I'm almost 21 weeks myself. The most I'm getting is the gender thing. I just tell everyone we don't know yet, missed a drs appointment or the legs were crossed. It's driving our moms insane. Today I told my MIL I might not tell her when we find out. She wasn't happy about that lol.

LOL! Wait 'til you hear the unsolicited "advice" you get as a parent!

When I was pregnant I actually had someone who got VERY angry with me because I was going to find out the gender at the anatomy scan. He felt it was "unnatural" because for thousands of years "the surprise" was "what makes birth special". *MAJOR eye roll* I had people say in horror "You're not going to drink that?!?" when I got a cup of coffee. Someone told me I wasn't "allowed" to eat something I brought for lunch one day (can't remember the offending item). People suggested ways to bring on labor at the end, including "nipple stimulation". I was more than a bit horrified they found that appropriate conversation.

But it doesn't stop, sadly. I went out with my babies and people said, "Oh, you really should put a hat on him!" and "You need to take that blanket off her, she'll get too warm!" Random people tell me I'm a horrible mother because my kids have eaten McDonalds, or watched TV, or played on my phone. They tell me my decision to circumcise, or co-sleep, or bottle feed will ruin their lives. Perfectly well-intentioned folks will tell me that if I just did XYZ then my kids wouldn't do ABC. *snort*

Ignore them. Laugh at them if you can, but ignore the shit out of them. For the most part, they're not offering "advice", they're trying to make themselves feel superior at your expense, and they are assholes.

Sorry, pushed my own buttons on this one!

DW and I made the decision to not find out the gender of BS and BD before they were born.

My parents were okay with it.

DW's parents were okay with it.

But my brother and and my sister-in-law? OMG! They went bat-shit crazy!

"Why!? HOW could you!?!? That's not right! We have the technology and you want to parent like the dark ages!?!? What color are you going to paint the nursery!?!?"

We're talking about two people who will read the last chapter of a book before the first. Both of them have the patience muskrats in heat. My brother actually accused me of knowing the gender and keeping it a secret from everyone.

the baptism one is irritating.

if you yourself dont practice a religion, then why on earth would you baptize your child in a faith that you have no intention of teaching them? id tell people that when they inquire. of course, then they will probably try to get you to become religious.

I read this online somewhere and how I wished I had read this back when I was pregnant/young mother and was getting pushy/nosy advice from everyone.

a couple of lines you can use when people give you unsolicited advice -

"Thanks, but this is what we have decided to do."

"Thanks, but this is what works for us."

and repeat like a broken record until they give up.

I got so much crap advice, it's not even funny (well, kind of is ). I had one friend that was so pushy because she was pregnant at the same time. She kept on telling me I NEEDED to look into hypno birthing (hypnotizing yourself to get through birth...WTF), I NEEDED to have a water birth, I NEEDED to sit on our Pilates ball and go to an all natural midwifery place, and even that standing up to give birth would be less painful than laying down… but every woman knows her own body, I ended up having to have a C-section and am so thankful I stuck to my guns and went to a hospital. I really enjoyed my reclining hospital bed, too . (DH was so great and supported me 100% through everything)

BTW- Not dissing anybody that went to a midwifery, it was just not for me personally.

Everyone knows the old adage "Opinions are like assholes ... everyone has one." I would dust that one off and add a bit to it as the response to the assholes with an opinion about your pregnancy. "Well, you know they say opinions are like assholes and everybody has one ... well some people are one too. Thanks for your opinion. Buh-bye"

My comment when my friends announce a pregnancy is just "Congratulations. Whether this is your first or not, prepare for your life to change in many wonderful and strange ways. Kids are amazing."

I didn't mind the nosy bodies with their helpful advise, but I did want to kidney punch the people who don't know the meaning of the words "personal space". I couldn't believe the audacity of total strangers touching & feeling your belly - without even a hi, how you do?. One woman grabbed my breast (which have always been non-existent) & gave me some crap about what to eat to make sure I would get bigger & have "good milk for the baby."