Pregnancy is an exciting time, so it’s totally normal to want to share the experience with everyone you’re close to. You might want to tell your mom every single detail of your pregnancy symptoms or have hour-long conversations with your best friend about all the things you need to do while preparing for pregnancy. But maybe you shouldn’t talk to your friends and family about every little thing while you’re getting ready for baby. Some topics are better left undiscussed – like the following.
1. Pregnancy symptoms
When someone asks you how you’re feeling, he or she probably isn’t looking for an answer that’s chock-full of enough information to make the situation uncomfortable. Your co-worker doesn’t want to hear about how your baby kicked your bladder the other day and you peed in your pants at the mall, and your neighbor certainly doesn’t need to know about all the extra gas you’ve had lately. Unless you’re really comfortable with the person and you know he or she would appreciate or be sympathetic to the details of your symptoms each trimester, avoid talking about them in depth. Not everyone wants to hear the gorey details.
2. Your alcohol decisions
Studies have shown that even small amounts of alcohol may be dangerous during pregnancy. However, many women decide they’re OK with indulging in a small glass of wine every now and then. But you might not want to talk about your decision with family and friends who may not understand. Some people could be horrified that you’re drinking on occasion, while others might try to peer pressure you to drink if you’ve decided to abstain completely. Your best bet is to pretend that alcohol doesn’t even exist when you’re in a social setting – unless, of course, you’re with your partner or a close friend.
3. The baby’s name
Many new parents choose not to discuss what they’re thinking about naming their child until he or she is born. That’s because everyone you talk to will likely have an opinion on what it should be. Your mom or your partner’s mom might be adamant about a certain family name, and might get hurt if you say you’re not really into the idea. Your friends might think they have awesome names that you’ll definitely be interested in, when in reality you’re not too thrilled about them. Unless you already know what the name’s going to be and you’re sure you’re not going to budge on it, you might want to keep your musings to yourself.
4. General advice
As soon as you find out you’re pregnant, you’ll find out that a lot of the people you know are suddenly pregnancy experts. They all have little tidbits of advice to offer, and not all of it is remotely helpful or even true at all. People who gave birth 20 or 30 years ago will tell you outdated information that they swore by back in the day, while others who have no pregnancy experience whatsoever will tell you things that they’ve heard. The only people you should get trusted advice from are your health care provider and any family and friends who have recently given birth. Unless you have a specific question you want answered, don’t ask anyone else for general advice – you’re better off going straight to your doctor or midwife.