Listen to yourself!

I'll start by saying, "LISTEN TO YOURSELF." What follows is probably something that happened to you, is happening to you now, or has happened to you.

What people tend to say:

1. You announce that you are pregnant, you are told Ahhhh you will see, the nausea, the smells, the pains, etc.
2. You're approaching 20 weeks, and they say to you: "Oh my God, you really do have a little belly," or "you really do have a BIG belly." Are you sure you don't have two?
3. You're 30 weeks along, they're starting to talk about labor. Oh lord, it hurts, you're going to see the first baby, it's so long... I tell you, don't get the epidural, it's not good. You'll go in the bath, it feels good. Hey, are you giving birth in the hospital? Why not the birthing center? It's much better.
4. 37-38-39 & see 40 weeks: The question not to ask at this time: WHEN ARE YOU GIVING YOUR BIRTH?
5. You give birth, BANG!!!! Someone says to you: Oh, you had an epidural? My god, I didn't need one... We don't all have the same tolerance threshold! GRRRRRRR and what about breastfeeding! ayayaye... They say to you: Come on, aren't you breastfeeding? Is that the best thing you can give your baby? You'll save money too!

This is what I say to all these people.

1. Despite the fact that you want to inform me or warn me, know that I want to live my pregnancy at 100 miles an hour. The nausea, the pain, and the size of the belly are different for each woman. Just because YOU had this doesn't necessarily mean others will have it.
2. When it comes to childbirth, all I want is for both baby and mom to be healthy and fit. No matter what measures I take, it doesn't make me a weaker person or a worse mother.
3. Regarding breastfeeding, OK, listen to me for two seconds: I understand that it's a very good way to feed your baby, but I decided that it was better for me not to breastfeed for X reasons and I don't think we need to justify it to anyone.

In short, all this to say that you have to take what you get and leave what you get. Listen to yourself, that's the most important thing. The choices you're going to make, make them for YOU.