Worst Pregnancy Advice?

msashley2010-2

I saw an article on TB that got me thinking about all the crazy things I've been told throughout my last pregnancy and this one. I thought it would make for a rather interesting thread. 

So let's hear it! 

What's the worst pregnancy advice you've ever received? 

klcarr19

Sleep while you can... uhm. You can't stock pile sleep. And I have a toddler now. 

sarahufl

the sleep advice really annoyed me too. Like, um, ok- I can't sleep when I have to pee every 20 minutes. 

msashley2010-2

klcarr19 said:

Sleep while you can... uhm. You can't stock pile sleep. And I have a toddler now. 

lol! So true! I literally can't get a full night's sleep because I am up every hour going to the bathroom. 

HollyGolightly09

klcarr19 said:

Sleep while you can... uhm. You can't stock pile sleep. And I have a toddler now. 

Haha, I told my mom the same thing... is there some kind of sleep reserve I didn't know about? 

I havent so much gotten bad advice yet, just the same advice over and over, from the same person... even though I've told them it isn't working for me. (Eye roll)

msashley2010-2

I think the one that took the cake for myself is an aunt telling me to take castor oil when I was on my 41st week of pregnancy with DD. 

Becky012016

"Don't raise your arms above your head or it'll get the chord stuck around the baby's neck."

Breath_Easy92

Someone (much older) told me that smoking helps with constipation when pregnant. Nothing against smokers I use to smoke but I was like dude I'm a respiratory therapist I don't even know where to start. 

Ive also been told repeatedly by the same person she drank her whole pregnancy and her baby is fine "you just can't have liquor". So I'm getting a little tired of having to defend my choice to not drink while pregnant. 

kelseyrayay

I was always told by my great grandmother that you shouldn't throw a cherry at a pregnant woman because it will cause the baby to have a red birthmark on them. Which explains my red birthmark I guess lol 

wyomama0427

kelseyrayay said:

I was always told by my great grandmother that you shouldn't throw a cherry at a pregnant woman because it will cause the baby to have a red birthmark on them. Which explains my red birthmark I guess lol 

Funny story.... one day while extremely pregnant with my first.. I fell down the internet rabbithole and was reading hundreds and hundreds of comments on a Reddit feed... I came across this guy who said you shouldn't have sex while pregnant because you'll poke the baby and that's how dimples happen and the next guy said, "OH MY GOD MY KID IS GONNA BE A GOLF BALL!"
and I literally peed my pants laughing lol

kelseyrayay

  that's hilarious!! @daniellelynette

msashley2010-2

msashley2010-2

^ Totally not sure what happened to that post. I tried to edit it but it wouldn't let me know anything with it. Gotta love my phone. 

I was trying to respond to the alcohol comment. 

I have had so many people offer me drinks that know I'm pregnant lol. Last night MIL offered to share a glass of wine with me, and of course I declined. 

msashley2010-2

@daniellelynette That is just gold. 

earthtomom

I get asked constantly if I want a glass of wine or "just one beer"...wtf

wellhithen

I feel like when I was pregnant with my first 6 years ago the experts were saying 1 glass of wine while pregnant was fine. Now all I can find is no alcohol at all. I actually hate wine and don't really drink I just find it interesting in the change.

mrs_tacos

I was told last week by a fellow pregnant woman that I should't be taking any medicines for nausea because "those medications are how you end up with an autistic or downs syndrome kid." 



ETA: As someone who has a sibling on the spectrum, it was very hard not to go total ape shit when she said it, but I did give her some real side eye, and said, "I'm fairly confident that's not how those sorts of things work."

BookitBoo

@amandarene112 wtf. I would want to stab her

BookitBoo

I've always been honest about wanting 3 kids. I've always been advised, don't have an odd number of kids because it causes a weird dynamic. The solution?  If you have three go ahead and have four. 

Yeah, right. 

satuttle1014

Sleep when the baby is sleeping. I wish I could have done that. I was either pumping, taking care of the dog or caring for the house.

satuttle1014

BookitBoo said:

I've always been honest about wanting 3 kids. I've always been advised, don't have an odd number of kids because it causes a weird dynamic. The solution?  If you have three go ahead and have four. 

Yeah, right. 

It creates a weird dynamic? Never heard that before. I want 3 kids too and I'm the youngest of 3. 

BookitBoo

yup, I had never heard it before.

msashley2010-2

@amandarene112 That would really piss me off. 

And it also really pisses me off how people act as though developmental disabilities somehow make people less of a human being. 

msashley2010-2

satuttle1014 said:

Sleep when the baby is sleeping. I wish I could have done that. I was either pumping, taking care of the dog or caring for the house.

I could never sleep when my daughter slept. There was an endless laundry list of things that need to be done. This time around it'll be harder. I can't neglect my firstborn and sleep every couple of hours just because the little one will be sleeping. 

Souptin

satuttle1014 said:

Sleep when the baby is sleeping. I wish I could have done that. I was either pumping, taking care of the dog or caring for the house.

Came here to say this one. Sure I'll sleep when baby sleeps but who is going to shower for me? go to the bathroom for me? make a meal or tidy my house up for me?  or heaven forbid I take 5 minutes of sleeping baby time to keep it just to myself to scroll facebook. andplusalso your body cant just shut off and sleep because the baby is sleeping. How about you let me figure out what works best kthanks.

kailapop

Don't eat salt or scratch because it will give you stretch marks. Well, let me tell you my skin stretched so much to accommodate my 10+ pound baby, so even if I didn't scratch or limit my sodium intake I would have ended up with my stretch marks. And you know what, I'm proud of them. They're a reminder that I'm a badass woman who made another healthy amazing human. 

Souptin

other top crap advice: dont hold the baby too much or you will "spoil" them
-give the baby Pablum for colic and to get him to sleep
-most feeding advice actually was really terrible. We did a LOT of reading before my son was born and decided early on that Baby led weaning was the right way for us to go- So many old school opinions on how " wrong" we were or that we were "lazy parenting" because we weren't going to be making purees.
-Any one who ever said anything even remotely related to Vaccinations- we're very PRO Vaccines and believe strongly in the science behind them. Ain't nobody got time for people who "feel" that giving more than one needle at a time is "too much" or some other kind of tin foil hat wearing theory related to them being "bad" ...you know whats bad? A Polio outbreak- thats bad.

BookitBoo

I can't love this more. Vaccination is a passion of mine. Keep all the babies healthy! 

sarahufl

My SIL regaled me with tales of her friend's friend's kid who "caught autism" when I mentioned getting DD the flu vaccine. I told her we weren't having that conversation. 

DPandMB

I always appreciate the people who tell me to stick to the BRAT diet while suffering through morning sickness.

mercury94

Um, so my mom is a retired special ed teacher. I feel it's important to start with that as she has spent a lot of time learning about and teach autistic children.

I told her that I would be getting the TDAP vaccine and she was very concerned about the safety of my baby. "Don't get vaccines while pregnant, it will cause problems." She also told me not to eat any processed foods (or basically anything I didn't cook myself) because there are too many chemicals in foods and they will hurt the baby. 

To be fair, I was born with a minor birth defect (heart condition), which her doctor told her likely happened because she had rubella during pregnancy. But I don't think processed foods or vaccines are anywhere in the same league as catching rubella and I'm pretty sure that's not why I have a heart condition anyway. 

juliebeannn

Oh boy.  My super Korean, superstitious family have come out of the woodwork with their crazy advice.  Top two I can think of:
-you have to stop watching "bad" things on TV, the negative energy will negatively impact you child.  


-you should get rid of your dog now.  Dander isn't good for the baby.  

kailapop

@Souptin the "spoiling the baby" UGH!! I had so many people including my parents tell me that I was spoiling my son. This always made me SO angry!! 

sableeg

I'm just sick of hearing people tell me to "relax!"  I don't think I'm un-relaxed...are they seeing something I'm not?

mrs_tacos

@DPandMB I've had a few people me the BRAT diet too. Um, would they like to come clean up after I vomit bananas and toast everywhere? No? Then stop suggesting the BRAT diet to me. Grrr. (Entering my fifth week of morning sickness maaaay be making me a little feistier than usual. )

mercury94

sableeg said:

I'm just sick of hearing people tell me to "relax!"  I don't think I'm un-relaxed...are they seeing something I'm not?

I hate this advice. This is the advice that I was constantly given when was TTC as well. "If you just relax, everything will work out." Right, because everything in life is that freaking easy. 

sableeg

I don't plan on announcing this pregnancy except to family and close friends and people that will see me, but I have this anticipatory anxiety that people will assume I'm "over" the loss of my daughter if I get lucky enough to bring this little one home.  People are already telling me that they "know" this one will be ok.  Really?  Do you have a crystal ball?!  I missed that day in school!  Please tell me more!

mightymcqueen

@DPandMB OMG yes!! The BRAT diet makes my nausea worse. 

juliebeannn

@sableeg Hugs!!

jessieR358

"Oh you can drink! It's totally fine." 
Throughout my entire first pregnancy by random strangers and some friends. 

mightymcqueen

@jessieR358 In their defense, I've been told that the occasional alcoholic drink isn't considered a health risk, but since doctors don't know the drinking limit for FAS to occur they recommend that you wait until 3rd trimester. Of course, I avoided/limited alcohol consumption before I was pregnant, so I think I can wait til after the baby's born Drinking culture has gotten so out of control, people act personally offended whenever you turn down a chance to booze it up.