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More joys of busing while pregnant
1. If you think being a bus chick requires “restroom
radar” [“Where to Go When You Gotta Go,”
Oct. 5, 2006] try being a bus chick with a five-pound
weight resting on your bladder. To ward off disaster,
keep a list of available restrooms near your regular
stops—along with relevant codes and key locations—in
your bus chick bag. Also, don’t forget to time
hydration. Do not drink anything within an hour (preferably
two hours) of any bus excursion.
2. After the “constantly sick and exhausted”
phase of the first trimester passes, you might feel
well enough to run again. When deciding whether to run
for a bus, consider that, A, any jostling of the five-pound
weight might adversely affect your bladder (see above);
and B, even if you were a track star in high school,
these days, you can barely keep pace with an 80-year-old
woman pushing a walker (no disrespect to my 80-year-old
bus chick sisters). Face the fact that you are unlikely
to actually catch the bus you are “running”
for. Finally, C: It will take you the entire ride (or
the wait for the next bus) to catch your breath.
3. People will (kindly) offer you help when you don’t
need it. Some examples: holding your arm when you board
the bus and offering to carry shopping bags that aren’t
heavy.
4. People will not offer you help when you do need
it. Prepare to stand on full buses and at crowded stops
— no matter how badly your back hurts —
regularly.
5. Remember that expression, “Everyone loves
a pregnant woman”? Well, everyone on the bus really
loves a pregnant woman. (Personally, I don’t understand
the fascination. I’d rather see a cute baby in
the flesh than a woman with a big ol’ belly any
day. But I digress.) You will be asked when you are
due and the gender of your child on almost every ride
you take. You will be told stories of daughters, wives,
and nieces who are also expecting, and, unfortunately,
of horrific labor experiences. While constant baby talk
can certainly get tedious, it’s best not to fight
it. (Not that you could. Not even headphones, a book,
and your best “don’t talk to me” expression
will prevent the questions.) Besides, for this bus chick,
“When’s your baby due?” beats, “What
are you?” any day of the week [“Can I Ask
You Something,” Nov. 30, 2006].
6. On a related note…
If you were looking forward to several months free
of Howyoudoin?s, Whatsyourname?s,
and Youmarried?s, prepare to be disappointed.
You will, in fact, continue to be propositioned —
both by members of that group of discerning gentlemen
who don’t bother to actually look at the women
they’re chatting up, and by an even more disturbing
group: men who are actually attracted to pregnant women.
Listen, don’t say I didn’t warn you. On
the plus side: You don’t have to worry about fitting
your enormous belly behind a steering wheel.
Got something to say about public
transportation in Seattle? Email Bus Chick at: buschick@gmail.com
or http://www.blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/buschick
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