How You Can Support Your Pregnant Friend

You are sure to be excited when you hear the news that your friend is pregnant. You will also want to be as supportive as possible throughout her pregnancy. So, check out the following ways to support your pregnant friend the right way.

Always Be There to Listen

Pregnancy can cause a wide range of conflicting emotions, including panic, fear, and rage. It can even cause depression. So, be ready for when your friend becomes upset or moody. As her friend, it is your job to be there when she needs you. The most important thing you can do is listen. By simply having someone to offload to anytime, your friend will be able to much better cope with the emotional rollercoaster of pregnancy.

Give a Useful Gift

You can show your friend just how supportive you are by giving her a pregnancy gift. However, too many friends of pregnant women make the mistake of giving presents that have nothing to do with pregnancy, such as scented candles or cushions. While any gift is sure to be appreciated, the present will be more appreciated if it is actually related to your friend’s condition. Getting her a generic gift like candles can even imply that you did not know what to get her, and did not spend time finding a meaningful present. You should also consider what stage of pregnancy your friend is in when deciding what gift to buy. To help you get started, check out this fantastic list of useful presents for first time moms.

Help Your Friend to Plan 

There is a lot to plan before the baby arrives, and the workload can sometimes overwhelm pregnant women and their partners. So, help your friend to plan things. For instance, you could help her write a list of items that need to be bought before the baby comes, such as nappies and baby wipes. You could also help your friend to write a list of things she needs to include in her maternity bag.

Help Out with Practical Task 

Although your friend will want to remain active and independent throughout her pregnancy, and you need to be supportive of that, there are still times when you can help out with practical tasks. If it makes your friend’s life easier to help with laundry loads or buy groceries, do it.

Keep Your Opinions to Yourself

You may be used to sharing your honest opinions with your friend. After all, that is what friends do, right? Well, when your friend is pregnant, the last thing you want to do is be judgemental about her birth choices. You may not mean to be judgemental or condescending when you tell your friend her idea of a home birth or water birth is fraught with concerns. But this is her pregnancy, and the birth choices are her and her partner’s alone. So, do not express your concerns. It is your job to support your friend, not tell her what to do.

Take Her Mind Off Pregnancy 

Although pregnancy is a joyful experience, it is also demanding and challenging. Sometimes, your friend will probably be sick of every waking minute being about pregnancy. She will be bored of people talking about it and bored with thinking about it. When those moments come, be ready to support her. You can ensure you often talk about things that have nothing to do with childbirth to prevent her from becoming too overwhelmed by it all in the first place. And on days when she needs her mind to be distracted from pregnancy, take her out and have fun, ensuring you do not mention pregnancy once.