Message to Pregnant Women and Mothers

The bathroom in Chipotle has a sign on the door telling pregnant women not to drink alcohol (it's perfectly fine for all non-pregnant people to drink as much as they want, though -- warning is just for preggos).

Why this sign is in the bathroom, I have no clue. I'm not a drinker, but I think that if I were, I wouldn't go to the bathroom to think about whether or not I wanted to order a drink...

(Does Chipotle even sell alcohol? I forgot to check before I left... How many fast food places have liquor licenses??)

You know what else I noticed in the bathroom?

NO CHANGING TABLE.

Yet again, one more subtle example of how society sees women, specifically pregnant women and mothers: Preggos, let us tell you what you can and can't do with your bodies. Mothers, take those annoying kids of yours somewhere else, we don't want 'em here.

Did you leave the Catholic church before or after your abortion?

I left the Catholuic Church a long, long time ago.

Officially, I guess I'd have to say it was when I started high school, here in the US, and we started attending a Lutheran church, where I got involved with the youth group (and all that "God LOVES you" stuff finally made sense... because the pastor talked about God's love, not how worthless I was because I was a sinner and didn't deserve anything God gave me).

My family had started going to a Lutheran church while we were still in Chile, but I didn't really get into it (the pastor was a friend of my mom's and his daughters were my sisters' ages, so they loved going to Sunday school, but my brother and I didn't really get into it).

The last time I remember actually going to Catholic church regularly was when I was in fourth grade, doing my First Communion. I walked to church by myself because my religion teacher (at school) said if we didn't go to church EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY God would hate us forever. My parents didn't go to church that often, so I walked there myself.

(All that effort was for naught, though, since when we did our first confession, before taking communion for the first time, I confessed that I picked on my younger sisters. That was my sin. The priest said if I continued to pick on them, then I wasn't truly repentant, so God would not forgive my sin. And I would go to Hell. Even if I said my Hail Marys and Our Fathers.)

My abortion was in 1999; I started high school in 1991, and finished fourth grade in 1987. So, to answer your question, I left the Catholic Church long before my abortion.

Ask, and Criss shall answer.

What emotions do you feel about your pregnancy and impending mommyhood? Are you excited, scared, etc? (Btw, CONGRATS!)

I'm excited about the impending mommyhood. I want that part to happen.

Right now, I don't really feel pregnant... I know I am, and I have the "symptoms" of pregnancy, but I'm not showing yet (hubby keeps "measuring" my stomach and noticing it hasn't grown...) and I don't feel anything inside my belly so it doesn't feel "real" yet. I kind of feel like a poser, like I'm making it up. It feels weird when people congratulate me, because I haven't "done" anything yet...

The only not-happy feeling is thinking about working (my full-time job) with a newborn. That part's probably going to suck... but we'll find a way to make it work.

(And, even though I don't feel I "deserve" it yet, THANKS! :)

Ask, and Criss shall answer.