Posts tagged P

All I want to do is drink iced tea all day long. I don’t drink it all day long, but I do drink it. How bad can it really be at this point? My Canadian friends drink wine throughout there entire pregnancy “to help them relax, calm baby nerves and sleep.” If they get to have a glass of Merlot, why can’t I have a couple glasses of iced tea when it is 90 plus degrees out?

Come to think of it, do pregnant women outside the U.S. get the okay to drink iced tea? Is it just an American thing? Why is it that every other country is more liberal with their pregnancy rules and regulations? (not to mention more liberal in everything else!) What makes American pregnant women so up tight? Are we scared into being good little pregnant soldiers? Is it the constant judgment that other women cast on pregnant women in America that makes us fall in line and march like the private school boys in Dead Poets Society?

I was judged my first pregnancy for being to young. I was 22 years old when we were surprised with a positive sign on the little stick I peed on. I put on a ton of weight with that pregnancy because I eat my emotions and I felt entitled to over indulge. By the sixth month my wedding ring didn’t fit anymore. When I walked into a public place, I could see women look at my belly, glance at my empty ring finger and shake their disapproving heads. With my second pregnancy I was judged for having my kids too close together. M was 6 months old when we got pregnant with P. Women had a hay day with my lack of responsibility in the bedroom. I found myself explaining that both boys were conceived while on birth control. I was defensive and angry. After explaining that my kids were conceived on birth control the women became even more judgmental. In fact, my mother-in-law went as far as to say that, “I waited to have children until I was ready and I wanted them.” That is right. For the record, my mother-in-law wanted her kids, I didn’t want mine.

I thought this pregnancy would be different. I am 26 now. I am not too young. We planned this baby, so I actually “wanted” this baby. But last week when I went into the liquor store to buy some Everclear to put into P’s ears to help dry out his swimmers ear (yes it does work. It works way better than any over the counter treatment you can buy. Make sure to drop a few drops of warm olive oil into the ear after the alcohol.) women actually pointed at me, my belly and my mini van where M and P were strapped in and gasped. Not just gasped, but pointed and whispered and gasped. I was surprised that they didn’t take out their cells and snap a pic and upload a photo of me and the brown paper bag I was carrying to worldsworstmother.com!

Seriously, what harm would two or three glasses of iced tea cause my baby girl? Tomorrow I am 34 weeks pregnant. I doubt there is enough time for her to sprout a 3rd eye or an extra limb. I saw the sonogram. She already has all her fingers and toes. So what if she kicks me in the ribs a little more? I can handle the trade off of a few bruised ribs for a refreshing glass of iced tea!

So next time I am in Target stocking up on iced tea or ordering a tall sweaty glass of iced tea with a slice of lemon at a restaurant, please don’t judge. I am sure that if I lived just 5 hours north across the Canadian border not only would I get Universal Health Care, but I bet that I wouldn’t be judged for sipping on a glass of iced tea either.

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