As I am sure most of you know, Tony and I are expecting our second child in April. What an exciting time it is knowing that we are going to have a baby boy and Rafi is going to be a big sister. It would seem that it would just be natural that everyone you encounter to be as happy and supportive of the situation, right?!?
Well, after many intersting situations and lots of stories from my friends who have experienced similar things- I have decided it is just about time to have a little handbook with a few Rules of Pregnancy. I am including examples on some of these for those of you who need a little more detail. And YES, all of these stories are true.
First- NEVER address weight when it comes to pregancy. I tweeted about this yesterday and I don't mean to get stuck on the issue, ok- well actually I do, because it is a big deal. I won't speak for all women here, but I will say for myself- gaining weight is probably my least favorite thing to do. I like it even less than having to actually work out to get the weight off. I am sure most of you reading this would never dream of saying anything about how huge someone is, or ask them if they are having twins, but I can assure you, some people just don't get it. I actually had someone tell me (who I didn't even know) that she would be praying for me as she had, and I quote "no idea how I would be able to keep up with a toddler for another 3 months considering how large I am." I will refrain from typing out what I wanted to tell her I was praying for, but it may have had something to do with her safety if I happened to see her in the parking lot when I left. So, do all pregnant (well and non-pregnant) women a favor- unless it is something along the lines of "oh my word you are so skinny" just don't talk about our weight.
Second- Just because my belly is sticking out, it is is no way an invitation to just jump all over me. I personally am not a touchy feely person. I am sure you are all shocked by this. So for hugs in general to make me a little uneasy, imagine what it is like when I don't even know a person's first name and they walk up to me and begin rubbing my stomach. Can you imagine anything more akward? What if I went up to you because you got a new hair color and just started petting you like a puppy? It's inappropriate. Should you ask and are cleared for touching, then and only then is this ok.
Third- It's never a good idea to share horrible birth stories with someone who is about to pop. You are already freaked out about this process and the last thing you want to hear is the worst case scenario. When I was about 8 1/2 months pregnant with Rafi I had someone tell me how she broke her hip bone giving birth to her daughter and considering we were the same build, she would not be shocked if that happened to me. Wow! That really makes you want to go into labor. My funniest/horrible story came just a few days before I had Rafi. Someone shared a story with me that they had seen on the news that week. It was about a woman who got a staph infection after having her baby in the hospital. Apparently it was so bad that the woman ended up losing her arms and legs, and now had this infant to care for. Talk about a motivational speech. It was so tramatizing to hear that immediatly after I had Rafi, I turned to my friend Stacy and said "do I still have my arms and legs?" Seriously, none of these types of stories help, best to just keep to yourself.
Finally- Unless you are a doctor, and more specifically MY doctor, please hold back all medical opinions. I am certain you probably know more about the risks of epidurals, c-sections, placentas, cord blood, etc. but really, I am going to guess my doctor may know a little something about these things too. If he doesn't I will be sure to use my life line and ask the general public for their expertise on the matter.
I am sure there are many more rules that others would like to include. If you have any, please share, and include any funny stories you have. I only write these things in humor because I have learned the best way to stay sane in the pregnancy process, is to just laught about it : )
