Being pregnant, no matter how you got there, is a journey. Is it positive? Of course. Does it have its moments of pure agony? Yup. And a lot of those emotions stem from the comments people make about pregnancy. It doesn't matter if they are nice comments or ones that make you feel like crap, knowing the too common comments people make about pregnancy (and how to respond) can save you a lot of energy.
Because if there's one thing people love to talk about, it's pregnancy. I can't tell you how many strangers stopped me during my grocery shopping to either comment on my belly, ask me how I was doing, or share some story from their own pregnancy that they thought I could relate to. (Heads up: hearing about other's pregnancy horrors does not make you feel great.) But a lot of people simply wanted to comment on my pregnancy. They wanted to tell me congratulations, they wanted to tell me I looked beautiful, and they wanted to tell me I looked like I could explode at any moment. In general, nobody offended me too much and I think it's because I knew they weren't being malicious — they were just commenting.
So you don't become the flustered, angry pregnant woman society wants you to be, keep these 13 too common comments people make about pregnancy in mind so you know how to respond to them. Trust me, you'll hear them at some point and wish like hell you had this list so you didn't totally lose it, whether the comment was good or bad.
1"Congratulations!"
Believe it or not, some people just want to tell you this when they see you. It's a nice thing to say, so don't question their motives or expect them to yell something nasty afterwards. Just say "thank you" and move on with your life.
2"Oh, You Should Have Your Baby On My Birthday."
I don't know why this is a thing people say. Like, why would you want to share your birthday with someone? Maybe I'm just selfish and prefer my own birthday. Also, nobody wants to be pregnant an extra three weeks to accommodate a stranger's wish or have a premature baby just to match Grandpa Frank's birthday. Just offer a, "Ha ha, I guess we'll see" and leave it at that.
3"I Bet You're Having A Boy/Girl Based On The Way You're Carrying."
Everybody has an old wives' tale about pregnancy and a lot of people believe it 100 percent. Look, this isn't worth a screaming match. If they are correct, just nod and say, "Yeah, I am" and leave it alone. If they're wrong, you can say, "Oh, actually I'm not, but thanks" or just ignore them. If you have no idea what you're having, just say, "I guess I'll know soon enough." Chances are, it's some little old lady telling you this, so why get upset?
4"I Bet You Don't Make It To Your Due Date."
And I bet you're wrong all the time. Just kidding. Don't say that. Well, I guess you could. The thing is, people love to make comments about how big you are in your pregnancy even though it's none of their business. You can say, "I hope I do" or "I'm sure I will," but if you want to get real with them, ask, "Are you saying you bet my baby's premature?" That will shut them up.
5"It's The Last Time You'll Ever Get To Sleep."
"Except pregnancy isn't exactly conducive for great, relaxing sleep. But thanks anyway." Seriously. I will never understand this comment.
6"It's The Greatest Blessing In The World."
"Yes, yes it is." Look, you don't have to jump into conversations about your hemorrhoids or your mucus plug or the fact that your heartburn is so bad, you get indigestion from lettuce. Just nod and move on with your life.
7"Pregnancy Should Make You Glow."
"Yeah, I'm like a Chinese lantern over here." People usually say this when you are obviously not glowing, so make a joke back and be done with it.
8"Don't You Know What Causes That?"
"Divine intervention, I think." Of course you know what causes pregnancy. The other person knows that you know, too. Make a joke to save everyone some energy here.
9"This Is The Easy Part."
"I feel like carrying a baby in my arms is easier than in my uterus, but OK." I hate this comment, I really do. Pregnancy may be easy for some, but it's not easy for everyone, and I think it scares the sh*t out of people when someone mentions that parenthood is way harder than pregnancy. Of course it is, but do you have to mention it?
10"I Hate Happy Pregnant People."
I heard this a lot. I had difficult moments in pregnancy, but in general, I loved every moment of it. Whenever someone got negative, it kind of killed my vibe and always made me feel like they thought I was lying about being happy or that I was trying to show a "Pinterest pregnancy." Instead of getting super frustrated, try something like, "Yeah, I know I'm a minority" or "That negativity probably doesn't help" if you want to get sassy.
11"You Think This Is Bad, Wait Until You Go Into Labor."
"Ha ha ha. Wow, thanks." Seriously, that's all you need to say. You know labor is hard. Do people think pregnant women assume a stork is going to drop the baby off? You get it.
12"I Hope This Is Your Last One"
"How nice of you to think you can dictate the size of my family with your wishes." Whether it's a family member, a friend, or a stranger who says this, shut them down. Pronto. It's not OK.
13"I Bet You're Hoping For A Boy/Girl."
Maybe you secretly do want a specific sex, but you also just want a healthy, happy baby. "I'm just hoping our baby is healthy," works best here, but if you already have a child and someone is saying this as if you had another baby to get the sex you originally wanted, shut them down. "Well, my son is the light of my life, so if I have another boy, that's more than OK with me."
