can deal with people's skewed views on gender and their wonky stereotypes (and I hear that people with all girls get similar comments), but I don't think my children need to hear about how bringing a third penis-carrying child into the family is somehow a bad thing.
People feel they can comment on absolutely everything to a pregnant woman. Probably because they know they can run faster.
Another thing... This morning I woke up, had a shower, got dressed and put on my wedding ring before going to Tim Hortons for a morning coffee fix. Why did I put on my wedding ring? Because people always look at my left hand when I'm pregnant. I got this a lot when we were unwed and pregnant with Intrepid. And while I tell myself that I'm not a traditionalist and that we got married because we wanted to celebrate our love and our new baby and that over half of marriages end in divorce and that I don't care whether people are married or not... I think that insecure part of me still wants to display the sign that I am, indeed, traditional on some level. Look! Look! I fit in with you suburban, classist people. Even though I don't want to join your elitist little group, I could if I wanted to. So there.
Must examine that part of me further. This is not a good thing. I am much too foward thinking for that. I'm the ex-welfare recipient, recovering alcoholic/addict, listen-to-rap-music-in-my-minivan, think-outside-the-box woman. Right? RIGHT?! What is wrong with me? Insecurity is ten shades of suck.
When I put on said wedding ring, I jokingly said to Geekster 'Oops! Can't forget this. Don't want people to hit on me'. And that's funny in itself. See, the irony is this: Nobody looks at me in that way when I'm pregnant. At least not openly. And you'd think in some weird way that I might get hit on more.
After all, I have an obvious sign that I put out.
Somebody should come up with a maternity shirt that says 'Dirty Girl: for qualifications, please see stomach'.
Hrmm... my idea + cafepress t-shirts = profit. Although it would be a small profit, because I'd probably be the only one who would wear that shirt. With my wedding ring on, of course.