If you’ve ever been pregnant , then you know the struggle that is just trying to go through your day without getting advice from family, friends, and even random strangers.
In a viral Reddit thread, women shared the worst advice they got while they were pregnant and some of this “advice” is honestly so cringey.
Take a look at some of the things people actually said to expecting moms .
This horrible tip for inducing labor.
“When I was pregnant past my due date a co-worker advised me to drink cod liver oil mixed with vodka. Apparently this mixture would upset my digestive system, give me horrible diarrhea and thus trigger labor contractions,” said hydrawoman.
Yup, that sounds like a terrible plan.
This advice from someone who doesn’t understand how tea works.
“Not to drink hot tea because then I would boil my baby,” wrote sawcy_cat_.
For the record, drinking tea won’t boil your baby alive.
The moment you realize that your mother-in-law can never babysit for you.
“My MIL [mother-in-law] said it’s ok to drink mixed drinks… she went on to say that my husband was a margarita baby,” said blackcanary0127.
Ummmm… wow. Make sure grandma keeps the cocktail mixers away from your little one!
Nutrition advice from someone who doesn’t understand nutrition.
“I had a co-worker tell me that eating peanut butter (I was eating an apple with peanut butter on my lunch break) would give my baby cancer,” MyWaffleDoesNotJudge shared .
Since when does peanut butter cause cancer? People need to learn to keep their “advice” to themselves.
This warning against technology.
“I was also told if I was on my cell phone or around my modem/router it would cause brain damage to my unborn child,” said coffeeandjesus1986.
Hmmm… nope, I don’t think that’s how that works, but thanks for the helpful tip, random stranger!
Someone’s very unwanted grooming advice.
“I was told that I need to shave down there or the baby will get carpet burn. Like.. Wut?” wrote fallingkites88
Weirdly, someone said this to my mom when she was pregnant. Just so we’re clear, there is no way a baby can get… carpet burn.
This “facial” that no one should ever attempt.
“Oh I’ve got this: the lady at the counter in the village bakery told me that I should smear my face with SEMEN to counter pregnancy acne. It was the first time I’d ever met her,” said WrongedCorinna.
OMG! Who says that to someone?
Someone who apparently hasn’t heard of dehydration.
“To not drink water because it causes nausea,” said melbell518.
How have these people survived so long? Do they not get how hydration works?
This one left me speechless.
“With my first baby I had a random lady in a grocery store tell me to take a bath in bleach because ‘it’s good for the skin and for the babies growth and development’. I was mortified,” said kinnersmomma.
Father-in-laws just need to know when to be quiet.
“My adorable father in law told me I HAD to deliver vaginally. If I had a C section, I wouldn’t love my baby as much because I didn’t suffer for him,” said Elerinwen.
Shhhhh… just, shhhhhh.
Unwanted baby AND pet advice.
“When I was pregnant with my son, his dad’s family tried to make me get rid of my cat. They said that the cat would crawl on top of the baby’s face and suffocate him because he smelled like milk,” said auntbubble.
I don’t think that is possible.
What’s with all the heartburn advice?
“Not to eat tomatoes or anything acidic, because it would give the baby heartburn,” said Misanthrope_penguin.
People love to talk about heartburn with pregnant women. I just don’t get it. Also, baby heartburn isn’t a thing.
And then there’s the breastfeeding advice.
“‘Rough up your nipples before you nurse,’ a baby shower guest shouted it at me while I was opening gifts,” said fiorekat1.
Um, what? How does one even do that?
There are no words.
“I was told to take up smoking so the baby would be smaller and easier to deliver,” said chosenamewhendrunk.
I seriously hope this person was joking, but I doubt that.
Apparently, jeans can cause birth complications (pssst… they don’t).
“I was told by a random old woman in a grocery store that if I kept wearing jeans during my pregnancy I’d give birth to a baby with a cleft palate,” said another expecting mom in the thread.
This advice came from a DOCTOR.
“Had a baby in Japan. My BMI was 24 pre-pregnancy. Was instructed by the doctor not to gain any weight especially making my BMI higher or I was going to end up with a ‘Fat Vagina’ which would be unable to let a child pass through,” said ponytailnoshushu.
And finally, this sound advice for having a perfectly content child.
“My grandma constantly told me not to argue with my husband because it would cause the baby to be ‘fussy’ and ‘difficult’,” said lemonseedsforme.
LOL! Listen, Grandma, I can see where you’re coming from but that is not how personality is passed down.
