Mom-to-be defends herself when asked to cover up and look 'less pregnant' for co-worker's sake

There are times when one can come off as an inconsiderate person even when they genuinely have no intention of being insensitive. The same happened to one Reddit user who was in her third trimester of pregnancy when her co-workers asked her to look "less pregnant" for a very irrational reason. As per PEOPLE, the expectant mother was second-guessing herself for taking a stand for herself, but the people in the community had reassuring responses, justifying her actions. 

The pregnant woman, who works in a clinic, began her story by mentioning, "We have clinical set for every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday with the clinic being closed on weekends. I am freshly in my third trimester and showing very obviously." She added, "There were three other pregnant women working at the clinic, one gone for maternity leave, one due next month and one who was two days shy of my due date. Unfortunately, at about 23 or so weeks, one of the women (who is very sweet and a deserving mother) miscarried with her first."

She explained that the co-worker who had a miscarriage was due before her and had taken some time off to cope with the unfortunate incident. As the colleague is set to return to work later that month, the expecting mother, though excited to see her, feels awkward about how things will go as she is pregnant and the colleague is not.

But the real issue began when her other co-workers insisted she dress up in a way that wouldn't upset the woman who miscarried. "My two friends both advised me that when she comes back, I should cover up and look 'less pregnant' from now on," she said. Living in a place where the weather was 85-90 degrees daily, the pregnant woman pointed out, "It’s difficult to wear a sweatshirt or hoodie that could fully cover my pregnant stomach, and pregnant women tend to overheat faster and easier than others." Though there were other pregnant women in the office, she was the one facing this criticism because, as per her friends, her due date was closer to the lady who had a miscarriage.

"Don’t get me wrong - I don’t want to show off my pregnancy or anything, and if I could, I would try to cover more, but I told them I didn’t want to make myself uncomfortable," she said and added, "One friend even suggested that I change my entire schedule so I’m there on days she doesn’t work so I don’t upset her." She refused to cover up with stuffy clothes as they cause discomfort and denied a schedule change as it impacts her carpooling and other daily plans. While some of her co-workers were on her side backing her decision a few dubbed her to be "inconsiderate" and "stubborn."

While she doubted if she must consider their criticisms, the Reddit community gave her good reasons not to. u/namesaretoohardforme mentioned, "First of all, you have no idea if this will even be an issue since the woman isn't back yet. Even if she is uncomfortable when she gets back, that's her feelings/issue to manage, not yours. As long as you're not loudly proclaiming your joy about pregnancy within earshot this isn't your problem." Another user, u/TYJerry, wrote, "I appreciate everyone's compassion for your colleague, but I don't even know how a person in their third trimester can look "less pregnant". It's not a reasonable request." u/meekonesfade commented, "It is a tricky situation but there is only so much you can do. You can't hide your belly and it is ridiculous to ask you to cut your hours."