Pregnancy Week 20: When Nosy, Insensitive Colleagues Are Up In Your Pregnancy Business
If you're on the receiving end of attention that feels like an invasion of privacy when you’re pregnant, remember that most people don’t mean badly or have negative intentions. Believe it or not, many people seem to think they’re just making small talk when they ask how much weight you’ve gained or whether you’re planning on delivering vaginally, going to breastfeed or taking an extended maternity leave. The possibilities for inappropriateness are endless, and for some people, a visibly large tummy seems to look like a giant green light.
Even bosses are not immune from crossing the line.
By now, many of us have gotten used to the fact that our physical attributes tend to unfairly be in the spotlight. But pregnancy can take things to a whole new level. Though most people realize it’s never OK to talk about about a woman’s body at work, there may still be a stray, unsolicited comment about the bump’s size. (Read: never talk about someone’s tummy, even if you are planning on saying it’s “small” and especially if you think it’s “big” or that it “looks like you’re having twins.”)
Oh, and please don’t use the term “waddling” or ask a pregnant colleague whether she can see her feet anymore. Just don’t.
It can be particularly bad if you work in a bro-y culture where inappropriate jokes tend to run amok. As one woman described in her work confession: “When I was 8 months pregnant at work, a male coworker made the sound of a truck backing up when I walked by. It was in front of many other colleagues — mostly male — and it was completely humiliating.”
So, what can you do?
In many situations, unfortunately there’s not a whole lot of great options. You can of course be direct and tell offending colleagues to stop asking questions and stop making comments. But it can be tricky to do so without seeming overly sensitive, or like you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. Another approach is joking back, or making sarcastic comments that clearly indicate your displeasure. Finally, you may end up trying the non-confrontational approach of ignoring rude questions and changing the subject.
Hopefully most of you never encounter more than a stray awkward exchange with a colleague / boss / client during your pregnancy. For those of you who are grinning and bearing extra doses of “collegial banter,” you may want prepare yourself with some zingers.
Even if you’re playing the civilized grown-up and admirably hold your tongue, at least you’ll take some pleasure in thinking those thoughts.
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