This morning, a fellow pregnant woman on my birthboard caught a lot of flack for posting that pregnant women who are “only” 6 months along should not be waddling or rubbing their bellies in public. She believes that this act is only meant to draw attention to oneselves in order to seek special treatment.
I vehemently disagreed with this statement because I have been waddling slightly since month 4 — my loosening hip joints sometimes really feel like they’re about to pop loose, and waddling eases the pain somewhat. As for rubbing my belly in public, I have found myself doing this more and more often as the intensity of my braxton hicks contractions increase and rubbing helps with the discomfort. In addition, my belly is becoming quite heavy; supporting it with my hands is the easiest option until I finally give in and purchase a maternity support belt.
However, I chose not to voice my opinion to this growing thread because this woman was being thrown insults left and right. I was actually beginning to feel sorry for her and so began to wonder…do some pregnant women act certain ways to act smug and seek special treatment?
The video above, titled Pregnant Women are Smug, caught quite a bit of attention when it was first released a few months ago. While I found it funny and partly true, I was also a bit offended because not all pregnant women act this way.
As a matter of fact, I don’t particularly like discussing my pregnancy ad nauseum. Sure, I’ll talk about it when people ask, but I do not want my pregnancy to define who I am. And I certainly do not expect the world to cater to my condition — I always feel bad whenever someone gives up their seat for me, and I actually dislike it when people treat me like an invalid because I’m pregnant.
This isn’t to say that I do not appreciate these gestures, because I really do! I just don’t mind when the offer isn’t made, because anyone could have their own reasons for not giving up a seat, not offering to carry heavy items, etc.
But that could just be me.
Do you know anyone who is a smug preggo? Do you go out of your way to give pregnant women special treatments? Do you think pregnant women deserve special treatment?
