Ways to say 'Pregnant'
The other day back in England a relative of mine referred to someone as being "in the family way" which made me chuckle as that's so rarely said these days and it sounded so formal and a bit old fashioned. It got me thinking as to the ways people say either they are pregnant or someone else is and how some are quite odd if not offensive.
Lets start with the most used terms:-
We're or I'm 'Expecting" , this is probably the one I hear the most and rarely is it followed up with "a baby" - so its quite funny if you think about it in literal terms- what are they 'expecting' .... it sounds like they're not exactly sure but hopefully it's a human.
"Preggo" or "preggers" - personally I don't like to use these terms but they are commonly used, I'd feel a little bit rude if I used this about someone else but if they use it themselves , its a more light hearted way of telling their big news.
"A bun in the oven" - used jovially this is quite cute but should not be used if you're not sure if someone is pregnant, that would be very awkward and definitely leans more to saying ' you've put on some weight'.
"Joined the pudding club" is also quite cute when used but only if used by the lady in question :-)
and lastly 'Eating for 2' or more of course if multiples , this is a nice 'hint' that someone is indeed pregnant without the directness of just saying how it is.
Then there are phrases that really should be put to bed as they are not polite :-
"Knocked Up" (although there is a movie titled with this), "Up the duff" and "Up the spout"
all of these are by most deemed offensive and should not be used.
I also went on a tangent with my thinking about what to say if someone asks if you're pregnant when in fact you're not. This has happened to me and I wish I'd had some smart response to reply with rather than just an awkward embarrassed 'no'. I'm sure most of the time its meant in a purely curious way.
So here's a few ideas if this happens to any of you ladies in the future :
"Are you pregnant?"...
"Yes....its twins"
"Yes... but it's not mine"
"Yes.. but don't tell my husband"
"No, I went for Pizza last night, ate mine and then ate my husbands"
"No, I had a fight with a spoon and a jar of Nutella - the Nutella won"
"Yes about 5 years ago, my daughter is at home"
"No, the only thing I am expecting is a apology" and I'm sure there are many more :-)
Number one rule -it is never ok to ask someone if they're pregnant - just incase they're aren't. Many ladies like I did, still look pregnant for weeks after giving birth , its not pleasant to be reminded of this especially as many of us have unrealistic expectations of bouncing back to our pre pregnancy bodies and are in the realization at that time, that it doesn't work like that for everyone.
