10 Things You Should Not Say to a Pregnant Woman

Have you ever been pregnant? If the answer is 'no', then you probably don't really know just how much work a woman's body goes through to make a human from scratch. Yes, it's a beautiful thing to be pregnant, but let's not ignore the fact that this beauty is often:

• Accompanied by body aches
• Morning sickness
• A spike in hormones that can increase emotional sensitivity in women.

Before you approach a glowing pregnant woman to admire her with your words, think twice before you blurt out something highly inappropriate that can make her feel bad about herself.

Here is a list of the top 10 things you should not say to a pregnant woman:

Are you pregnant?

Ok, this is THE most important one to remember. No matter how pregnant a woman looks, you should never ask if she's pregnant, because what if she's not? A woman who is pregnant is likely to bring it up on her own, so remember to never be the one that brings it up and spare you AND her the embarrassment.

Was it planned?

Seriously? Do we even have to go there? Asking a pregnant woman if her pregnancy was planned is a big no-no. Think about it, this is useless information to you, and it is very private and more importantly, it's none of your business.

You don't look pregnant!

A pregnant woman may not want to hear this. It can make her think there is something wrong with her or her baby and why would you want to do that to her? If a woman says, "I'm 5 months pregnant", then she's 5 months pregnant and there is no need to give your opinion on the size of her baby bump.

Are you sure it's not twins?

Ugh, this is one of the most common things people say to pregnant women. How do people even gauge what being pregnant with twins looks like?

Chances are that if a woman were carrying twins, she would obviously know that kind of information. Women's baby bumps come in all shapes and sizes, some carry larger bumps, some smaller, it all depends on their body frame and the size of the baby.

Pregnant women already feel big with all the changes their bodies go through and they don't need someone's comment about their size to make them feel bad about themselves.

Are you sure you should eat that?

Pregnancy cravings are a mysterious phenomenon, no woman is ever really sure why they crave certain things, but when they do, you better not get in her way.

Unless she is unknowingly about to consume some poisonous concoction, then you're better off keeping your culinary commentary to yourself.

Are you going to have another one?

If you see a woman who is very pregnant and dealing with everything that comes with having a child chances are the LAST thing on her mind is whether or not she's going to have more children.

Live in the now and refrain from asking about the size of her family because she probably doesn't want to hear that just yet.

You're probably going to need a C-Section

Really? Unless you are a trained professional in the field of childbirth, then how would you know? Labor and delivery is a stage in pregnancy that women prepare for with much care and it is not common for most women to want to have a C-section because it's a major surgery and not the ideal way to give birth.

So if you imply that she will have a C-section, you are basically telling her that no matter how much she plans, everything can go terribly wrong and her plans just don't matter. Are you sure you want to do that?

Being a mom is going to be so hard for you!

No, no, no. Don't ever say that. Women have many instincts that have kept civilization growing and thriving for thousands of years.

No matter how a woman has chosen to live her life before having children, it is not your place to comment on what type of mom she will be. You can seriously hurt her feelings, prompt her to doubt her abilities causing her stress and feelings of inadequacy during her pregnancy.

You look tired.

Do you like it when people tell YOU that you look tired? It's basically saying, "You look like crap and everyone can see that." It's just not nice.

You're still pregnant?!

A woman in her third trimester has been working round the clock making a human.

• She can't breathe properly
• Burdened by heartburn
• Not able to sleep comfortably
• Her back hurts
• Her feet are swollen

There is nothing she wants more in this world that for her baby to be born.

Do you really think she wants to hear other people sarcastically ask her if she's still pregnant? We think not. Always consider that pregnant women are making a human. It's not an easy task and your comments can make the difference between her having a great or a horrible day.
Instead of blurting out opinions or questions about her pregnancy, do sweet things to make her feel good about herself like:

• Hold the door for her
• Give her some flowers
• Tell her she looks beautiful
• Just keep it simple and smile.

Trust us, you don't ever want to say something that makes a pregnant woman cry because both you and her will end up feeling terrible about it.