10 pregnancy peer pressures you should ignore
Buying a posh buggy
It used to be a pram was a pram (or even a ‘pushchair’), but at some point over the past decade the humble buggy has morphed into an all-singing-and-dancing ‘transport system,’ with a host of fixtures, fittings and accessories our mothers somehow managed to get by without.
If you must have the latest model and have £1000 to splash, go ahead. Otherwise buy second hand or look at cheaper brands. Ask yourself, can you use it from birth, is it comfortable and can you fold it easily? If so, it really is good enough.
Buying designer baby clothes
Stressing about the cost of expensive baby gear? Everyone wants the best for their kids, but you don’t have to break the bank to prove it. Ok, so you may want them to have a few nice things that you can keep for number two or pass on to future generations.
Your baby, however, couldn’t care less and for the most part they will be puked on and grown out of before you’ve thrown the receipt away.
Having a natural birth
What do you mean you’re not hypnobirthing at home? A drug-free natural delivery can seem like the holy grail of childbirth, but there’s no shame in admitting you’re seriously considering an epidural. Everyone’s pain threshold is different.
And while some women handle it with breathing exercises or a little gas and air, others find a long, tiring labour means other options become necessary. Keep an open mind - however you do it a baby is the end result.
Being a yummy mummy
These days it’s not enough to have a healthy pregnancy – now you have to look hot too. Open any fashion mag and you’ll see a pregnant celebrity ‘glowing’ in a bikini and proudly sharing how they’ve never felt better (or had so much sex).
The truth is that for every day you love being pregnant there are others where you’ll curse your skin, weight gain and mood swings. Forget pricey skincare and maternity gear – wear whatever feels comfortable and let it all hang out with pride.
Doing pregnancy yoga
Of course if you’re really serious about pregnancy you’ll have signed up for the obligatory prenatal yoga class as soon as that blue line appeared…shortly before realising you actually feel a bit sick and can’t face anything more than a short walk to the fridge and back. But while regular exercises is important, putting yourself under pressure to do everything right will just lead to stress. Go slowly - if you can't face a class a gentle walk will do just as well.
Eating only the finest organic foods
When it comes to what you eat, you’ll be expected to become a model of self-restraint and purity the minute you announce your pregnancy. In an ideal world you’ll nibble chastely on an unsulphured apricot and won’t so much as look in the direction of a doughnut. In reality, you will just want to eat whatever you can keep down, so buy the best you can afford and don’t give yourself a hard time for indulging in the odd burger.
Getting a pregnancy pillow
Insomnia can be an irritating side-effect of pregnancy, but believe it or not, a good night’s sleep is actually possible without the aid of a gigantic purpose-built and expensive pillow. Ok, so they are handy – you can prop yourself up in bed, support your bump and use them for breastfeeding later. However, a couple of regular ones will do the job just as well, and you’ll save yourself some cash that can be easily be put to use elsewhere.
Using washable nappies
You’re not planning to use disposables are you? When it comes to which nappies to use everyone has an opinion. Ditto whether to introduce a dummy, breast or bottle-feed and how you plan to sleep train your infant. Well-meaning friends will tell you exactly how to go about it and why they are right but just because something works for them doesn’t mean it will for you. Listen to all advice very carefully, agree wholeheartedly, then ignore 80 per cent of it – there really is no right or wrong way.
Hothousing your baby in the womb
Babies start to develop hearing towards the end of the second trimester, so you’d be slacking in your duty if you didn’t play them classical music or language lessons through specially designed ‘bump headphones’. After all, you do care about their education, don’t you? Relax. They may be able to hear, but there’s no evidence that it will make them smarter and it’s very unlikely they will be bottom of the class just because you didn’t enrol for those prenatal Mandarin classes.
Getting a breastfeeding chair
It’s true that position is important for latching on, but do you really need a glorified rocking chair to achieve it? Like the changing table, the breastfeeding chair is a one-trick pony which will outlive its usefulness within months. In fact, you don’t need any special equipment to breastfeed – a comfortable armchair with a few pillows will do the job just as well.
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