Pregnancy Faux Pas I'm Totally Cool With

Little did I know the world of pregnant ladies could be so judgey.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as let's be honest, the world of ladies can be pretty judgey - why would we expect any less from some extra hormonal ladies?  Anywho, throughout my pregnancy I have spent lots of time on TheBump.com, as it has been a great way to connect with woman due around the same time as me and get advice on everything from registries to recovery from moms who have Been There Done That (BTDT is the acronym for that on TheBump, incaseyouwerewondering).

There are quite a few Pregnancy Faux Pas that are apparently frowned upon in this round-bellied world, and today I'm coming out and saying this pregnant chick right here?  Totally cool with them.

Counting Months 4 Weeks at a Time

Lots of pregnant ladies are outraged at people who count their months 4 weeks at a time.  For example, if you say you are six months pregnant when you're 24 weeks, you're in for an earfull.  Here's the thing, though.  In every other estimate of time, I always count my months by 4 weeks.  If someone says something is in 8 weeks, my brain automatically thinks 2 months - is that really all that abnormal?  Andplusalso, lots of people don't know pregnancy is usually counted in weeks, so when they ask you how far along you are, they want to hear an answer in months.  Granted, this does become a little awkward now as I am 9+ months pregnant (if you divide my weeks by 4, of course), but there is still no baby.  Little does society know that you're really pregnant for 40 weeks...or 10 months!  We've been tricked for our whole lives.

Gender Reveal Parties

This one really gets me.  Many many ladies on TheBump and throughout Cyber Land are appalled by even the thought of a Gender Reveal Party.  These ladies see it is as completely self-involved (it might be a little, I can see that), and over the top.  I have read things as nasty as "no one but you cares about the sex of your baby" and "the correct term is sex, so gender reveal party doesn't even make sense" and "why subject people to a party all about your baby's genitals" and the ever popular "why does everything have to be a party these days?".  We proudly had a Gender Reveal Party and here's why.  We were excited, and so were our friends and families.  Were they as excited as us?  Probably not, as this little one is ours and not theirs (though my Mother-in-Law may say differently).  But they were excited, and we wanted to share a fun moment with them.  I also don't see the problem with turning things into a party.  Why not celebrate the big and even the little moments in life?  If someone didn't want to attend our party, they certainly didn't have to, but who turns up their nose at free food, booze, a good time with some friends, and a little surprise via cake cut?  Not me!

Push Presents
For those of you unfamiliar, a "push present" is a gift given from the New Dad to the New Mom after the birth of their New Baby.  They have gotten increasingly popular over the years, and range from housewares and appliances, to sweet and thoughtful jewelry, and some people are lucky enough to be gifted diamonds and extravagant gifts like that!  While by no means do I think anyone should expect a present for delivering a baby, why is it a problem if one might be lucky enough to receive one?  I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that the ladies who have such a problem with push presents are just a wee bit jealous.  Of course the baby is the present, of course that is what it's about, but you know what, a little present never hurt anyone!

Sip and See's/Sprinkles

A sip and see is a small get together, sometimes female only sometimes co-ed, hosted after baby's arrival, and the focus is on (maybe I should say, the focus should be on) meeting the new baby and congratulating Mom (and Dad, should be there also!).  A "baby sprinkle" is a small shower, thrown in lieu of a traditional larger baby shower, often to celebrate a baby of the opposite gender of their older sibling - the gifts are usually very gender-centric, focusing on girl or boy clothes often times.  There are many many people who feel the issue of anything even remotely resembling a baby shower for a second or third (or fourth or fifth, for that matter) baby is black and white - showers are for first babies only.  While I tend to agree, a traditional baby shower is to welcome a mother into motherhood, and is a little tacky done for second and certainly third babies, I think there is something to celebrate about each baby on the way, and sip and sees and sprinkles are wonderful tasteful ways to do that!  Plus, if you don't agree with it, don't have one and don't go.

 

Bumpdates/Weekly Blogging
Clearly I have no objections to Bumpdates, as I've been posting them here for months now!  These weekly updates are truly more for myself and family and friends who care to keep updated than readers, as I know they can be a little repetitive at times.  However, as a blog reader, I love reading weekly pregnancy updates and have since before I was a pregnant blogger myself!