Pregnancy etiquette

Are there any behaviors that should not be adopted towards a pregnant woman? Yes, there is a kind of pregnancy etiquette, dictated by common sense, which it is good to keep in mind. Here are what the right attitudes should be towards a woman who is expecting a child, according to Zita West, one of the leading English authorities on fertility and pregnancy

1. Don’t touch her belly

According to etiquette, it is wrong to invade each other’s personal space and this also applies during pregnancy. Do you usually go to touch or stroke a person’s belly? No, so the same thing goes for the pregnant woman, it’s not done, even if you’ve been told that she brings good luck, or if you see it often.

You can ask the expectant mother to be able to touch her but don’t be offended if she says no as it could annoy or cause discomfort to the woman.

Instead, it may be that she takes the initiative if at that moment the child is kicking and wants to let you participate, but it must be her spontaneous request, don’t force it.

2. Don’t ask her if she chose the name

We all become very curious when a friend of ours is pregnant, but the best thing is to slow down and limit the questions. Let her confide if she wants to.

Asking the name is not good because it may be that they have not yet decided. Or they don’t want to be bombarded with judgments about their choices. Because let’s face it, if they tell us a name we don’t like, our face could give us away! By now the names that are chosen are often far from the classic ones, they are creative and sometimes… simply surprising! For this reason our reaction may not be controllable and the consequences not very pleasant.

Our opinions, always remember this, can be stressful for the pregnant woman.

Wait for the baby to be born, maybe the classic message will arrive on your phone notifying you that the baby has come into the world and you will find out the name. You’ll have plenty of time to metabolize 

3. Avoid the shocked faces at the news of the pregnancy

It often happens that friends and colleagues are literally amazed when the pregnancy is announced! Some then come up with phrases like “ really? “(implying” you who said you didn’t want children? “), or” I didn’t think you were the maternal type! “.

It’s not that a career woman or one who has never touched the subject of children doesn’t have the desire to become a mother. The two things are not inseparable. And it doesn’t mean that if a woman has never demonstrated her maternal side to others, she doesn’t have one!

4. Don’t tell her her belly is big

Think it if you want, but don’t say it!

When you meet your pregnant friend, it can be really exciting especially if you weren’t aware of it. Don’t comment on the size and shape of your belly, comments that often point to the fact that everything has grown a bit and not just the belly!
A pregnant woman is aware that she is gaining and there is no need for others to remind her.

5. Don’t tell her her belly is small

Just as it’s not nice to be told that your belly is big and big, in the same way it’s not pleasant to be told that your belly looks small which implies: ” Are you eating enough? ”

Maybe you just want to pay her a compliment but the risk is to make her worry about her child’s growth.

6. Don’t congratulate yourself on social media

If they have made you part of the pregnancy this does not mean that you can then go and write it on FB or other social networks. If anything, this decision is up to them. Before publicizing everything on the web, they probably want to tell their close friends as well as family in person, so keep the news silent.

7. Don’t treat her like a sick person

While pregnancy can be considered a medical condition to some extent, it is certainly not a disease.

The pregnant woman can still have fun, go out, exercise, attend meetings, be active at work until she gives birth, and the last thing she wants is to be treated differently, as if she is incapable of her duties.

Obviously there are situations in which the woman is experiencing a difficult pregnancy but only she is aware of her limits.

In any case, pregnancy, whether you are living well or overwhelmed by annoyances, makes everyone tired. Therefore, always give up a seat on the tram or metro!

8. Don’t tell her horror stories

Whenever someone announces their pregnancy, we are inclined to share our experience.

Telling a pregnant woman about your days of labour, emergency caesarean, postpartum hemorrhage, etc., is of no use to anyone.

Labor is certainly a part of pregnancy but nowadays thanks to advances in medicine, most women go through this experience without problems, and memories of labor fade quickly.

9. Support her

Pregnancy can bring many fears to women because it is a new experience and the aftermath is an unknown factor that can worry. Many things will change and the fear is that of not being able to cope with all the news.

All women, who sooner or later, discover their maternal side. Not all of them have the same times, mothers become step by step, there are so many things to learn, they are acquired gradually, in a certain sense one grows with the child.

Who has never wondered: “ Will I be a good mother? ” The moment you hold the baby in your arms for the first time everything changes, new horizons and new challenges open up but with a crazy inner strength.

If you go and tell an already worried woman about her postpartum depression, the difficulties of motherhood, etc., you only make the situation worse.

All women can make wonderful mothers. That’s what they need to hear.