There are few times in life in which you can be demanding without being considered rude. Pregnancy is one of those times. When I need a seat on the bus or the metro, usually the sight of me makes at least one seated passenger feel guilty enough to forfeit their seat. If not, no big deal... I have become very comfortable with (politely) asking able-bodied young men to kindly let me sit in their place. Not only does it mean I get a seat, but I also like to think that I am helping in their training to become more thoughtful members of our public transportation system... and hopefully, better boyfriends and husbands someday. Besides, seats are really for the people who need them - and I really need them. I decided a while ago that it is not worth standing on the metro and risking my chances of pre-term labor because it's too uncomfortable to say something.
But then, put me in a crowded line - and it doesn't take so much as an exasperated sigh from me for people around to take a step back and give me some breathing room. I used to think it was kind of funny, actually... until I realized that I may be freaking people out that I'm going into labor. At the movies, if Joe and I can't find two seats together in the section we want, I have no problem with asking others to shift seats so that I can sit next to my husband. Then, if the person next to me is excessively hogging the shared armrest, I (again, politely) ask them to make some room for me. I mean, is someone really going to say no to a pregnant woman? I am big and uncomfortable, after all, and being squeezed between seat hoggers certainly doesn't help matters.
I've come to realize that I'm performing another version of what pregnant women did in Honduras when I was in Peace Corps. There, it was absolutely dog-eat-dog anytime there was a line - at the bus, at the bank, or even buying oranges on the street - and pregnant women would unabashedly stick their bellies out to push their way right up to the front. I used to feel somewhat guilty for using pregnancy to get what I want, but I'm getting over it. After all, how many times do we all have to worry about being thoughtful and accommodating to strangers... and isn't it nice to be the one who's being accommodated for a change? It won't be forever after all... but for now, I sure am enjoying these few brief months of entitlement, before I go back to standing on the metro and feeling crowded and uncomfortable in public places. Besides, I will be working from home after December 19th until I go into labor... which means I only have a few more precious days of a seated commute, before my seat becomes vacant for someone else!
But then, put me in a crowded line - and it doesn't take so much as an exasperated sigh from me for people around to take a step back and give me some breathing room. I used to think it was kind of funny, actually... until I realized that I may be freaking people out that I'm going into labor. At the movies, if Joe and I can't find two seats together in the section we want, I have no problem with asking others to shift seats so that I can sit next to my husband. Then, if the person next to me is excessively hogging the shared armrest, I (again, politely) ask them to make some room for me. I mean, is someone really going to say no to a pregnant woman? I am big and uncomfortable, after all, and being squeezed between seat hoggers certainly doesn't help matters.
I've come to realize that I'm performing another version of what pregnant women did in Honduras when I was in Peace Corps. There, it was absolutely dog-eat-dog anytime there was a line - at the bus, at the bank, or even buying oranges on the street - and pregnant women would unabashedly stick their bellies out to push their way right up to the front. I used to feel somewhat guilty for using pregnancy to get what I want, but I'm getting over it. After all, how many times do we all have to worry about being thoughtful and accommodating to strangers... and isn't it nice to be the one who's being accommodated for a change? It won't be forever after all... but for now, I sure am enjoying these few brief months of entitlement, before I go back to standing on the metro and feeling crowded and uncomfortable in public places. Besides, I will be working from home after December 19th until I go into labor... which means I only have a few more precious days of a seated commute, before my seat becomes vacant for someone else!
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