Four Ways to Use, But Not Abuse, Your Pregnancy Fame
Posted by Laurie
Kim Kardashian is not the only pregnant famous lady. You are too.
All of us become celebrities when we get pregnant. Expect it. You receive a huge amount of attention at the time of the pregnancy announcement, some glowing compliments and congratulations, and occasional unwanted advice about how to lose the baby weight (which is sort of like the kind of rude advice a tabloid might print).
Then when you have the baby, wow will you get attention: calls, e-mails, texts, even hospital visits from people you wouldn’t even want to have lunch with. And then the celebrity lifestyle ends once you’re back at home for a couple weeks. It’s a return to life as usual, for everyone but you and your partner.
Since your celebrity lifestyle is limited to a short period of time, I say, take advantage of it with four ways to use, but not abuse, your pregnancy fame.
1) Enjoy being a celebrity, but don’t rub it in.
Announce with glee, but not with gloat. It’s no fun to be in the cubicle next to someone who manages to work “I’m pregnant” into conversations with the garbage man, the boss, and the woman at the lunch counter. Yes, you love getting the congratulations and praise, but please don’t be someone who “makes everything about the pregnancy.”
2) Take advantage of celebrity perks.
If people ask if you need help clearing out the extra bedroom, helping you register at the baby store, taking some of your work load while you go to the OB/GYN, say YES, PLEASE! Offers of help will be short-lived (sorry to say, but fame is fleeting) so take advantage when you have the chance.
3) Remember the little people.
It might be more fun to talk to other pregnant friends and new moms right now, but don’t forget about those single ladies, or married women without kids on the short-term horizon. They might not quiz you on your position on seafood during pregnancy, but they’ll always remind you not to lose yourself and your identity in the process of becoming a mother. Later on, they will be there for you when you desperately need to go out for drinks while your hubby stays home to watch the newborn.
4) Realize that as a celebrity, you just don’t have time for everyone.
Although you want to stay connected to friends during the pregnancy, after you give birth and you are once again overwhelmed with praise and congratulations, ignore everyone (for a little while). Seriously, people don’t expect you to get back to them for weeks. And they certainly don’t expect a thank you note for the baby gift for months and months. The tons of calls, gifts and e-mails are nice, but let your partner respond or just don’t respond immediately. The attention isn’t supposed to feel like a responsibility. People understand that you are overwhelmed; after all you are a celebrity, at least for one more week.
Do like all the attention you receive during pregnancy? Do you wish people would ignore your belly, or do you find every opportunity to talk about pregnancy? Do you know anyone who is all-baby all the time?
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 10:18 am and is filed under Baby Prep. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.
THe “my wife is pregnant” is the single greatest excuse around. For example, when my wife was pregnant the first time, each time I went out to pick up food, I was able to say, “Listen, I know this order is a pain, but my wife is pregnant and if it’s not exactly as I order it, I’m just going to have to come back and exchange it, so here goes…”
Or, when she was pregnant either the first time or second time, something in the fridge would be on the verge of expiration, and she’d ask me to exchange it for one with a further date when I went to Wegman’s (best store on earth). So I’d sheepishly walk up to the customer service counter and say, “(sigh) I know this is a pain, but my wife is pregnant and I need to exchan–” “Say no more sir. Just go pick out another and bring it back here.”
Greatest…excuse…ever.
Good times.