10 Things not to say to a new mom

So you’ve just experienced the miracle of birth. Isn’t it wonderful. And now you are the proud and exhausted mum of the cutest little angel in the world. Family and friends come over to coo. Everyone is smiling and celebrating this new life.

Well, everyone that is except certain individuals, who for reasons known only to themselves, are incapable of being supportive and can’t resist saying the most insensitive things.

Why these people feel compelled to steer away from the customary, “what a cutie,” “well done new mum,” and “is there anything you need?” remains a mystery. But they do. And more often than not, we’ve all had to endure at least one such person.

So here are ten asinine comments that no new mom wants to hear:

1) "You look so well and relaxed."
Actually I've lost a ton of blood, have stitches down below, my nipples feel like they’ve been through a cheese grater, I haven't had a bowel movement in ten days, and I've slept less than three consecutive hours in the last two weeks. I am NOT well and relaxed, and the fact that you can't see that only serves to increase my feeling of isolation. I can't believe I ever chose such a self-absorbed person as a friend.

2) "You need a break. Leave the baby with your mum and I'll take you out to dinner."

Thanks but when my mum takes the baby off my hands, I’ll relax by SLEEPING!

3) "I can't believe you didn't hear about that hurricane in ....?"
Well believe it! Because right now, current events are not a priority.

4) "I can't talk to you like we used to. All you talk about is babies."
Why don't you bear with me for a few weeks?!. As soon as I get the hang of this insanely steep learning curve, I'll be back to my old self. Though I might reconsider whether I'll still want YOU as a friend!


5) "Have a glass of wine."

Looking after a new baby is hard enough. I don't need the added challenge of doing it with a hangover!

6) "It's selfish not to breast feed."
Get your own baby and mind your own business!

7) "I remember when my son/daughter was that age."

I don't want to hear from people whose son/daughter is no longer that age. I want to hear
only from people who are suffering the sleepless nights, lack of freedom and steep learning curve. The fact that you went through it and now have your freedom back is not something I need to hear at this particular point in time.

8) When you were little everything was easier, cheaper, cleaner, nicer. You could get your child into any school you wanted for a fraction of the price and be guaranteed a state of the art education. Food was fresh, diapers were cheap and house prices were through the floor.... and so on and so on.

How could it possibly help to be told that life is harder just as I begin taking on the very real and terrifying challenge of parenthood? Unless of course your motivation is to make yourself feel good at my expense. In fact don't even try to fool me into thinking that in 1972 when you held your own baby in your arms you really felt that life was oh so easy. Saying stuff like that is cruel, gratuitous torture, and puts you at risk of being pummeled you to death with a dirty, overpriced Pamper!!

9) "I lost all the baby weight in the first week."
There is no civilized response to this.

10) "Are you planning another baby?" 
I've just squeezed out this one. Right now I'm not even planning another bowel movement, let alone a baby. What is even going through your head?!

I’m sure there are many more insensitive no no’s out there. So feel free to share some of the outrageous ‘advice’ to which you have been subjected.

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Occasionally though, someone will surprise you with advice that will resonate and carry you through the toughest times. I’d like to share the two most important pieces of advice that I ever received, and that repeatedly kept me sane in those times of doubt.

1) Always bear in mind that everything your child does is a phase. So if he won't eat this week, he'll probably be over it by next week. If he throws a tantrum, he will grow out of it. If he likes to fling food on the floor, he won’t still be doing it years from now.

2) All babies develop at their own rates, so just because your best friend's precocious little thing is up and running at 8 months of age, while yours isn't even showing signs of crawling, doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your baby. Chances are your friend is exhausted and jealous of your super chilled little angel.

So moms don't worry about baby's fluctuating appetite, bowel movements, size of baby, time to grasp, time to crawl or time to walk. Your aim in that first year is to effectively sleep train your baby and to show him / her lots of affection.

Oh yes, and try not to strangle those insensitive people who simply, for the life of them, can’t bring themselves to say something intelligent.

 


Comments

04/05/2013 04:04

Really these are the questions that irritates a lot.I hope people read this and will try to follow it.

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09/12/2013 02:45

I would like to thank you for your nicely written post, its informative and your writing style encouraged me to read it till end

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Inspirational blog post, a lot of enormous information. I’m going to give you an idea about my friend and ask them what they think about this publication.

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05/10/2013 04:02

Beautiful tips for a nursing mother and people around her during the time of looking after new born babies. This can be one of the best tips for the people at home to maintain a good and healthy relation. Keep posting and keep updating more.

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A baby's birth is cause for celebration and the first time mom deserves a medal. Since they don't hand out awards at the hospital, a gift idea for the new mom is in order. By all means, buy many baby goodies but don't forget a gift for the new mother as well. Thanks.

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07/11/2014 10:34

LOL, Well done! Another good one is when family members decide they don't like the name you've chosen for your baby and attemot to convince you to change it! I received a long distance phone call from a sister (coached by my mother's passive aggressive behaviours) while in hospital from jst giving birth - to try and convince me to change my son's name! As if the notion of naming him had been totally thoughtless, spur of the moment...and not something my hsband and I had seriously considering. I hung up the phone in tears.

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