When a woman is pregnant the emotions are flowing. She could burst into tears at any moment, it could be from a photo of a cute puppy or a sad song on the radio. Or, she may just feel sad because she can no longer paint her own toenails due to the big belly which has literally transformed her body. Add to this being bloated, moody, tired and nauseous and it makes you appreciate what your own mother went through in order to give you life.
Yet, for some reason, strangers seem to think a woman’s pregnancy is their business. Here are 5 things you should never say to a pregnant woman, and yet people always do. We hope this gives you a giggle:
“Can I Touch Your Belly?”
Would you ask a middle-aged man with a pot belly if you can rub it? Probably not. Just because there is a baby inside a woman somehow makes the idea of personal space non-existent. While this may be fine for close friends and family to touch the alien-esque legs which creepily pop through her stomach, those outside of her support network should stay away. Pregnant mothers are protective and this is the equivalent of a stranger approaching a new mom and asking if they can hold her baby.
“I’m So Tired…”
Really? You’re tired. Unless you are a parent, telling a woman between conception and the 10th birthday of her youngest child that you are tired is always met with resentment. You don’t know the meaning of tired until you have midnight leg cramps, night time toilet trips or a screaming newborn. Even if you haven’t slept for three days straight, don’t complain to her.
“Are You Having Twins?”
There are variations of this such as “Do you have a beach ball in there?”, “Why haven’t you popped yet?” or “I can’t believe you are only six months pregnant”, but they all result in a woman feeling even bigger than she did before you opened your mouth. Sure, some women have the pregnancy glow, bouncy hair and don’t put on a pound. They are the lucky ones as it is more common to put on weight, experience erratic skin and fall asleep before dinner.
“Why Are You Having Another One?”
For those with a growing family, this question is often asked. If new parents announce they are expecting, this is certainly not the reaction they expect. Instead of asking them how they are going to cope, simply keep your judgement to yourself and offer your congratulations, and offer their new baby a teddy bear. Having a child is hard, but it is always a blessing.
“Are You Allowed to Do That?”
Anyone who has ever been pregnant knows there are sacrifices to be made. No soft cheese, hot baths, and no alcohol can be difficult to adjust to. There are a few things which a doctor may allow limited amounts of such as coffee and Coca Cola. So, if a woman has her one coffee a day and is made to feel guilty for it, you may just find yourself with one less friend.
We hoped these 5 tips made you smile and if you have ever been pregnant we are sure you can relate! What is the weirdest thing anyone ever said to you when you were pregnant? Let us know in the comments section below.
Hi, I’m Anna the Editor of Beauty and Lace.
How about when you have given birth, still have a baby tummy and someone asks “Are you pregnant ? “. I found people love to mention all the scarey stuff that happened when they gave birth and first time mums can be really freaked out by this.
I’d forgotten all about those comments and yes I can relate to being told all about other’s birthing stories, no-one should tell a pregnant woman those.
I can relate when people used to say me (on my first pregnancy) are you about 4 months pregnant and I go, no I am 8 months pregnant. I had a little girl and she was all out the back of me but because I’m not big behind anyway, it did look as if I was only 4 months for the whole 9 months.
My worst is when we had a friend and all my friends thought she was pregnant and they made me ask her when the baby was due. How embarrassed I was when she said she wasn’t. I said to her that I didn’t think she was pregnant but the girls over there (who are caught looking over and whispering) made me ask you as they didn’t believe me. Payback 🙂
Love it, each of my pregnancy’s were different as I didn’t show for the first one (and actually go away with normal clothes….didn’t even tell friends until I was 7.5 months gone) but the second one I looked like I’d swallowed a basketball before the 3rd month. For me listing to others birthing stories was the worst and after a gruelling 10 hour labour I was the proud mummy of an 8 pound 1 ounce baby boy, all natural and felt awfully sorry for myself until I found out the lady in the room next to me had had a 12 pound baby boy – naturally…..all my sympathy went to her.
I’m one of those people who looks spectacularly, overtly pregnant. My body only goes up a size, but my tummy increases by about 12 sizes. It’s impossible not to notice that I’m pregnant – and it’s clearly pregnancy.
So one morning when I was about 8 months pregnant, I was waiting with a crowd of others for the lights to change so we could cross the road. And a total stranger walked up to me, and said – in a kindly condescending and apparently serious voice: “You know, you could really use Jenny Craig.”