The reaction of most people at law school to news that I am pregnant was mostly congratulatory and excited. Very few people looked at me like I was crazy. Best of all, most people moved on quickly and resumed normal life and regular conversation about non-baby related stuff.
All of the sudden, I am causing public outbursts with my big, pregnant belly. Today, I was waiting in line to get fingerprinted for the moral character application when this girl walked up to me. I have never seen her before in my life, but she was apparently a student. She took one look at me, and (very loudly) exclaimed "What are you going to do if your water breaks at school?!?!" I looked at her in disbelief until I realized that she expected me to answer. First of all, what a ridiculous question. Second of all, that's so rude. I wanted to respond to her, "oh my gosh, what are you going to do if one day you get your period unexpectedly at school and don't have any extra tampons?!?!" I restrained myself.
About 30 minutes later, the guy scanning fingerprints asked everyone's favorite question upon seeing a baby bump... "soooooo, when are you due?"
I told him December 26th, hoping that would be the end of the conversation. Of course it wasn't. "You just doomed that child to a life of misery. Why don't you tell him his birthday is in July or something?" I always respond to this with a laugh and say it's good to teach kids humility, etc, etc... But he kept going, rambling on about self-esteem or something like that. Seriously? Don't you have better things to worry about?! Or hey, maybe you could just stick to doing your job without the commentary?
I guess it's better to have your friends and family react positively, but I could really do without everyone that I have never met before voicing an opinion on my reproductive choices. Thanks.
4 comments:
I was pregnant while working full time as a public defender. I had to field questions like:
1. What do you do if your water breaks at jail, court, the office.
2. How can you defend those people when you're pregnant? DOn't you feel scared that they'll hurt you?
3. Are you going to come back to work?
Wow, sounds like some people don't have a self filter. I may think those types of questions when I see a pregnant person, but I tend to keep them to myself unless I know the pregnant person pretty well.
I wish you had said that about the tampons!
I have never heard anyone suggest that a Christmas baby might have poor self-esteem. That they might get shafted out of some presents, yes. But self-esteem problems? Because what, they're constantly going to be comparing themselves with Jesus?
I hated random public commentary from strangers! its like the second you show your personal life is up for grabs! I never showed while I was in school though, it must be weird to be so pregnant while you are still a student.
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