December 2015 Moms

The Random Perks of Being Pregnant

Has a random person done something nice for you just because you're pregnant? Have you gotten any perks or privileges that you didn't have before you were pregnant?

First, I visit the same nail shop every two to three weeks and noticed longer foot massages since I've begun showing.

Second, one week ago the man at the check in counter insisted I get priority boarding while checking in my bags and printed me a new boarding pass. On Southwest (first come, first serve seating) it was so nice to sit in the front row and then deboard first.

Re: The Random Perks of Being Pregnant

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  • I've had a couple people offer me their seat (and their food like dec15mum). Other than that, I don't think much has changed.
  • At the cafeteria and sub shop at work the employees give me extra food and meat on my sandwiches. It's pretty nice. I won't turn down free food.
  • No! I want priority boarding! For real though, I keep expecting slightly more deferential treatment, a door held open perhaps. But I've got nothing! My mom always said when she was pregnant, she'd stand on public transportation with her big belly right in someone's face & they wouldn't get up. The only ones who'd ever give her their seats were catholic high school girls. And this was the 70s, maybe it's better now.
  • Well, at my parents house I'm absolutely spoiled. If my mom was cooking or cleaning I was absolutely not allowed to help at all. It was kind of nice. :) Here at home is a different story. In public, I get lots of compliments. But, that's about it!
  • My security guy downstairs lets me up without me swiping my card - he says it's for the baby. I've also been offered to be taken at the front of the line while waiting for tickets. And people hold doors and offer me seats in subways. Although, i always get so mad when fully able, NY finance-type dudes pretend not to see me and it's always older ladies that offer me their seats. I also visited a Bojangles while traveling (it's such a novelty for me - we don't have it in the north east), and the cashier guy just gave me the biscuit i wanted to try for free. People are nice mostly. 
  • I have gotten absolutely no special treatment, which I have been kind of surprised by. People in the grocery store watch me lift 5 gallon water in and out of my cart - nothing. No extra door holding - nada. I am okay with it though, since I can still do stuff for myself. 

    Oh, but I did get two extra apples at the farmer's market last weekend when the guy saw my belly and told me he didn't think the bag was full enough, so that totally counts :)
  • My boss (who has never been pregnant) absolutely will NOT let me get on a ladder, lift anything too heavy, and she's really understanding about my lazy days. She knows that when I feel good I will accomplish a lot but when I'm tired... I will do minimum. I work at a self storage facility so the work load can vary.
  • It's funny because I was surprised when I was on our public transit I was standing and holding on and there was a bunch of 20 something guys and not one offered their seat. I thought that was pretty telling about that age group lol.
    At work when we are picking breaks during overnights some people ask which break I want first since I'm pregnant, which is nice, they don't have to do that. My family is super nice and will do a lot for me.
  • Um nothing. No accommodations. Maybe my department chair hasn't given me as much shit for eating a few m and m's 3-4 days a week that are in the main office.
  • The people at work are super nice about letting me go first on our break rotations. Someone almost always offers to let me cut in line or their seat if the cafeteria is full. The teenage boys who bag my local Kroger always offer to load my car for me. I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself and usually do, but the offers are very appreciated. It sounds like this is a dying fad :/
  • I noticed more the first time around people would hold doors more often, but then after I had DD and had a stroller I was awkwardly trying to get through a door, most people would not bother to help. Maybe I haven't noticed much this time around because I have a kid with me most times.


    Jamie


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  • People seem to love to let me cut in line all the time, even though I'm not hugely pregnant looking for 29 weeks!!
    Last week I was at the Kaiser pharmacy picking up my medication and there was literally a line of 20 people waiting for meds they had called to be refilled over 24 hours before. The line for same-day waits was even longer :( The pharmacy is in he hospital so it it always insanely busy except at around 8pm Sunday night or at 6am when they open. They have about 15 different Pharm techs who work and almost all of them know me by name (I'm there every week picking up either DH's meds or my own).
    Upon seeing me get in the back of the line of 20 people waiting, one of the techs called me up by name as soon as he finished with his current customer. It was so busy in there no one even noticed or knew what was going on, but I was so appreciative to be saved a 30-40 minute wait standing in a line with potentially ill and/or contagious people!!!
    Also, LOVE the expecting mom/mom with kids parking at Buy Buy Baby. All parking lots should have these.
  • My husband won't let me do anything, which is cute! But nothing from strangers (my super market will take your cart out, but they do that for everyone).

    My crib was delivered yesterday and it weighs 170 pounds and he said he couldn't even bring it in the house! Not like even in my front hallway where I wanted it, it had to stay on the front porch until my husband came home!
  • I'm in love with the expectant mother parking spots. DH and I went to BRU last weekend and he pulled into a normal spot. I was like, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? We get to park up THERE.

    He promptly laughed at me and got out of the car.

    I also went through TSA security and got a little card that let me do the TSA Pre-Check. I thought it was because the guy saw my belly but then I looked at my ticket and it has been randomly selected as one that could skip the whole shoes/jackets thing ... so I guess that doesn't count. 
  • I enjoy that it's acceptable to get chicken nuggets and bbq at midnight or later, and hubby will bring them home for me (he gets off work about fifteen after midnight). He tells me he will never let it be said he denied a pregnant woman food if he could help it. That's pretty much the only perk I get. Most of the time I think people either assume I'm just fat or I'm carrying DS in a way that blocks my belly from view.
  • I'm actually one of those ladies that can NOT stand people doing something for me, just because I'm pregnant. Lol! Though, I'm currently living in a very small town of 500-600 people, everyone knows I'm pregnant, since words travel fast! :)) But I turn down any offer of line cutting, "free" things, etc. I even feel bad when someone random holds the door open for me. :-S I thank them for it, though. Because I TRY to be nice about it! And the hubby does things for me...when I actually let him. I'm stubborn and hard headed like that. Haha!
  • I went to pay a registration fee for my son to take religious ed classes. The little old lady working the desk told me that "I have a lot going on (stare at bump) so don't worry about the fee." LOL.

    Overall, I feel like people are a little bit nicer and accommodating.

    Two years ago when I was 37 weeks pregnant, I went to Buy Buy Baby. All the expectant mom spots were taken and I was SO MAD. I had to park way at the back of the lot at this mall. A few hours later, my water broke. I will always blame that ridiculous walk.

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  • People bring foods to work that I like. One carries my lunch tray out of the cafeteria which is unnecessary but really nice. 

    My favourite perk is when people want to geek out over stuff the baby is doing this week. Like "Hey are her eyes open? Does she move much? How much do they sleep?" 
  • I get to keep my conference period when I'm subbing, unless it's a dire emergency, and also the receptionist knows that the freshmen take too much energy for me right now, so she doesn't call me to sub for them. :) and the office people are all happy to come watch my class for the first few minutes of class if I have to potty. (Fortunately I can usually time it so that's not an issue...)
  • I've been offered to go to the front of the line...at the bank, extra food on my plate...they don't want me to iron at home (but I don't mind doing this)...and more. I guess because my belly is extremely huge, ppl feel sorry for me.
  • At the grocery store the other day the cashier didn't ring up my flowers and just stuck them in my bag, saying they were on the house!:) so sweet!
  • Not a lot of special perks but I have noticed that random strangers just smile at me a lot! I have to say it really brightens up mundane errands like food shopping. Then this morning in barre class, a younger girl (I mean, she was probably 25, but seemed young and perky. Hehe) came over and said "can I just say I think you are amazing! You're here all the time and I'm not pregnant and I can hardly get up for 6am class!". Then she said I was like her "pregnancy goals" and walked away. It made my day, because I was feeling huuuuuuge and whale-like, grunting my way through class. In no other scenario would you go up to someone you don't know and say something like that. Maybe it's weird but I really appreciated it.
  • HoldmommaHoldmomma member
    edited September 2015
    I've had a few people offer to lift heavy or awkward boxes at work (all of them ladies who have had babies), but our mail currier and UPS drivers don't seem to care that I'm pregnant and certainly don't offer to help when they see my struggling with a shipment of textbooks.
  • Hi I just joined the bump my name is kelly how is everyone
  • Today I knocked some lotion off of a shelf at target and a sweet lady picked them up so I wouldn't have to bend over, which is definitely a struggle these days!
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