10 Things Not to Ask/Say/Do to a Pregnant Woman

For some reason when it comes to pregnant women the majority of people seem to completely forget their manners. All of a sudden a woman's personal life is automatically considered public. Things you wouldn't even think of doing or saying to a non-pregnant person becomes okay. Having gone through two pregnancies I've had the chance to experience my share of inappropriate comments and questions. Here's a list of things not to say, ask or do to a pregnant woman.

1. Rub or feel her belly. Would you go up to a perfect stranger who wasn't pregnant and touch their belly? No, you wouldn't. So why do people feel like a pregnant woman's belly is public property? During both of my pregnancies I think this was the most annoying thing I had to experience. As far as I was concerned the only person that had right to touch my belly without my permission was my husband.

2. "Wow, you're getting big." You think? I didn't notice I couldn't see my feet anymore. Thanks for pointing that out to me. Seriously, every pregnant woman is well away of her growing size. No need to point it out. How about saying something nice like, "Wow, you look great!"

3. "You look ready to pop, I can't believe you still have (insert time frame here) to go." Thank you. So what you're saying is I'm fatter then what I should be? A pregnant woman can be very self-conscious of her growing size. You're probably doing nothing but making her feel even more insecure then she already is, especially if she still has a few months to go.

4. "You haven't had that baby yet?" I remember getting this question a lot, especially as I neared and eventually passed my due date. Nothing makes a pregnant woman want to strangle you more then this if she's already overdue. And if she isn't near her due date, once again you're just telling her she's fat.

4. "Are you sure you're not having twins?" Of course I'm sure! How would I not know if I was having twins? While this question was annoying when expecting my singleton, I did find it amusing when I was expecting twins.

5. Telling labor horror stories. The last thing a pregnant woman wants to hear is how you struggled for countless hours to have your last baby. Feel free to keep that story you heard about a stillbirth, or mother dying in labor, to yourself. I'm sure she's worrying enough about her upcoming labor without you having to add to it.

6. "Should you really be eating/drinking that?" What are you, the public nutrition police? Criticizing whatever a pregnant mother is eating or drinking is not appropriate. What she eats and drinks is her business, not yours.

7. "Was it planned?" Talk about invading someone's personal life. Whether a pregnant woman planned her pregnancy or it was an "accident," it's none of your business.

8. "Are you going to have any more babies?" She's currently expecting one baby and you think she's thinking about her next one? She's probably suffering from back pain, swollen ankles, sleepless nights, and has a baby constantly wedging a foot between her ribs. Having another baby is probably the last thing in the world she's even considered right now. Besides, even if she was thinking about having other children, once again that's a personal question she may not want to discuss with you.

9. "Are you going to breastfeed?" Yikes, once again, another personal question a pregnant woman doesn't want to talk with the public about.

10. "Did you take fertility drugs?" This was a very common question I got when people knew I was having twins. No, I didn't take fertility drugs but even it I did why would I tell some complete stranger?

For some odd reason people seem to have no boundaries when talking to a pregnant woman. Next time you think about asking a pregnant woman an inappropriate question, or rubbing her belly . . . Ask yourself, would I say or do this to any other person? If the answer is no, then you should probably think twice about what you may say or do.