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40 Of The Most Idiotic Pieces of Advice Ever Given To Pregnant Women, As Shared In This Online Group
Pregnancy is a very delicate period of time in a woman’s life. After all, they’re growing a teeny-tiny human being inside of them who can’t fend for themselves and thus relies heavily on their mother making the right decisions in life.
And when you become pregnant and people find out (or eventually start noticing) about it, there’s also bound to be an expert or two popping up, giving you advice on how to properly be pregnant. Because people.
Image Credit: Jerry Lai
Reddit user u/FuzzyTortoise asked the pregnant women and mothers of Reddit what was some of the worst or even craziest advice someone has ever given them about their pregnancies. And many women delivered.
Check out some of the worst advice anyone could ever give a pregnant lady in the neatly curated list below. And while you’re down there, vote, comment, and share some of the craziest advice you’ve ever been given on your pregnancy.
More Info: Reddit
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#1
Currently pregnant, and currently dealing with my mother who became an anti vaxxer 13 years ago. I had no idea, just found out recently when I mentioned I got my tdap and flu shot and I asked if everyone in the family was caught up because the baby is due next month and flu season is right around the corner. She called me a [fudging] idiot for putting "rotting DNA" in my body while pregnant. She refuses to get a flu shot, so I refuse to let her see her first grandchild. Not taking chances with my kids life because you cant be bothered to do legitimate research or listen to me when I try and explain it to her.
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#2
My adorable father in law told me I HAD to deliver vaginally. If I had a C section, I wouldn't love my baby as much because I didn't suffer for him. First of all, the kid was comfortably sitting and was NOT turning around, you utter [bung]hole. I was not about to risk my kid's life in a feet first delivery, no sir. Second, a C section is a major surgery and a pain in the ass, believe me, I did suffer. You try being cut open like that while awake and then deal with a feisty colicky new born while recovering from it. Third, really? I need to feel pain in order to love my child? I can't even. Fourth, you don't even have a uterus, old man. Zip it.
#3
When I found out I was pregnant a 4th time (3 losses in row) I heard so many from strangers mine isn’t necessarily advice but more open mouth insert foot “Are you SURE this one is going to work?”
I was also told if I was on my cell phone or around my modem/router it would cause brain damage to my unborn child.
She’s 4, perfectly healthy, no brain damage and let’s just say it took a lot of medical attention to get her to full term.
What caused my miscarriages they said my hormones couldn’t sustain a pregnancy and after the 3rd I was told that with my hormone levels getting pregnant again wouldn’t happen. She was a surprise and the best one ever. It took an educated doctor that wanted the best outcome. Previous doctors just looked at my history and was like sorry for your loss maybe next time will go better..
The best day of my husband and mines life was finding out that she was alive, thriving and having an amazing doctor who moved heaven and earth to make sure she’d make it. He was at work when I found out he actually yelled and his entire office heard him he almost ran around the office he was more excited than me!
Cats 3 years ago (edited)
My aunt (a pediatrician) went through a similar struggle. Their daughter was pregnancy 4 or 5 and it took 4 months in hospital to manage her medications and hormone supplements around the clock. Luckily their healthcare was good and they’d saved up for IVF if the fifth natural pregnancy didn’t work out. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Her mother told her to quit her job, because her body must smell she’s around so many sick kids and refused to add a child to that environment. You know, how we throw up when someone else does because our body fears we ate the same poison. She told her mom that that was impossible, incredibly cruel, but also that she didn’t care to be angry with her because any stress on the pregnancy was too much. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ She visited her former patients at the child wing every week and she believes it kept her calm enough to make it to 8 months. I’m so incredibly glad to hear you two got your precious healthy child. It’s something irreplaceable.
#4
My labor should be painless because Jesus died and erased the “pain during childbirth” penalty humans got from Eve. If I feel pain, it’s because I don’t believe in Jesus’ redemptive powers.
#5
My MIL said it's ok to drink mixed drinks... she went on to say that my husband was a margarita baby. I now call him that when he gets on my nerves.
#6
I had a co-worker tell me that eating peanut butter (I was eating an apple with peanut butter on my lunch break) would give my baby cancer. I already thought she was the world's greatest idiot so that nugget of wisdom was just confirmation.
#7
Oh! I was told that I need to shave down there or the baby will get carpet burn. Like.. Wut?
#9
Someone told my SO not to bathe because the baby would drown.
Edit: the reasoning for this advice was that the umbilical cord acted as a sort of snorkel from the baby to the mothers navel. If the navel was submerged the baby wouldn't be able to get air.
#10
According to my mother, everything can cause miscarriage.
Coffee?
Miscarriage
Tea?
Miscarriage
Too much meat?
Miscarriage
Not enough meat?
Miscarriage.
Sewing?
Miscarriage
Paddling the school canoe
Oh, you better believe that's a miscarriage.
Had two miscarriages before finally having my daughter. Just bad luck chromosomal abnormalities... but she made sure to remind me not to do all of those things again next time, you know... just in case.
Thanks for the subtle blame, Mom.
#11
Not me but my sister. She had to have an emergency c section when she had my niece. Her mother in law said she wouldn’t be a “real woman” unless she had a vaginal birth.
#12
My mom was talking to my paternal grandma while pregnant with me then winced because I was kicking her ribs. My grandma told her "swat it so it'll know!" She wanted my mom to spank fetus-me through her own belly for kicking her. After my mom told us that story, "Swat it so it'll know" became a common response any time someone was complaining about something.
#13
My grandmother made a comment about my weight gain with my first pregnancy around month 5. For reference, I started severely underweight at 87 lbs and was closely monitored by my doctor because of it. At this point, I was nearing 125. When I told her that the OB/GYN was happy with where I was, she told me of her own doctor's advice (in 1956), "Smoke a pack of cigarettes per day to keep your weight down. The baby can gain it's own weight after birth."
#14
-sitting with my legs crossed wil cause miscarriage.
-don't take a bath, itll cause a miscarriage.
-lifting more than 5lbs will cause a miscarriage.
-wearing tight fitted clothes will cause a miscarriage.
-spicy food would cause a miscarriage
-I worked retail. A stranger informed me that morning sickness and smell sensitivity isn't real, while I was heading to the bathroom to throw up.
-also had a customer tell me that the baby isn't actually affecting my bladder.
-had a third customer tell me to not drink tap water. Can't remember why. Probably causes miscarriages.
-my cousin tried to tell me that I had morning sickness because its Gods way of telling a woman she isn't ready for a baby.
-I had an anterior placenta, so we couldn't feel kicks until close to 30 weeks. My mom was said there's no such thing, and the reason we couldn't feel kicks is bc I was fat.
Tldr; literally everything causes miscarriages and morning sickness is a lie.
#15
My friend's dad was a chiropractor. She told him I had had miscarriages. He told me, "No wonder. You will lose every pregnancy with a pelvis like that."
Freaked me out SO MUCH and I guess I ruined the party by crying and leaving, and my friend was mad at me.
I have back trouble, yes, but I have three children living.
Kelli from Fitness Blender 3 years ago
Wow, your friend got mad at you for leaving the party that she ruined by telling her dad about your miscarriages causing him to say something completely inappropriate, which caused you to, understandably, freak out.
#16
Oh I’ve got this: the lady at the counter in the village bakery told me that I should smear my face with SEMEN to counter pregnancy acne. It was the first time I’d ever met her.
#17
Frozen cabbage leaves in the bra to help with swelling and pain due to breastfeeding. While it felt awesome for the whole minute or so they stayed frozen, they eventually turn to mush and make a mess.
Advice I wish someone had given me - get a mattress protector. Not just for when your water breaks. Carrying a big baby next to your bladder means just the act of rolling over in bed can cause leakage. And if you are too tired after the birth to take the baby to a changing table or the floor, you're gonna want a layer of protection on your mattress. Soon as that diaper is off, baby will projectile poop. Sheets and walls can be washed, but mattresses can't be. Poopsplosions are real. Prepare yourself.
#18
My very first OB visit (first baby) handed me a book about month by month pregnancy and said that if I had any questions to just refer to the book. Then I said well what if the baby...she cut me off right there and pointed to the book and said “ah, ah, ah, it’s in the book.” I changed OBs.
For those who are asking my question was not in the book. I had questions about the baby being premature (my brother and I were born very premature) and I was going to ask her about it.
And my baby ended up being born 3 and a half months early and I had a lot of complications prior to that. Being high risk is not fun! But he’s healthy now :)
#19
While pregnant with me, my mom was told that drinking beer would help her baby develop and be nice and chubby.
I was five weeks early and barely six pounds.
Yeah, it could have been substantially worse. Apart from being an early small baby, I don't have any fetal alcohol related health conditions.
Conversely, when my grandma was pregnant with my mom (her first) in the 50s, the accepted wisdom was that smoking while pregnant was a good idea for first time mothers because it lowered the birth weight. Which was supposed to make labour and delivery easier. But low birth weight is extremely dangerous and makes the process harder. My mom was born two months early and weighed about two or three pounds. She was so tiny that my grandma dressed her in baby doll clothing and my mom spent her first month of life in the hospital's NICU.
#20
That if you try really hard and stretch a lot, you too can have a vaginal birth. Not actually a bad plan, as long as you don't wind up not freaking dilating after 30 hour and have an emergency C section due to fetal distress. Because I just didn't try hard and stretch enough.
Clearly sunny 3 years ago
Why do people hate so much on a c-section? I'm glad I didn't have to push an 8 pound baby out of my area. It was an emergency one so don't over judge me, I didn't choose it. Just glad now.
#21
Don't eat spicy foods or stand under the moon.. ugh..
As someone pointed out in the comments, it's the full moon, not just the moon in general. This was a decade ago, and my memory sucks.
The spicy thing comes from the superstition that spicy foods will give your kid a birth mark.
Night Owl 3 years ago
I have a lot of birthmarks. No idea what my mom ate but I don't think those two things are connected
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Proud gold rose 3 years ago
My mom only ate rice it was her only craving is that why I have vitiligo?
PineappleQueen 3 years ago
I actually think most birthmarks look really cool. My friend has one on the back of her neck, and it looks vaguely like a carrot.
John Montgomery 3 years ago
How does one not stand under the moon? Do they mean don't go outside?
Timothy Leung 2 years ago
People from Sichuan (China) eat a lot of spicy food yet they (especially the ladies) are known for fair, supple skin.
Skidanpump 3 years ago (edited)
She’s wrong you get birth marks because that shows if you were pressed up against something in the stomach!(edit: I think)
Chaotic_pansexual 3 years ago
Birthmarks are actually caused by a benign irregularity in the skin: an overgrowth of some sort of cell, the type of cell determining the type of birthmark. They can either be present at birth or shortly after, usually within the first month. :)
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Shelley DuVal 3 years ago
Reading all the replies concerning birthmarks, something I have never really thought about, is there a medical/genetical reason why birthmarks are made/formed?
Nikki Owens 3 years ago
I ate spicy Indian food regularly when I was pregnant with my daughter, and all it seems to have done is give her a taste for spicy Indian food... lol.
Pansy Parkinson 3 years ago
My mom craved spicy food all the time when she was pregnant with me and I don't even have a birthmark like what. I want a birthmark!!!! No fair!!! Birthmarks are so cool!!!
I'm lay sheep in China 3 years ago
In our locality going outside or standing under the day of moon eclipse casual miscarriage
Emilycookie 3 years ago
i mean i have had a humongous mole on the back of my head since birth so i guess my mom ate spicy foods? but birth marks are cool!
Marky Mark 3 years ago
Whether is a full moon or crescent - there is the same amount on moon above you, its just a question of how much of it is in a shadow.
Laugh or not 3 years ago
Spicy food can give heartburn and pregnant women are more prone to heartburn, which is a good reason to limit consumption. If it gave birth mark, no child in India would be birth-mark free.
The Redhead 3 years ago
I'm a big fan of the show The Universe. Ome episode was about eclipses and they mentioned hundreds of years ago people believed if a pregnant woman watched an eclipse her baby would be deformed. I happly watched the eclipes of 2017 while pregnant, and guess what my baby wasn't deformed.
Natasha Romanoff 3 years ago
When my mom was about six months pregnant with me she went on a road trip with my dad to Nashville and ate some spicy chicken and because of that almost had me early - she had really painful contractions. I'm not sure if it's just her or others too but I would listen to the spicy food one - not for the birthmark tho
BlackLabOwner 3 years ago
Yep my mother with no spice tolerance ate a ton of spicy food so now I have 2 birthmarks
#22
I was about 8 months pregnant, i said something at family dinner one sunday about how i was scared of labor, my gram shouts out “ you know you should smoke a blunt”. now my family’s open about their pot use, most of my family will smoke from time to time but my grandmother has never smoked in her life so i was a bit confused.
I just looked at her and keeps going “ if you smoke blunts well your in labour it will keep you calm and help with the pain, i’ll find you some weed just smoke in the bathroom of the hospital..... but wear socks you have ugly feet and the doctor won’t want to help you if he sees your cracked heels”
my grandmother is something.
I didn’t take my grandmothers advice, and the doctor delivered my baby even with my cracked heals, and once i had the baby and could reach my feet again i made sure they weren’t cracked anymore.
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago
I was high as a kite when I gave birth to my first child. I was high on gas not weed though.
#24
Well i am the husband/father but a doctor told my 38 or 39 week pregnant wife that her condition was no excuse to not keep me sexually satisfied.
Not even sure why it was brought up. She was just getting a regular checkup. I wasnt even there. Doc busts out with this. (Not her regular doctor. Her regular doctor was also off pregnant).
She was NOT impressed to say the least.
So theres the advice. Being pregnant is no reason to not please your SO.
#25
Don’t raise your arms above your head, it will tangle the baby’s cord and the baby will die.
somnomania 3 years ago
just file this one next to "the uterus just sometimes wanders around the body and that's why ladies get upset"
#26
got severe itching all over the body during 7th mo.
did the routine test for liver function.all normal
Colleague advises, rub your husband's underwear which he has left for wash/laundry all over ur body as remedy for itching.
No. I DID NOT FOLLOW IT.
#27
“Don’t worry about the swelling and high blood pressure, thats normal.” -my midwife days before being induced due to preeclampsia
#28
I was told that heart burn during the pregnancy meant that the child had a lot of head hair.
Had a [crap] load of heart burn.
Kid barely had hair.
#29
When I found out I was pregnant a nurse friend of mine felt the need to rattle off an endless list of [crap] that could potentially be wrong with my baby. Another friend of mine, when I started telling people I was pregnant after the three months and was accused of telling people too early, said "It doesn't matter when you tell people, you could have a miscarriage at any point during your pregnancy." They both meant well, but really guys lol shut up!
Anke Dieken 3 years ago
One of the reasons why I chose the hospital I gave birth in. Hospital one: this could happen, then we do that and also that could happen which is handled as followed ... and so on. Hospital two: That's the breakfast room, choose to eat what you like, open from ... to ... etc. One woman asked about c-section and the doc answered: "Yes, of cours that may happen, but it is not that often and we are very good at it." I went to hosptial 2, of course.
#30
Not to sit on stairs because it will cause you to have a miscarriage... people are crazy.
#31
That I should drink her [crappy] MLM aloe vera juice every day... It's not advisable for pregnant women...
Turns out it was indeed herbal life.
#32
my entire family was super judgmental/against breastfeeding for some reason, it was really strange. ‘how long are you going to do THAT for?’
#33
Do not go to the zoo Bc if you look at a monkey your baby will be ugly
#34
When I was pregnant past my due date a co-worker advised me to drink cod liver oil mixed with vodka. Apparently this mixture would upset my digestive system, give me horrible diarrhea and thus trigger labor contractions.
Edit: I did not drink this combo to help with being overdue. I ended up several days later being medically induced and labor/delivery was swift and baby healthy. He is a grown man now.
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago
I have heard of women drinking castor oil to bring on labour but not vodka and cod liver oil.
#35
Not allowed to sew either using sewing machine or hand. It will cause the umbilical cord to tangled.
Arctic Fox Lover 3 years ago
Yes, because the umbilical cord will sense that you're using string to sew, and it will try to mimic the string, tangling itself up because it's not sewing string. Obviously XD
#36
Taking a bath can cause a miscarriage.
To be fair, it was from my husband's (incredibly sweet) grandmother, who meant well. She was 92 years old at the time and hadn't been pregnant in a very, very long time! She also had a good number of miscarriages (my father in law and his sister are 15 years apart in age), so I think she was coming from a different place than most.
Arctic Fox Lover 3 years ago
My mom only had one miscarriage, and my sister was supposed to have a twin. However, I think that if she did have a twin, my mom wouldn't have had me. But my brother that's closest in age to me is 9 years older, my oldest brother being 16 years older, so that'll be an interesting story to tell my future children.
#37
One person told me I would never be able to fit a baby out of my body because I wasn't big enough "down there" and to just get a Csection....not a doctor. A random person who had literally never seen "down there." No I'm not going to get major surgery just because you don't think I'm large enough.
#38
So not really about pregnancy advice, but someone told me to put baking soda in a cup and piss on it first thing in the morning. If it fizzed, I was pregnant with a boy. If it did not fizz, I was having a girl.
#39
One of my work colleagues was obsessed with recommending that I eat citrus fruits, especially the easy-to-peel Cutie tangerines. She was convinced it would give the baby a higher IQ in the long run.
#40
My grandma constantly told me not to argue with my husband because it would cause the baby to be “fussy” and “difficult.”
What do you think ?
Katy F 3 years ago
Ok so this wasn't a piece of stupid advice but more like a horror story lol. When my mom gave birth to my little sister my grandma called my mom irresponsible for giving birth at 1:00 in the morning. Ain't my grandma special XD
The Redhead 3 years ago
Because considerable mothers only give birth from 9 to 5
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A.M. Pierre 3 years ago
Why is "mind your own dang business, especially in personal matters" such a difficult concept for some people?
Patti Vance 3 years ago
my advice to all expecting moms: ignore all the advice of other moms/grandmas. if you want to be kind, just smile and thank them for their concern. if you feel bitchy, tell them to mind their own business as it is your pregnancy and not theirs.
Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 3 years ago
I'm not expecting, but, I would listen to my mom if it made sense. She is one of the most brilliant people I know.
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GirlFriday 3 years ago
I don't have children, but let me give all of the pregnant moms the advice my mother gave my SIL when she was pregnant with her first (and my mother had thirteen children). "Slow down, take a deep breath, do what you can, rest when you need it, ask for help - no one expects you to do it all. You are growing a whole human being and you should be kind to yourself. Let go of any expectations that you have for yourself or your baby because motherhood is nothing like you expect and does abide by plans, but it is the most fun you will ever have."
Memere 3 years ago
Your mom & mine would have probably been very good friends, because that's almost word for word what my mom said to my sister, and a few years later to me! Wise women for sure.
Load More Replies...
person (i think) 3 years ago
I had no idea so many people are against medically necessary c-sections. It’s like they forgot that before that (and other factors) came along there was a really high mortality rate for mothers and babies during the birthing process
person (i think) 3 years ago
Or maybe they remember and if you and/or your baby dies then that is an acceptable price to pay to see if you are a “real woman”
Load More Replies...
Jill Bussey 3 years ago
My MIL told me I would not be able to breast feed, because my breasts were too small. So I breastfed my first baby for eight months and my second for ten months. It also meant no-one else could monopolise the babies.
Lady Snowfall 3 years ago
That's so ridiculous. Breast size has nothing to do with lactation. Trust me, I'm not that big, but I suffered from hyperlactation. I could fire 'em across the room 🤣
Load More Replies... person (i think) 3 years ago
Every one of these I want to just sarcastically write “facts” as a comment because they are so stupid
Commander OwO 3 years ago
Doesn't really count but since I was a picky eater my mom used to tell me that kids who finish their entire plate will have beautiful kids and I did believe it :)
Don't Look 3 years ago
I stopped at #17. This was a whole lot of WTF. Also, for all these women whose mothers were the ones telling them this s**t, did they have to go through it too?
Nicky Harrison 2 years ago
When my DD was 6 weeks old she liked to push up on my knees with her feet and try to stand, with me holding her body. MIL told me not to let her do that as her legs would bend and snap. She's 15 now and has very substantial, long, straight legs, never had any fractures and can give anyone a good kicking if they annoy her.
Stephen reeve 3 years ago
We once had a cable tv salesman tell us that our Sky Tv box gives off harmful radiation that could give my wife a miscarriage.
Katy F 3 years ago
Ok so this wasn't a piece of stupid advice but more like a horror story lol. When my mom gave birth to my little sister my grandma called my mom irresponsible for giving birth at 1:00 in the morning. Ain't my grandma special XD
The Redhead 3 years ago
Because considerable mothers only give birth from 9 to 5
Load More Replies... A.M. Pierre 3 years ago
Why is "mind your own dang business, especially in personal matters" such a difficult concept for some people?
Patti Vance 3 years ago
my advice to all expecting moms: ignore all the advice of other moms/grandmas. if you want to be kind, just smile and thank them for their concern. if you feel bitchy, tell them to mind their own business as it is your pregnancy and not theirs.
Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 3 years ago
I'm not expecting, but, I would listen to my mom if it made sense. She is one of the most brilliant people I know.
Load More Replies... GirlFriday 3 years ago
I don't have children, but let me give all of the pregnant moms the advice my mother gave my SIL when she was pregnant with her first (and my mother had thirteen children). "Slow down, take a deep breath, do what you can, rest when you need it, ask for help - no one expects you to do it all. You are growing a whole human being and you should be kind to yourself. Let go of any expectations that you have for yourself or your baby because motherhood is nothing like you expect and does abide by plans, but it is the most fun you will ever have."
Memere 3 years ago
Your mom & mine would have probably been very good friends, because that's almost word for word what my mom said to my sister, and a few years later to me! Wise women for sure.
Load More Replies... person (i think) 3 years ago
I had no idea so many people are against medically necessary c-sections. It’s like they forgot that before that (and other factors) came along there was a really high mortality rate for mothers and babies during the birthing process
person (i think) 3 years ago
Or maybe they remember and if you and/or your baby dies then that is an acceptable price to pay to see if you are a “real woman”
Load More Replies... Jill Bussey 3 years ago
My MIL told me I would not be able to breast feed, because my breasts were too small. So I breastfed my first baby for eight months and my second for ten months. It also meant no-one else could monopolise the babies.
Lady Snowfall 3 years ago
That's so ridiculous. Breast size has nothing to do with lactation. Trust me, I'm not that big, but I suffered from hyperlactation. I could fire 'em across the room 🤣
Load More Replies... person (i think) 3 years ago
Every one of these I want to just sarcastically write “facts” as a comment because they are so stupid
Commander OwO 3 years ago
Doesn't really count but since I was a picky eater my mom used to tell me that kids who finish their entire plate will have beautiful kids and I did believe it :)
Don't Look 3 years ago
I stopped at #17. This was a whole lot of WTF. Also, for all these women whose mothers were the ones telling them this s**t, did they have to go through it too?
Nicky Harrison 2 years ago
When my DD was 6 weeks old she liked to push up on my knees with her feet and try to stand, with me holding her body. MIL told me not to let her do that as her legs would bend and snap. She's 15 now and has very substantial, long, straight legs, never had any fractures and can give anyone a good kicking if they annoy her.
Stephen reeve 3 years ago
We once had a cable tv salesman tell us that our Sky Tv box gives off harmful radiation that could give my wife a miscarriage.
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