Monday, April 22, 2013

How to behave around your infertile friend when you're pregnant

Yesterday I talked about some pointers for acting around your friend who has infertility, today I'd like to focus on how to act when you are pregnant yourself.

Expect that your friend with infertility may distance a little from you. She's probably trying to be happy for you, but watching your body change and seeing you reminds her of what she can't have. It's ok to still reach out and call your friend or see if they want to make plans, but if she doesn't call back as often know that it's probably a protective mechanism for her. She's not mad at you and she still likes you, she is just really jealous. 

Please don't complain about your pregnancy symptoms. Your infertile friend is not going to feel sorry for you, and your complaining makes you sound ungrateful. That said, if your friend asks how you are doing, be honest and tell her. Just don't rub all your pregnancy symptoms in her face. 

When you announce your pregnancy, please be respectful. Please don't do it in a huge group with a lot of excitement. I still burst into tears when I find out someone is pregnant, and I don't want to do that in public. Don't get me wrong, I am happy for you, really I am, it just brings up a lot of emotions for me that I would rather a big group of people not witness. Personally, I would rather be told in a text message or email so that I can have some time to process before I react, but I am sure that is different for everyone. However you do it, just please don't make a big silly show of it. 

Other than that, just be yourself. Don't be scared of being around your friend. We still like each other, and have all the reasons we became friends in the first place. I am sure that we still have a lot of common interests that we share. 

I think Garfunkel and Oates sum it up nicely (warning, gets a little weird at the end)



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