You may not know it but there are lots of angry pregnant women walking around and you may have something to do with it. When you bump into that pregnant neighbor or woman in your office, what do you say to her? Is it “Are you sure you’re not having twins?” Or “You can’t get any bigger?” Perhaps you say “When are you due? No way you’re going to make it.”

Have you thought about how insulting these comments actually are to an expecting mother? This is a woman who has lost her figure, doesn’t get much sleep, experiences constant aches and pains, not to mention her internal organs have been re-arranged. She no longer fits into her favorite clothes and looks in the mirror every morning only to feel like a hippopotamus is staring back. And your comments, however good natured, just reinforce her perception. Have you ever encountered a woman who is happy about the changes her body undergoes during pregnancy? Imagine walking up to the same woman when she is not pregnant and telling her, “Boy your butt looks huge in those jeans.” Every day a pregnant women hears just that from her friends and neighbors. Think about it. When you ask her if she is having twins, you are implying that her stomach is so big there has to be two children because no normal woman would look like that. When you tell her she can’t get any bigger, she knows she is going to get bigger, especially in the last trimester. What will you think of her then? And when you tell her she won’t make it to her due date, you’re advocating premature babies. That’s the last thing she wants to have happen. 

I know you mean well but have a little empathy and understand what she is going through. Instead, tell her how great she looks, that her skin has a wonderful glow, that her hair looks so healthy, that you wish you looked so good when you were pregnant. You will make her day and help her feel beautiful at a time when she feels like she looks her worst.