If you're pregnant and work at an office, you've probably heard your share of congrats from coworkers … and if you're unlucky, some really inappropriate remarks thrown in to boot. From wisecracks about your body to complaints about how other employees will have to pick up your slack, pregnancy discrimination is alive and well in corporate America.
To prove it, we asked moms to share (anonymously to protect their jobs) some of the worst they deal with on the job. These coworker comments prove that a little sensitivity training could do office environments a whole lot of good.
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What a Swell Boss
"When I was pregnant, I had a perpetual stuffy nose. One day my boss asked if I was coming down with a cold. I said no, when you're pregnant, your sinuses tend to swell. While staring at my chest he said, 'Yeah, that's not the only thing that swells.'" -
Done Yet?
"When I told my boss I was pregnant with number three, she said, 'My God, are you going to be done having kids then? I hate having to schedule your work when you're gone.' Then she realized what she said and tried to backpedal. Too late lady! I gave you the benefit of the doubt before, but now I know. The kicker was for my job I processed short term disability claims for pregnant women." -
Touchy Topic
"A coworker leaned in to pick fuzz off my hair — I have big hair — rather than just telling me. I was startled and jumped back, and she was like, 'What's wrong?' I said, 'I don't like to be touched.' She looks at my pregnant belly and says, 'Well you must have liked being touched at some
point.'" -
Got Milk?
"I was working as a senior graphic designer for a Christian publisher. I worked up until the day my first was born and will never forget what my senior colleague asked me. We were talking in his office about a recent cover design when he turned to me, staring at my breasts and asked: 'So those are filled with milk right now?' Not missing a beat I nodded my head, raised my eyebrows and replied, 'Yep.'" -
Size Matters
"My boss walked past me during my eighth month and said, 'Are you sure you just have one in there?'" -
So Unprofessional
"I am typically pretty easy going about the gaffes people make, but there was one I couldn't excuse when I was pregnant. When the janitor in my building heard that I was pregnant, he said with a look of surprise, 'I thought you were a professional woman!' I then, calmly, proceeded to state that I am and that like fathers, women remain professionals when they become parents. His response was, 'Yeah… BUT!'"__More from The Stir: [13 Maternity Leave Horror Stories From Working Moms
](http://thestir.cafemom.com/being_a_mom/181898/13_maternity_leave_horror_stories)__
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How Are You Feeling, Really?
"I'm pregnant with my second child, and the men in my office can say the strangest comments that make me feel uncomfortable. I think they mean well, so I try not to let it bother me. One particular male coworker asks me how I'm feeling almost every day, and usually I am feeling good, so I say so and he seems surprised, like he expects me to be in a lot of pain or something. I always reply and ask how he's doing and he says something like 'I'm doing okay, I'm not pregnant.' It's like he thinks pregnancy is an illness or disease!" -
Pound for Pound
"A female coworker, older than myself, asked how much weight I've gained and when I told her 22 pounds with three months to go, she acted concerned. That didn't make me feel to good considering I am doing my best to stay healthy." -
Is It His?
"Someone asked me if my baby had the same father as my other child."
What's the worst comment you've heard from a coworker while pregnant?
Image via Halfpoint/shutterstock
