Pregnancy Brain Versus Loss Prevention

When I was pregnant, my brain started working in very mysterious ways. According to my midwife, it was a normal thing. I could go to the fridge, open it to get something, and as I had my phone in hand, I placed it on a shelf, forgetting it there as I closed the fridge. During two pregnancies, in total, I have lost two ID cards, one passport, and one credit card, all of which were found a couple of weeks later — after blocking them or alerting the police so they would not be valid any longer.

I also lost three pairs of gloves. I had expected the cost of new clothes, etc., but pregnancy turned out to be much more expensive than I had thought. That is just to give you an idea of how forgetful and confused I was at this time. This story happened during my first pregnancy.

I went into the grocery store, just to get something quick to eat. I wasn’t very good at walking due to my hips not faring too well with my pregnancy, and despite only being halfway through it, I was already quite big. I had a small backpack instead of a purse, to ease the strain on my back. Since I was only going to get that small thing, I did not bring any cart or basket to put it in; I could hold it in my hand… I thought.

Pregnancy cravings took over, and it became just a little more than I could carry, so I thought it was a really good idea to put one of the items in the backpack. Now, technically, it wasn’t forbidden, but it was frowned upon to do so before it was paid for; however, I was pregnant and thought I had good reason.

I went to the self-checkout and scanned my items. Then, I got flagged for a check. The employee came over and started looking through the items, scanning them again. He went on routine and didn’t seem to think anything about it.

I, though, had just remembered the item in my backpack! I had forgotten it in there! On top of this, I have this annoying fear of being accused of bad things, so I must admit, I thought about just leaving it there. However, my good side prevailed.

Me: “Oh, um, I forgot this one.”

I pulled the item out of the bag, and he stared at me for a moment.

Me: “I’m sorry, I just realised it now.”

Employee: “No worries. It happens.”

He scanned it, and I got to pay and be on my way.

After that, I ALWAYS double-checked everything — my bags, pockets, and whatever else could hide anything I might’ve taken on the way. I always checked it several times! And it was lucky I did, because every time I went into that store for the next months, I got flagged for a check. Realising someone was keeping an eye on me, I also started waving to the camera every time I went in.

It felt nice somehow, strangely enough, like greeting a friend.