You went all unprotected with the hopes of making a baby and poof! Plus sign… If you’re like me, you planned for this as much as you thought you could and went for it, but that plus sign… Pure joy and fear all tied into one. Excitement yet racing thoughts of holy crap, what did we just do, now we’re having a baby.. All that on top of, I don’t want to jinx it and tell anyone too soon until we know for sure. So you walk around feeling like OHMYGOD I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU, but instead you say, Hey how are you? How was your weekend?, like you actually care, but meanwhile you’re exploding with the want to share this news…
Fast forward to now you’re starting to feel pregnant. You may feel a little sicky, tired, bloated, gross, but yeah, we all get that way. Then you start to show and magic happens… Everyone is your best friend. Everyone holds the door for you. Everyone cares about how you’re feeling and thinks it’s totally acceptable to either physically touch your baby belly or ask the most intrusive questions like: Were you guys trying (which is code for were you having unprotected sex)?’ When are you due (translation: when did you have sex); What are you having (how did your child’s privates look on ultrasound and you should totally tell stranger me)?; What names are you thinking of (Yes, I totally want to tell you so I can see the judgey look on your face because the name I picked is the name of the girl you hated in high school)?…. All sounds super fun. Thanks, but no thanks.
What’s even more fun is everyone’s advice, solicited or not, regarding what you should do or be doing; what you need or don’t need; how you should be preparing or not. You’ll also get the usual: how you better sleep now because you’re not going to get any when the baby comes, or the ole: wow, you don’t look like you’re x months pregnant, or how wow, you have that far left to go (which is code for you look big) Real talk? You’ll probably take 10% of what he/she shares, but humor them. Even though it’s not about them, I do sincerely think that a) people just get excited for babies generally and 2) at the end of the day most of those people really do think they’re helping. It’s probably overwhelming to you and sometimes makes you second guess everything you planned or thought you knew, but truly, I do think it comes from a good place. Just make sure you put up a little filter/emotional shield to protect yourself because in your highly hormonal, emotional state, one comment can put you over the edge.. Breathe that one out.. it’ll be all good. Promise.