i am loud, talkative and i have many friends but i don’t think i was ever as popular as the time when i got pregnant. the
round thing bulging in front of me, which made it hard for me to see my toes, made me an instant celebrity.
it was late in 2006 when my belly started growing bigger and rounder. first, it was just my friends at hallmark who paid extra care and attention to me and my delicate status. i loved all the attention plus the leniency. if i get late, all i get are sympathetic looks even from the bosses (well, they are really nice people to begin with, and my commute that consisted of 2 jeepney rides, 1 mrt ride and 2 footbridges was truly hellish even for someone who’s not preggy!)
after a while, even people from other departments in the office who barely looked at me when i was still single and skinny started greeting me with wide smiles and talked to me as if we have been friends since childhood.
it’s not that i did not like that or anything. in fact, i enjoyed it pretty well. i loved how the other mommies in the office kept track of my pregnancy milestones, how they all gave me pieces of wisdom (which proved to be really helpful!) and how they even compiled a set of pregnancy clothes for me.
and i really had a great time reading the survey “what is wendi’s child going to be, boy or girl?” some were not contented just giving a guess, they even analyzed the shape and size of my tummy to justify their hypothesis. (the result of the survey? “boy” won hands down)
i felt so important, i felt that my child was really lucky. it felt wonderful knowing that the people around me were so involved with what i was going through.
the bigger my stomach grew, the more popular i got. even strangers began approaching me, talking to me, asking when i was due, if i already knew if it’s a boy or a girl, if i was drinking Anmum. some even went as far as touching my tummy. imagine walking mindlessly in a shopping mall when suddenly you feel something weird on your belly. you look down and you see a hand! is that weird or what?
the popularity does not end with strangers caressing my bulging stomach. at the mrt, i also enjoyed a special privilege. sure, i got squeezed in that hot box so many times during my pregnancy but almost every time, someone would offer me their seat a second before tears start dropping down my cheeks. but there was that one time when my round tummy got squeezed against the door so hard and still none of them offered me a seat. i was so tired, i could not help but cry. some ortigas girls (who were also standing) saw my tear-stained face and i heard them say, “kawawa naman ung buntis.”
i must admit, somtimes i took advantage of my being pregnant. all i had to do was grunt a little and hold my belly as if i am in pain and sure enough, all it would take is a few seconds before a kind soul stands up and gives me his/her seat. hehe. (of course, the acting part was not at all hard given that i was REALLY tired carrying a huge load in my tummy all the way to ortigas.)
the grunt acting was not only effective in the mrt. it also worked well when i had to stand in long lines or when i want to enter a door that is not supposed to be an entrance. people (even security guards who according to hannah have “maximization of power” syndrome) were surprisingly kinder and more considerate to big bellied women.
another time i felt so loved was when my college blockmates threw me a baby shower. great food, lots of laughs, beautiful gifts, and endless love and kisses. i don’t think i ever got to thank therese and jeng and all my blockmates for that very wonderful time.
(my other baby shower hosted by my high school friends got cancelled because i had to give birth that day, more on that on labor day: the great birthing experience.)
yes, being pregnant has lots of perks. but the biggest perk of it all is knowing that you are carrying the person you love most inside your womb. at the end of my 9-month journey, i was happy (to see me child), relieved (that i am no longer “fragile”) and sad because my popularity has come to an end, as the real star has come out.
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