Being pregnant is pretty amazing, isn't it? The whole "glowing" thing kinda rules (if that happens to you - I only "glowed" after I vomited). Explaining why you're eating two cheeseburgers becomes a lot easier when you can say, "I'm eating for two!" And having a new life whirling around inside you, well, that's one of the most incredible feelings on the planet!

However, being pregnant comes with some pitfalls. Mainly, other people. Something about seeing a pregnant woman makes them think they can say and do anything they please.

Here are 3 of the rudest things people you know -- and people you don't -- will do while you're pregnant.

 

Rub Your Belly -- Without Permission. The most obvious of the pregnancy mishaps is the pregnant belly grab. Never before and never after did so many people come up to me and rub my belly. I understand the urge -- genuinely -- however, not once have I ever walked up to a stranger, grabbed their gut, and said, "IT'S SO MIRACULOUS." I'm not huge on personal space -- three kids who I'm convinced would climb back inside my uterus most days if they could have cured me of that. But to have your pregnant belly as public domain? Pretty sure I never signed up for that.

Preach About How to Raise Your Baby-to-Be. I don't mind talking about my kids. I don't mind talking about how I raise them, however, there comes a point. I'm not particularly interested in what you (or anyone else, for that matter) think about breastfeeding, natural childbirth, or baby-wearing. If I want your opinion, I'll politely ask for it. If I do not, well, that's because I'm not interested in getting into a debate about breastfeeding in the diaper aisle at Target. I do not know how many people thought that how I planned to raise the fetus considered it to be their business, but I know it is a lot. And frankly, it was altogether too much. It also, oddly, stopped, the moment I popped said fetus out.

Tell All Their Most Horrific Pregnancy Stories. I do not know how many stories I heard about how so-and-so's brother's baby died after (insert horrible story here). As a nurse, I realized every time that I was hearing something not entirely complete or factual, however, that didn't stop the seed from being planted in my pregnant brain. As someone who has many friends who have lost babies, I am completely aware of all that can go wrong in a pregnancy. It's a miracle any of us are walking around at all. But telling me tragic stories while I'm trying to get my grocery shopping done? That's just cruel. I ended up sobbing in the middle of the produce section I don't know HOW many times. Trust me, I didn't need ANY MORE reasons to cry. Pregnancy hormones are a nightmare!

 

What rude things have you experienced since being pregnant?

 

Image via d:space/Flickr