Jessie Shepherd, MA, AMCHC
- Even after three uncomfortable pregnancies myself, sometimes I forget what it is like to be pregnant and blurt out a pregnancy no-no. Upon discussion with some of the best past and current pregnant ladies I have met (special thank you to the Saratoga Springs Play Group), these common concerns were gathered and dissected. So here is the list to remind you what not to say to your pregnant friends:
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1. Personal retrospect
“I loved being pregnant. I never had stretch marks/morning sickness/swelling.”
Even if you look back fondly at your months of pregnancy, it is never a sunny walk in the park. But time gives us some distance and lets us forget the uncomfortableness. However, when your friend is in the thick of pregnancy she will know all too well how awkward it is. As you divulge your own personal pregnancy stories to your pregnant friend, it can do one of two different things: either make them feel even more miserable that they have a difficult pregnancy or make them feel like they are complaining. Either way, you want to avoid this and help them feel supported.
Jessie Shepherd, MA, LCMHC is a Mental Health Counselor in Utah. She has a Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Utah. Her focus is treating trauma, eating disorders and adjustment issues in adults, adolescents, children and their families. She utilizes Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Play Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Neurological Feedback. She also works with performance anxiety and performance enhancement using EMDR and Neurological Feedback.