![pregnant-mom3TH_thumb[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAcouKEKjPHm-8YBdlAl-uiARhAzmrObAv5I8PuYpZ80j53vFQTnAcIWp10rtTU_fMH3fFmodmUbsMLx5ZyLhUPooPWfU-IssvecvNGvHBznpogRUJIxO1TLHQNF9bGWUVzhZKD7DMks/s1600-h/pregnant-mom3TH_thumb%5B1%5D%5B4%5D.gif "pregnant-mom3TH_thumb[1]")
There is a councilman here in New York City that is proposing special parking or parking passes for expectant mothers with “particular health challenges.” The NOW spokeswoman for NYC has come out against this proposal because it makes women seem weaker when pregnant.
For those who are not City dwellers, let me tell you that parking is a pain! It does depend on the neighborhood that you live in. We have spent 45 minutes looking for a parking space before. Then if you have to park several blocks away and walk to your home or destination, with baby, bags, and stroller all in tow, it can be quite an ordeal.
Now that I am nearly halfway through this pregnancy, I am realizing what a hassle is required to go out of the house, even for just a few minutes. With the added problem of the lacking public restroom in NYC, I often cannot venture very far unless I know there will be a bathroom when I arrive. I now leave the grocery shopping for an evening activity when my husband can help with the bags and parking.
I think the parking passes would be a blessing to any expectant mom. I may not even qualify, as I have had healthy, and considerably easy pregnancies. But it is still a nice gesture.
I don’t think that my pregnancy makes me weaker. I have definitely discovered that I can do many things (often requiring a little creativity or new approach) even with my expanding abdomen. Yet I appreciate the little bit of extra care that my hubby gives me. He understands when I feel ill. He takes care of the dishes. He spends his evening with me at the grocery store. It makes me feel valued and special that he will take special care of me at this time. I do not feel belittled, put down, or second class because he does these things.
So…what do you think? Does pregnancy make women weaker? Do we deserve a little bit of special treatment? Should we just be expected to carry on as we did pre-pregnancy?
Should there be special parking passes? And does pregnancy and mothering turn a woman’s career down the wrong path? Leave me a comment and share your thoughts. Be sure to read the original article, found here.
3 comments:
When I was expecting my children we lived in Germany. On the military base there were a couple of spots for pregnant women. The one I really liked was the one in front of the post office. When you are pregnant, have a toddler, and are carrying a big box it was wonderful to have that spot. At the end of my second pregnancy when I had a 2 year old it sometimes seemed that I was just as handicapped as my grandmother with her special parking pass. I don't think they should be handed out to every expecting mom, but in certain situations it would be nice if the doctor could hand out a pass.
I think it's fantastic. I suffered from symphysis pubis dysfunction during my last pregnancy. I'm not a whiner by nature, but I carried twins until just 6 days shy of their due date and I was up and walking around, taking care of my 2 year old, every day until their their birth. A parking space closer to the front of the post office or the grocery store certainly would have made my life easier.
At 36 weeks my employer began letting me park in the visitor spaces closer to the building I worked in, rather than having to park way out in the back lot and trek in. I didn't feel like I was being coddled, I felt like I was being treated courteously by fellow human beings who noticed I was struggling, physically, on a daily basis. If women don't feel they need it, they shouldn't use it, but I would like to see this same kind of kindness extended to pregnant women on a wider basis.
I don't think pregnancy is a sign of weakness, but the parking spot would just be out of kind consideration! I used those at one of the local grocery stores and also at the ob/gyn's office!
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