Monday, April 26, 2010

She's either pregnant or trying to shoplift a soccer ball under her shirt

Another milestone in pregnancy-ville: last week, for the first time, a stranger noticed I'm pregnant. I was helping a woman who had come into my office when she suddenly asked, "When are you due?" My first thought was: "September." And my second thought was: "Boy, are you brave!"

Because, I don't know about you, but I pretty much won't ask a woman I don't know about her pregnancy unless a) she's wearing a T-shirt proclaiming her current state or b) the baby is crowning while she breathes through the labor pains. Anything else is just risky.

I've heard a bunch of stories lately from people who asked others about their pregnancy, including a guy who was attending a wedding with his wife. Trying to make conversation with a couple at their table, he asked the woman, "When are you due?" and was mortified when she answered in a frosty tone, "I'm not pregnant." There is just no recovering from that, and the poor guy spent the rest of the reception not speaking to the people at his table.

And Kat's lil sis is still miffed at the fast food worker who, six weeks after she gave birth, looked her stomach and inquired about her due date.

Although I was surprised someone had the guts to ask about my pregnancy, I wasn't offended. It means I no longer look like I'm just packing on the pounds, but the weight gain actually looks like a pregnancy. Now, strangers coming up and touching my belly? That's a different story.

10 comments:

Audreya said...

I'm laughing extra hard because I promise I have said to my husband "Don't ask a woman if she's pregnant unless she is crowning!!" I love that we both used "crowning" as the way to tell. :-)

BeckEye said...

Yeah, asking a strange woman if she's pregnant is like willingly skipping through a field of land mines.

Anonymous said...

Ha! great story! The woman across the street is pregnant. I mean you can TOTALLY tell.. and the other neighbor talked to her and all..but me. No.. I am NOT ASKING or SAYING Anything UNTIL i see that baby in her arms!!!

scargosun said...

I think expecting moms should be allowed to carry concealed weapons solely for the purpose of unwanted belly touching strangers.

Sarah said...

Luckily, having mostly been pregnant during the winter, I avoided this for the most part. Under my coat, I could have just been pear-shaped! It's only in the last couple of weeks that people have been asking me when I'm due, and in the last few days especially it's been great fun to see the look of utter concern when I answer "last week."

And it took me till today - 40w1d - to have my very first stranger belly-touching experience. And I gave her a pass, because she had to have been 90 years old, she was very sweet, she was clearly a little confused, and her daughter (or whoever it was who was with her) quietly apologized to me. ;-)

Sarah said...

Er, apple-shaped. I AM pear-shaped. At least, I was, till a few months ago, and I expect I will be again within a few weeks. ;-)

Karen said...

I am about the farthest thing from looking pregnant normally, but I did go through a growth-spurt back in 07 from a size 3 to a size 7. (all hips, baby!)
A customer at work promply said one day:
"Are you pregnant or are you just getting fat"
So I said- "just getting fat apparently."

If she wasn't a customer, I may have strangled her over the teller line and then proceeded to go off and get drunk, seeing as how I was *not* bearing a child.

Karen said...

I am about the farthest thing from looking pregnant normally, but I did go through a growth-spurt back in 07 from a size 3 to a size 7. (all hips, baby!)
A customer at work promply said one day:
"Are you pregnant or are you just getting fat"
So I said- "just getting fat apparently."

If she wasn't a customer, I may have strangled her over the teller line and then proceeded to go off and get drunk, seeing as how I was *not* bearing a child.

sj said...

Oh, this is a dangerous subject for me.

At my mother in law's funeral a few months back (two months before I was pregnant, in fact), a woman that I do not know went up to my parents (I have NO idea how they knew they were my parents, either) and congratulated them. That's right. Congratulated my parents about my pregnancy. WHEN I WASN'T PREGNANT.

They got their comeuppance later on when they said something to my grieving father-in-law about the baby, and he loudly corrected them by saying "SJ?! SHE'S NOT PREGNANT!!"

There's so much wrong about this story it probably should have been its own blog entry.

Additionally, I have only worn that dress since I've become pregnant. In case any one else makes assumptions.

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