9 things you should never say to a pregnant woman
Being pregnant is a wonderful journey, but it can be really difficult at times, so please try not to say these things to pregnant women, because we have enough things going on that we have to deal with!
Things you should never say to a pregnant woman
1) “Wow you must have twins in there!”. Or any sort of derivation of this sentence… we know we’re a bit large but we would rather you didn’t point it out, loudly. Some of us aren’t comfortable with how big we’ve gotten, and others aren’t comfortable with how small we are. “You look lovely!” will do just fine, thanks.
2). Do not, unsolicited, regale us with scary labour stories that you went through, especially if we are a first time mum. We definitely don’t want to hear about a woman who’s sister’s friend you knew epidural didn’t work and she had the worst pain imaginable during labour. Wait for us to broach the subject, because then you know we are genuinely looking for a bit of first hand experience and advice.
3). Don’t tell us pregnancy grosses you out. Why on earth would it, we’re growing a person, not an alien. And even if it does gross you out, keep that information to yourself.
4). Don’t touch the bump. Unless I actively offer you to touch my growing belly, please don’t just reach out and grab it. It would be very odd if you were to do that if I wasn’t pregnant, so why are you doing it now? Usually if we are close enough that you wouldn’t mind touching me, then I am going to eventually offer for you to feel a kick, so patiently wait for the offer please.
5). The congratulations. Please don’t follow up the “Congratulations” with something like “You’ll never sleep again!”. I genuinely just want to be completely and utterly ecstatic right now that I am pregnant, so jump on the happy train with us and leave the negativity at the station.
6). Don’t tell other people. Unless I 100% that I am readily telling everyone that I am expecting, then err on the side of caution and either ask if you are allowed to inform people or if you should keep it to yourself.
Things you should tell a pregnant woman
Do share our joy and happiness! Celebrate, congratulate, be merry and get excited to eventually hold our little bundle of joy when they arrive.
And know that we can’t wait to have a huge glass of wine with you, when the time comes!
maternity & infant
Originally posted 2014-12-02 10:57:49.