giving up your seat for a pregnant lady??🍋

It's funny how a simple image can spark so many thoughts. When I shared my story about struggling to find a seat while pregnant, I never expected it to connect with something like a 'pregnant tree frog.' But honestly, sometimes it feels like even the smallest, most vulnerable creatures in nature get more inherent respect than a pregnant person in a crowded space. You see these incredible images of nature, like a delicate 'pregnant tree frog' (did you know many amphibian species, including tree frogs, have fascinating reproductive strategies? Some carry their eggs until hatching, or even their young on their backs, like the Surinam toad! Talk about dedication and a visible display of carrying life!). Their vulnerability is often met with protective instincts in the wild, or at least they aren't actively ignored. Yet, here I was, five months pregnant, visibly tired after a long day – maybe even graduation day, as I mentioned – squinting through a crowd of hundreds of people, and no one seemed to notice or care enough to offer a simple seat. It makes you think, doesn't it? What's the fundamental difference in how we perceive and react to vulnerability? Perhaps it's about perceived helplessness. A 'frogue' carrying its precious cargo might instinctively trigger a primal sense of protection in onlookers, even if it's just in our imagination. We project an innocence and a natural order onto wildlife. But when it's a human, the social contract seems to break down. We become invisible, just another obstacle in someone's day. My #pregnancyjourney isn't just about the physical discomfort and changes; it's about navigating a world that often overlooks basic kindness, making you question societal norms. I started wondering about the natural world's silent lessons. How do pregnant animals fare in their communities or ecosystems? Many species, from birds nesting carefully to mammals protecting their young, exhibit strong protective behaviors during pregnancy and early motherhood. Even a tiny tree frog, with its intricate life cycle, showcases an innate drive to protect its future offspring. This fundamental, often instinctual, drive to protect the vulnerable is so strong in the animal kingdom. So why is it so often absent in our human interactions, especially in public spaces? Is it just busyness, self-absorption, fear of interaction, or a genuine erosion of empathy that makes us avert our eyes? It's certainly not about comparing myself to a 'pregnant tree frog' literally, of course! My frustration isn't about wishing I had gills or could camouflage on a leaf. It's about the stark contrast this imagery creates, highlighting how much we've lost touch with that fundamental instinct to care for those in need. If a tiny frog carrying its future offspring can evoke a mental image of delicate life deserving protection – a sense of 'aww, look at that!' – why is it so hard to extend that same empathy and simple courtesy to a fellow human? To see past the everyday hustle and recognize a pregnant woman's temporary vulnerability? My experience, shared here on Lemon8, is a plea for us to perhaps learn a little from the natural world and remember to look out for each other. It's a small gesture, but offering a seat can make a huge difference in someone's day, alleviating discomfort both physical and emotional. It’s about more than just a physical space; it’s about acknowledging another person's presence, their journey, and their temporary need for a little extra kindness. Let's make our human communities as instinctively caring as nature can be.