Pregnancy is a joy to some, but inevitably a pain to all. Some people don’t make it easy for women who are expecting. Here are a few things you should not say. Not even for fun.
“Are you having twins?”
You might not have thought about this, but what she really hears from this is, “My goodness you are HUGE!” which is not what a woman, already very conscious about her figure, wants to hear. Another way to untactfully insinuate about her size is to tell her that she looks like she’s about to pop any moment. Bad move, very bad move.
“My friend’s baby died in the last week of pregnancy.”
Why, thank you very much for predicting that my baby won’t make it through pregnancy. Now I can start worrying every waking hour if my baby is alive. I’d better run to get my baby checked up every day, just in case. Or maybe I should just cut myself off emotionally because I don’t want to be depressed when that actually happens.
“Enjoy ____ now because once the baby comes, you can kiss it goodbye.”
She is already well aware of the drastic changes that will take place in her life, and she’s probably already pretty emotional about it. Telling her that she won’t be able to enjoy her girls’ night out after she gives birth is almost as good as calling her fat. Don’t make her fall into post-natal depression earlier than she needs to.
“Who’s the Daddy?”
If you know her, and this is a joke, tread with care and make sure not to cause any awkward situations. But if you don’t know her, you probably don’t want to ask the question, unless you want to experience the wrath of extreme hormonal changes. At any rate, this question is generally off-limits.
“Aren’t You Too Old For Kids?”
You might as well stand on a soapbox and proclaim her to be an old hag trying to have kids. It could go two ways, she gets really embarrassed and scurries off to a corner to hide from public view. Or she furiously attacks you as Muhammad Ali would a punch bag, except with claws.
Especially for the men
“What is wrong with you?”
Whoa, if you haven’t already figured this one out, you’ll learn it the hard way.
“Are you really going to eat all of that?”
A fat joke is not welcome, ever. Try to steer clear of telling her about her size, and you will have avoided the worst of her pregnancy antics. Don’t watch her eat either, that just makes her more conscious of the fact that she’s eating and your not, which will indirectly tell her (we’ll never know how) that she’s fat.
“Will you get me something from the _____?”
Yes, and it will come at you at amazingly high speeds, and most likely aimed at your heads, or where it hurts most. Try getting your lazy bum off the couch and getting it yourself. Or better yet, offer to help her with something.
“Those stretch marks will go away, right?”
If she stares at you, just run.
Disclaimer
The list above is not an exhaustive list, and the reactions you get will vary from woman to woman due to unpredictable hormonal changes. Remember, before you assume someone is pregnant and say something stupid as listed above, make sure she’s pregnant.
For more tips, catch the upcoming movie What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
Watch out darlings, they say preggers are daggers! http://t.co/WdsQ6uMy
LOL!!! Good one!
Thumbs up for a very entertaining and empathetic take on the physically-arduous pregnancy period!
Be careful, preggers are daggers! Adrian Foong Way to go, couzzie! http://t.co/sLYJYmXB