Awkward comments at work
elliespiral
member
So my boss--the same women who outed me as pregnant at a staff meeting--just commented on my lunch. In an effort to be environmentally friendly, I bring it in small tupperware containers (as opposed to baggies) and therefore have a stack on my desk. I am eating my spinach salad and have an apple and some cheez-its (baby's favorite) next to me. (Full disclosure: the Halloween chocolate emergency stash is in my desk drawer). Her comment:
Looks like you're having a four course meal, is that baby hungry or what?!
I know she meant it as a joke but to me, it's just a little bit over the line to comment on ANYONE's food intake (pregnant or not). I usually just ignore these gems but they get under my skin! She has also been, to date, the only person to touch my belly without permission. Anyone else have coworkers/bosses who let the awkward comments fly? How do you react?
Re: Awkward comments at work
oooh yes. I just try and ignore most of it.
I really hate it when people are like "wow, pregnancy really looks good on you." I really dont' know how to take this one. I weigh like 200 lbs, and I think my weight gain has been pretty normal...I cant really tell if they just think Im normally fat and they can't tell im pregnant or what. Ugh.
There have been a few comments here and there about the Halloween candy issue but nothing too terrible about food intake.
However, this morning as I walked into my boss's office, he kind of chuckled to himself. When I asked what he was laughing about he said that I've started to waddle. Cue defensive pregnant lady comeback: I told him that it was more like limping b/c my sciatic nerve was causing some back pain issues and it doesn't help that I wore heels today.
I know he meant well and wasn't trying to make me feel bad but now I'm concentrating on the way I walk around the office because he made me feel self concious.
People are clueless when they comment about pregnant women. I guess they just assume that we are immune to having our feelings hurt since we're pregnant.
I work with about 95% men, so needless to say in general the "sensitivity level" is pretty lacking. Each day I get greeted with the "are you sure it's not twins", "how much longer do you have to go?", and of course my favorite, "are you hungry right now"...as in every time they see me in the hall!!!!!
I am just learning that people get this urge with pregnant women to just say the first thing that comes to mind!! I just take it all in....and usually ask them how many months they have to go also, and pat their belly
Also, a coworker told me to calm down about a work issue so I didn't go into labor. That really pissed me off.
Otherwise all my male and female coworkers just love to tell me how "cute" I look. I find that pretty diminutive and wish I could stop them. I'm a college professor and I'm not accustomed to being called "cute" in a work environment.
Yes. Stupid comments all the time!
The sales lady at USA Baby told me that our son would hate having a white bed (we're buying a white converter crib) when he's older. I simply looked at her and said "Well he'll get over it". I didn't ask her opinion!
And just yesterday I had a coworker ask me how Landon's nursery was coming and I said "slowly". She said "where have you registered?" and I said "we haven't registered yet." (doing that in the next couple weeks though) and she walked away and said "well, you know that's something you're going to need to get done." Oh thanks, yeah, I had no idea I'd have to actually register for this baby. Stupid.
You. Are. Awesome!
HAHAHA! Love it!
I have begun to realize that being pregnant somehow makes other people think that it is perfectly OK to say things to you that they would never utter to you if you weren't. I have seen my FIL twice in the last two months. The conversations went exactly like this:
1."Hi, Shannon, what's going on?"
"Not too much, hanging in there."
"Jesus, you're putting on weight. Hahahahah!!!"
2. "What's up, Shannon?"
"Nothing much. How are you?"
"You're getting fat! Hahahahaha!"
Somehow, it's appropriate to make jokes about my weight because I'm just pregnant! I'm not gaining superfluous weight, so hey! It's all in good fun. It's really, really aggravating. But par for the course, I suppose.
Almost everyone I work with has been awesome so far. They are always telling me how fantastic I look (even when I know I don't, thanks to my ridiculous acne-ridden face), making sure I get the first lunch break, etc. There is one guy who can be kind of inappropriate, but I don't have to see him very often, thank goodness.
My supervisor has been a little rude, IMO. She has had bad experiences with men/marriage, so it seems like anytime something positive happens in someone else's relationship it makes her a little cynical (probably jealous too). She has made several passive-aggressive comments about being so glad she's gone through menopause so she doesn't have to deal with pregnancy, always when I'm within hearing range. I've just let them go. Truthfully, I feel sorry for her if her experiences have been so bad that she has to make comments like that just to feel better about herself. However, if it got to be frequent and/or if I felt like she was harassing me, I wouldn't hesitate to say something to her.
First round of Clomid in May 2012= BFP #1, DD born January 2013
BFP #2 in January 2014, DS born September 2014
Home in the bush.