Why does everyone believe they own a part of your baby

FYI this is meant as a light hearted post/informative post about babies and life.

So this may be long, but i guarantee a lot of you can relate.

So, when it comes to deciding to try for a baby, its a decision that you and your partner/boyfriend/husband come to without any input from anyone else. You dont ask for opinions from family, you dont need their permission to do this. You have the conversation, you embark on this journey, when it happens, you share your joy with everyone that you decided to expand your family, & this is it. Its happening. You are welcoming a baby into your house, your lives, everyones lives. Its great. Everyones happy.

& then it starts. Every man and his dog think they are an expert on you, your body, your baby. What you should eat, drink, wear to be comfortable. How you should sleep, WHEN you should sleep. Names, clothes, items for baby. Everyone starts getting involved. & whilst i, like many others do welcome a certain amount of input, when people start being rude and making comments that "theyll decide".... no. Back up. Im carrying this baby. No one else.

For example. Me & my partner decided in Feb 2015 that we were gonna try. We told people after a few months, & everyone just waited. A year later, i find out im pregnant. Again, everyone waits for the scan that says "yep, deffo pregnant. All is okay" then they start with it.

We havent found out the sex of the baby-totally our choice. My sister keeps calling this baby "Bella" because she is convinced its a girl and is constantly telling me i HAVE to call this baby Bella. Well i dont, and i wont.

We have a list of names, nothing is sticking apart from Georgia for a girl. We do like others, and our son is helping choose the middle name, so far for a girl he likes Rose. We are all struggling with boys names. But this is something, that whilst it can be discussed with family and friends, ultimately, me & my SO will make the choice. We chose to bring this baby into our lives, so we will choose our son or daughters name to our liking. Anyway, his family are driving me nuts on this. They ask me all the time "have you discussed anymore names yet" and i refuse to tell them anymore. Because everytime ive told them something we both like (which you all know can be a struggle in itself!) We get frowned at, told they dont like it & they wont have the baby called that. Oh really ? I didnt realise you were pregnant also! His nana a few weeks ago, said if we called the baby Arthur, she wouldnt speak to us. And told us we have to choose a royal name. George or Charlotte. Well our son is called William already. So you got no chance. And besides, im not from the royal family. We liked Reuben for a boy also, and his parents said no to that. Well shit. Cause if its a boy and we call him Reuben, what you gonna do then?!

Ive told them - our baby, our choice.

So yesterday, my dad jumps on the bandwagon & normally my dads quite laid back and uninvolved. But no... hes at it now. I was telling him about our son choosing the middle name and he had already chose for a girl. & my dad turns and goes "i thought we had already decided it would be Margaret for a middle name if its a girl" well no dad. You decided that because you want every grandchild named after one of your ancestors. & that just doesnt cut it with me, or funnily enough my partner, who happens to also be parenting said child. Then he starts on telling me about how to give birth (really?!) And how its all very nice that i want my partner there (🤔) and his mother, because she has no daughters & will never experience it, and also because her son, (my so) will probably need a thick ear or two to calm down in the delivery suite, but he will be coming in and if anyone has to leave, because youre only meant to have 2 birthing partners, then itll be my SO or his mother, because my dad is apparently an expert. He then went on to say that my sister should also be there & my brothers girlfriend too. What?! I barely speak to my brothers girlfriend, why would i want her at the delivery of my baby. Everyone can come afterwards.

I am so close to telling every1 to piss off and just do it all alone with my partner. & do u know what grinds my gears most about the whole thing..

Once this baby comes, and im at home, alone, doing night feeds, school runs, constant nappy changes, bottles, bathing, cleaning, running a house - where will any of these people be? Cause they wont be at home helping me.. theyll be in their houses, telling me how i should be doing it.