Quincy
Jeremy Kern said:I'd say some people definitely see it that way too.
It actually caught me off guard when someone just stared straight at my stomach, practically measuring it with their eyes—zero discretion. I can tell from across a room if someone is looking at me while I'm chatting with a guy or whoever else, but honestly? I've looked at pregnant women before, but never like *that*. Not like I'd never seen a human body before.🤷
Good grief, they do that constantly back in my hometown! 🤦 The other day, my mom and I were out for a stroll when we ran into this old lady standing right outside the grocery store, just staring intensely at my stomach like she’d never encountered a pregnant woman in her entire life. If my mom hadn't given me a little nudge to hurry things along, that woman would have heard every single thought running through my head. Honestly, that kind of blatant staring has always rubbed me the wrong way, but now that my bump is getting impossible to hide, it’s becoming a constant source of irritation. 🙂
Quincy
Betty Davis93 said:I really need to jump in on what Tika said here...
It’s not even the belly touching that bothers me—I actually don't mind that part—but just like you mentioned, it’s my mom that gets to me. When she starts poking at my stomach, it's such aggressive tapping that I honestly start worrying about what's going to happen once the baby is actually born 😁
I felt too awkward to say anything, though. Since the baby is everyone's grandchild, I figured it was better to just stay quiet rather than start an unnecessary argument right now, especially when I have enough on my plate as it is...
My due date is November 22nd, and honestly, the most frustrating thing has been the sheer lack of manners from people lately. You see someone who is clearly, visibly pregnant, and instead of being respectful or letting you go ahead of them, they'll actually race you to the register at Target just to cut in line
And then there's the judgment whenever I pick something out for the little one. People act like, "Oh, why would you need that? Someone else will bring it to you." Okay, fine—I guess I'll just wait two months for someone to show up at my house and buy me exactly what I actually need... whatever...
On top of all that, I woke up this morning and just cried my eyes out like it was a monsoon. I've been up since 6 AM because my hands were so swollen and numb I couldn't sleep at all. My husband and I ended up having to rush to the jeweler just so they could cut my wedding ring off my finger... *sniff*... at least the engagement ring stayed on intact...
It’s the same old story every single time. Whenever I express even the slightest interest in buying something, I get hit with that predictable lecture—"Oh, don't bother," "Why do you need that?" or the classic, "Someone will just bring you one when they visit." Honestly, just let me live. If I decide I want to buy something, then I’m going to buy it, plain and simple. If someone happens to bring me one later, fine, I’ll take it; if they don't, it doesn't matter because I already have mine!
Quincy
Charles Reyes3 said:-Eat more!
-How much are you actually eating?
-Your belly looks pretty big already...
-Maybe you should check your blood sugar levels just in case?!
-Don't eat that... please don't drink that.
-I had such a tiny bump back then; I was already on maternity leave by my fourth month, yet here you are at six months and still working hard.
-You should dress a bit warmer (even in the middle of summer 😲)
-I remember chatting with a coworker about pregnancy once, specifically about how sore my breasts were and those intense monthly cramps... 🙂
-The absolute worst moment was when an older colleague went to our manager and suggested they hire her daughter instead of me—just because I’m pregnant and they needed someone to fill my spot while I'm out on leave. I was right at the point where I expected a permanent contract offer! I honestly can't believe someone would think of that. To go against someone you work with like that... I get that she wants better for her daughter, but man, I'm pregnant and navigating this without a partner, and she's basically trying to engineer my exit. It's hard to wrap my head around how anyone could be that cruel and wish ill on someone just so their own kin can get ahead.
I never had any issues with people being affectionate toward my bump; one of my coworkers used to rub my belly all the time.
As for public transit, I’ve actually had quite a few positive experiences. On the bus, I find that the teenagers are usually the ones who jump up to give me a seat more often than the older folks or people in their 30s and 40s.
The only truly awful experience I had was on a crowded bus when a soldier standing next to me tapped a woman in her 40s on the shoulder, asking her to let me sit down since I'm pregnant and carrying grocery bags. She just snapped back at him, "It's not my fault she spread her legs." That was absolutely disgusting.
I haven't had to wait in a line since my bump started showing. I can't even remember the last time I stood in a queue.
Since my job requires me to run errands at places like Chase or Starbucks or the local Post Office, people almost always let me go ahead of everyone else. Or, at the very least, they make sure there's a chair available for me to sit in.
It’s always those first two people who start in on you—it's constant. But honestly, nothing gets under my skin quite like when they start commenting on how much I'm eating, especially since I'm barely even eating properly. I haven't had a massive meal since I found out I was pregnant, and I don't exactly have these wild, specific cravings either... I just eat normally. But the moment someone walks through the door and starts nitpicking my plate, it completely ruins my appetite. Everything just turns sour.
And as for that belly size—it’s always the same story whenever my dad’s aunt drops by. She shows up once or twice a week, and every single time it's the same dramatic routine: "Oh my goodness, look at you, your stomach is getting bigger every single day!" Honestly, who cares? So what if it is! It’s just like how your hair turns gray every morning when you wake up; I’m certainly not going to waste my breath pointing that out to you.
And this is exactly what happens at work... just awful. My situation wasn't identical, but it was close enough to feel just as toxic. It wasn't that she was trying to baby me, per se, but she started acting like such a martyr every single time she stepped foot into the office. She basically forced me into working an entirely different shift just to accommodate her, because apparently, since she’s a woman who works from home, she absolutely needs her afternoons free—as if I don't have a life of my own, or anything! To make matters worse, before I even had the chance to tell the boss about my pregnancy, she was constantly hovering over me with these grim warnings, saying things like, "Oh, he’s definitely going to fire you; you better start preparing for that." And then, when she heard that the guy from the other department had left, she didn't offer any sympathy; instead, she just told me to go ahead and throw it all away, implying I was just going to ruin my entire life by having a child. It’s honestly exhausting.