I can totally be trusted in public… Promise.


This post was written with a specific online baby type forum blog thingy in mind. I submitted it for consideration. I felt that a lot of attempted baby making people would get a laugh out of it. Apparently the piece was not upbeat enough. Perhaps you can feel the resentment, frustration and general annoyance come through it. Too bad. I thought it was funny. What do you think…?



I don’t know what it is but something happens when the world finds out that you are an extended trying to conceive that makes the whole thing kind of weird. You know, weirder than it already was with its legs in the air, mucus testing, temperature taking, hormone increasing, position describing conversation.


Sometimes well meaning people place a strange protective, bubble wrap type, force field between me and babies, between me and children and even between me and the pee test aisle… And while I know on some level they are protecting my obviously fragile feelings, I don’t get why. I’m not a raving loony. I promise. Supermarkets are for everyone. And I’m smart enough to know what you’re doing and it’s embarrassing to play along.

So I cried once in public after finding out that someone who wasn’t trying to fall pregnant just fell pregnant with their fourth child. I blame that on frustration. And believe me, it won’t happen again! Mostly I’m sane. I mean really… Wouldn’t you cry too if it were you? I liken it to watching a rich guy win lotto. It feels unfair and kinda mean.

Despite this, just so you know, I can be trusted with good news. I am not completely absorbed in myself that I cannot be happy for you. Promise. In fact it just proves a little bit more each time that it happens. It really, really happens. There is hope in that for me. Someday, [probably, I too will get to shout to the world that I am having a baby. One of my very own. So share the good news with me. Please.

Can I also request that you recall that I have other things in my life. I would love to have a baby. Obviously. But I am healthy, happy and a productive member of society. I am doing great. My life, in fact, rocks. So might I ask you not to do that face that you do when I talk about my life. The one that says to me Oh, sweetie, good on you, keep yourself busy. I’m not keeping myself busy! Gosh. This IS my life and I’m just going on about living it.  

And please trust me. You can invite me to a baby shower without a risk of me face planting into the baby shaped cake with streams of tears dashing the mascara across my face. I can totally be trusted with baked goods. Promise. I also promise not to jump off the veranda, glare at pregnant women or attempt to run off with other peoples small children. Ever. And that is an iron clad promise.

Do I need to tell you that there are women and couples like me everywhere? At varying stages of waiting, planning, trying, succeeding. And there some sort of safety in that number. There is a turning to each other for support and camaraderie amongst them. And we are not crazy or unbalanced or totally wrecks (mostly). We would like to have a baby. And don’t have one. That’s it. I can totally be trusted in every day society.  
  
Promise!

6 responses to “I can totally be trusted in public… Promise.”

  1. You should resubmit so someone else, if they rejected it. It IS funny. (Just tinged with a fairly large amount frustration and general annoyance…)Mel, I could have written these words myself, around 2001. I feel your frustration and resentment, I really do. Olivia was 4 years in the making. I peed on that many sticks, I might just as well have been pissing on cotton buds……You know where I am. xx

  2. I can totally feel your frustration pulsing through this post. We have two kids and many friends that were trying – unsuccessfully during both of our pregnancies. We tried to be ultra sensitive around them and we really felt for them.Now, the pee test aisle… I am hoping that is not near the produce section???

  3. I love it. I agree with Lucy, resubmit it elsewhere!Oh, and I just noticed my button over there!! Awesomeness!!

  4. I hope things go well for you in the baby department soon. When I read about people having difficulty conceiving, I sometimes feel guilty that I had 4 without even thinking about it.

  5. I agree, a snappy clever piece of writing worthy of submition.:)P.S. Obviously you are tweaking your blog as I am reading it because all kinds of weird and wonderful things are happening to the layout. LOL. Is this your thing? E.g. changing the outfit of your blog all the time?

  6. Boy do I understand your frustration-from both sides of the fence. When I was TTC, my husband and I kept it to ourselves. Well, i did tell one close friend. The sadness I felt every month when Aunt Flo came for a visit and the twinges of jealousy I felt when many of my friends got pregnant was a bit overwhelming at times. I'm glad my husband and I didn't share the TTC news because I did notice the pitiful looks one of my infertile friends recieved every time another person announced their news. Conversely, when I fell pregnant I waited the requisit few months to make the announcement then shared it with the world with glee. I didn't hold back with my TTC friends and my big belly became the touchstone for the other hopefulls. Actually 4 friends got pregnant shortly after rubbing my big fat baby belly. One had been TTC for 4 years with numerous miscarriages and another had unsuccessfully been trying for 5 years.I worked as a nurse in a hospital and the new rule ended up being to not touch me at all unless you wanted many babies. I was later told by a close friend who is infertile that she appreciated the fact I didn't try to hide the news or my joy over being knocked up. She said she was so tired of people avoiding her ar looking at her with pity for being childless. Those looks were harder for her to deal with than infertility because, even though she would love a baby, her life is happy and fulfilled without a little rugrat. She is truly happy when her friends conceive, even as she feels that little twinge of sadness. Don't hide your wonderful news as an effort to make life less painful for the women trying for years to comceive. Ilearned that when you do, you end up hurting them even more. Your article phrased it perfectly. Difficulty conceiving does not equal crazy blubbering baby-stealer. Re-submit your article. We need to pass the word!

Leave a reply to Cheeseboy Cancel reply