In between the well wishes and positive notes you give to your pregnant friend, there are also a few insensitive comments and unwanted opinions you could be saying to them. Now you may not intentionally mean to be rude, but to a woman on a nine month hormone-driven roller coaster it can come off the wrong way.
There is something about pregnancy that cause people’s boundaries with you to disappear overnight. As a result, people start doing things like touching your belly without asking, talking in high pitched voices and making comments that would be seen as inappropriate if you weren’t pregnant. If you are pregnant or have ever been pregnant, you probably heard a lot of noise from your friends at some point – if not the whole time. Remember how annoying that was? If you are someone with a pregnant friend, reconsidering saying the following:
OMG. You’re life is over. Enjoy it while you still can…damn girl, there goes your freedom.
OMG! That is just what I needed to hear! Thanks for being so supportive. [insert sarcasm here]
You’re going to get so big.
Duh. Thanks asshole.
Did you guys like, plan this?
I mean, is this really ok to ask?
Your vagina will never be the same.
I didn’t realize my vagina mattered so much to you. Want to know how often I have sex too?
Hope your shoe size doesn’t change!
Great, another dumb pregnant-body thing I have to worry about. Thanks!
Are you going to do it natural, right? And you’re definitely going to breastfeed right?
Uh…kinda personal, but I will do what I feel is right for me and my baby. So stay tuned crunchy.
Oh I’m sure it just your hormones.
I’m a little over sensitive, sure….Or maybe it’s just you?
Girl, wait until….You actually give birth/Have go back to work/Have to pay for…
Great! My body really needs more stress right now. Like there isn’t enough change happening to me.
I sure hope your birth goes better than mine [Insert negative birth story here]
So encouraging! Please, tell me more about how scared I should be about giving birth. I’m not nervous enough already.
Are you having a boy or a girl? Your going to have a [insert gender assumption], I can tell!
Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I don’t want to know. Maybe I don’t want YOU to know.
I can’t picture YOU being a mom. I thought you didn’t want kids?
Really??? I mean, how do you respond to that?
It’s natural for women to pass on there stories and knowledge to other women. Because of this, we are always sharing our life experiences with each other. This is a totally natural and wonderful thing!
Want to be a real friend? Just carry heavy things, hold doors open and pick things up off the floor for me. Listen to my gripes about my body, my partner/husband/babydaddy and people in general. Let me eat bad sometimes and eat that junk with me. Let’s turn our bar nights into spa days, and our girls night out into Netflix and chill. In return, I can guarantee maternity parking, cutting lines in the bathroom, and a great excuse to get out of anything, at anytime.