Being pregnant can be a magical but challenging time. The support your family and friends give you means a lot and can get you through some rough patches. On the flip side, if someone’s constantly criticizing or frightening you, it can make the entire process even more stressful than it already is.

Whether or not a woman has a cesarean birth is up to her after she’s taken medical advice into consideration. One woman, redditor u/Adventurous_Panic_9, recently went viral on r/entitledparents after venting about how her own mom is pressuring her to have a c-section to match her schedule. Read on for the full story. Bored Panda has reached out to the author via Reddit, and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from her.

It’s important to support moms-to-be during pregnancy. The last thing you want is to stress them out with criticism and scary thoughts

Image credits: BGStock72 (not the actual photo)

One mom vented online after sharing how her parents are trying to pressure her to have a c-section. Here’s her story, in full

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

Image credits: u/Adventurous_Panic_91

A newborn’s parents should not feel guilty about being cautious with visitors

Image credits: Jonathan Borba (not the actual photo)

The OP’s story shows just how fundamental the support of your loved ones can be. Especially during times like pregnancy. However, the post also reveals how a lack of support—and added stress—can lead to frustration and disappointment.

Unfortunately, it seems that the author’s parents do not seem to have much respect for her boundaries. For instance, the fact that they’re pushing her to have a c-section, to match their schedule, makes it seem like they may be placing their interests above hers.

Meanwhile, redditor u/Adventurous_Panic_9’s parents also seem to be insisting on seeing the baby even though they haven’t gotten consent yet. Newborns are actually very susceptible to germs and viruses because they haven’t yet had the time to develop their immune systems.

As Johns Hopkins Medicine points out, it is vital that parents take precautions to protect their baby’s health, and set boundaries for who visits their newborn and when. Of course, every family and situation is different, so no one single approach works. But a good rule of thumb is to limit the number of people who visit the baby.

“Consider having extended family and friends wait two to three months until your baby’s immune system is stronger to plan their visits.”

Anyone who’s visiting a newborn has to do their utmost to maintain good hygiene before coming into contact with them. That means washing your hands. That means removing any jewelry that you’ve got on. And that means refraining from putting your mouth full of germs anywhere near the baby’s face: that means no kisses.

Obviously, if you’re not feeling well, outright ill, or slightly iffy, you should not be in close contact with the baby. Meanwhile, if you want to be extra careful, you can wear a mask to reduce the number of germs you spread. It’s always better to err on the side of caution. You do not want the baby to fall ill because you just had to visit ASAP.

Nobody should be forced to have a c-section against their will, unless it’s a medical emergency

Image credits: Büşranur Aydın (not the actual photo)

Naturally, everyone’s excited to meet the newborn. So it can be a little bit awkward for the new parents to enforce some healthy boundaries and limit who visits them at the hospital or at home. However, it’s important to remember for everyone that it’s an exhausting and emotionally overwhelming time for the parents, so everyone should respect their wishes.

It’s best to establish some ground rules ahead of time. Talk about who will (not) be visiting the baby and when so that everyone’s on the same page. Surprise visitors, while nice and with (probably) good intentions, shouldn’t be barging in unannounced.

In the same vein, nobody should be telling any mom-to-be that they ‘must’ have a c-section… especially if their intent isn’t for the benefit of the mom, but for themselves.

C-sections and live (vaginal) births have their own pros and cons, and the choice falls to the mom herself after she’s consulted medical professionals about them in her particular case.

Vaginal birth, according to The Mother Baby Center, is less risky than a c-section, and has a shorter recovery time (2 to 6 weeks compared to 6 to 8 weeks after a caesarean). However, vaginal births can be more painful and take longer, but they offer a unique experience for the mom and her partner.

C-sections, meanwhile, are recommended for patients who have high-risk pregnancies. Moms who choose them tend to stay in the hospital longer. There’s also the risk of complications in later pregnancies. It’s always best to talk to your doctor to know what your options are and what’s best for you and your baby so that you’re not pressured by your family or friends.

Some of the readers gave the mom-to-be advice on what to do next

Meanwhile, here’s how other internet users reacted and the pregnancy stories they shared

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