Jill Krause writes about all things mom, parenting, and relationships at her blog, Baby Rabies, and she has some words of advice for the non-pregnant segment of the population.
In a recent post titled “What (Not) To Say To A Pregnant Woman,” Krause took direct aim at people who feel the need to engage a woman about her pregnancy.
She's clearly onto something. Her Facebook video has well over 1.2 millions views so far.
The "don’t" list includes things like asking if a woman is sure she is having twins. Krause clears that up quickly: “I promise, there are two things we are certain of, and it’s the number of inhabitants in our uterus, and when they are expected to GTFO,” she writes on her blog.
The "do" list is super-simple. According to Krause, if you feel the overwhelming need to say anything, just tell the mom-to-be that she looks amazing.
Krause’s only suggested alternative is to tell the woman that she is glowing. “We know we’re not glowing. We know we sweat a lot while lugging around this enormous midsection that you are shocked by. We know we don’t look amazing,” she says, adding, “Lie to us anyway.”
Perhaps her best suggestion? Not saying anything at all.
Krause's post reminds us of the mom who went viral taking on the people who body-shamed her post-baby body.
The point here is that there is no need to comment on another person’s body, pregnant or not.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated Krause's first name as Julie.