gee, i thought you were just fat or something. whoops.
i feel like such an ass. i suppose it's an innocent mistake but i'm mortified nonetheless.
i went for my six week appointment with one of my midwives, probably the one i love the most, yesterday. we were discussing what i'll do once i have to get back to work, and she said, "i'm sure it will be hard for me to make time for myself to pump, but i'll just have to work on making that time." my face must have gone completely blank. huh? pump?
so she stands up to go to the sink and, staring at her belly in the scrubs, i ask in the worst possible way the question on my mind:
so, uh, you're pregnant?
she tells me she's due in three weeks. this means that she was seven months pregnant the last time i saw her and i had no idea. how did i miss that!?
i recall at all the appointments that she wore loose, sleeveless empire blouses and long skirts. i suppose i just thought she was just zaftig. i remember her ankle brace, i remember that she has a tattoo on her foot, i remember the midwifery necklace she once wore, but i do not recall any bump ever. mind you i had only begin seeing her towards the end of my own pregnancy so i'd never seen her sans enfant, but still...
not perceiving someone as clearly pregnant when they are is just as bad as thinking someone is pregnant when they aren't, in my opinion. how do you save face? i just thought about how i felt when i was at a party at about six months in and people repeatedly asked me if i wanted a beer. i kept looking pointedly at my rounded belly and said, "i'd sure love one but no thanks... got any seltzer?" what did they think that was -- a giant beer gut? ugh.
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