Let The Ladies Pee by Sarah Olsen

I started showing very early in my pregnancy with Wyatt and by the time I was 6 months pregnant I looked as if I could deliver a baby that night.  When you are pregnant no matter how far along, having to pee goes from a daily normal thoughtless occurrence, to a full on alarm sounding emergency.  It feels as though you are carrying a 20 pound bowling ball on your bladder and your brain does not know how to hold it in.  Or at least that is how it felt to me.  

So you can imagine if I were shopping in a store, (let’s just say it’s on Melrose Ave in Los Angeles) looking for a bra to fit my new giant milk boobs, and I asked to use their bathroom, of course they would allow it.
So when I was in this store, I asked to use the bathroom and the girl behind the counter said no.  I said “I’m seven months pregnant and it’s an emergency.” She said, “Sorry we have merchandise by the bathroom – we can’t allow it.”  

I then stated, “I am in your store, I have just purchased an item.  If you want me to leave my bag outside the bathroom I am fine with that, but I can assure you if you do not allow me to use your bathroom I will not make it to another store.”  She then held her ground and said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”  

Unfortunately, I can not express to you in this post how caddy and annoyed she sounded as she spoke to me, and how much she didn’t care that I was about to walk outside and pee my pants.  I would like to say that I have not and will not go back into that store.  My husband was so pissed that he called every day for two weeks trying to figure out who that girl was and to complain to the manager. 

 I had this same situation happen to me at work out facility in West Los Angeles.  I was walking in the neighborhood running errands.  I was not working out at that particular facility that day, but I have worked out there before and my name is in the system.  I walked into this place, asked nicely to use the bathroom, and was told that I could not unless I was taking a class.  I again stated the VERY obvious, that I was extremely pregnant, and the girl rolled her eyes and proceeded to tell me I could use the Men’s bathroom because it was where she could see it, but the women’s bathroom was towards the back.

Sure, I didn’t care whose bathroom I was using, but seriously what the hell did this lady think I was gonna do? That I would sneak my eight months pregnant baby belly into a class and try to get away with a freebie?? Do I look like a malicious person who is out to steal merchandise and ransack your building? 

I would love to take this moment to thank the man in the convenient store in Paris for allowing me to use his bathroom, and then chasing me down the sidewalk to make me take a bottle of water for fear that it was too hot outside for me to be walking around. 

I wish I had written the name of that store down, but the truth is I was lost, and had been walking around for an hour and was so grateful for the kindness.