Expectant mother for the first time revealed guidelines for friends and family to follow when giving birth, warning them not to publish photos without their permission, to keep their mouths shut if they do not agree with the medical choice they make, and to refrain to kiss their newborn when they finally meet her.
Taylor Davis shared the rules he devised as he prepared to welcome his first child, a daughter, with her husband John, publishing a long list of TikTok last month.
“Just some of the things we want when our little girl decides to come,” Taylor, who is now 38 weeks pregnant, wrote below the video.
Her rules have since gone viral, sparking fierce debate in the comments – with some vocal critics being “funny” and accusing Taylor of being too demanding, while others insisting that all the rules are perfectly reasonable and applauding her for setting boundaries.
American expectant mother Taylor Davis and her husband John are expecting a daughter this month
She shared the 12 rules they wrote about family and friends regarding childbirth and the time after birth
“My husband and I made a list of guidelines for our friends and family when I give birth and have our first daughter,” she said in the video.
“Our first baby is due on March 14,” she continued. “So we, as parents for the first time and a little more, decided to make a list called 2319 so that people can know what our expectations are and what we are comfortable with.
The title, 2319, is a reference to Pixar’s Monsters Inc emergency code.
First on her list is a privacy warning.
‘1. If I tell you that I am giving birth, do not announce the arrival of the baby and do not publish that I am giving birth until I publish. Also, please do not inform other people unless you are asked, as we do not want to be bombarded with texts, “she wrote.
The second is asking friends and family to respect their space by refraining from requiring updates while she gives birth.
‘2. “When we tell you we’re giving birth, we’ll send updates, but we won’t respond to requests for updates beyond what we send (so that both John and Taylor can focus on giving birth),” she wrote.
She asked no one to announce the birth before them, not to share photos without permission or not to request updates during the birth
The mother-to-be asked anyone who disagreed with her medical decisions to keep it to herself and wait to visit him until he was ready.
‘3. “Don’t post pictures of a baby until we do, and we ask everyone to get permission from us before posting pictures of her.”
Rule number four is that there should be no visitors to the hospital, in accordance with COVID rules, and rule five is that the couple “will not have visitors at home until we are ready.”
‘6. “If you don’t agree with the choice (medical or otherwise) we make for our child or Taylor, we don’t want to hear about it,” she said.
Rules seven and eight are to protect their newborn from COVID and other diseases: Kissing the baby is not allowed, masks are required and visitors must be vaccinated.
Although the pandemic has certainly added a new layer of caution, it is not uncommon for parents to limit visitors in the weeks immediately after birth.
‘9. Do not ask to hold the baby. We will offer when we feel comfortable, “Taylor continued.
’10. If she starts crying while you hold her, return her to Taylor / John immediately.
Visitors should be vaccinated and beg no one to kiss the newborn for now
Another rule is that Taylor and the baby should not be disturbed if they are in the nursery with the door closed.
Above all, the couple wants family and friends to respect what they feel comfortable in
’11. “If Taylor and the baby or just the baby are in the nursery and the door is closed, don’t come in and knock for any reason,” she wrote.
Finally, she shared rule number 12: “If you are planning to visit and start to feel unwell in any way, please reschedule. We promise to make sure you see the baby, but her health is a priority.
The video went viral since Taylor posted it on February 2, winning 674,000 views and thousands of comments.
But there is no consensus among commentators, who differ widely on whether the rules are perfectly reasonable or too demanding.
Critics targeted Taylor when one called her a “baby version of bridesmaid” and gave a lecture: “You should be glad that there are people who love and care for you!”
“You must be annoyed at parties,” said another, while another commented sarcastically on “helping” Taylor’s husband.
Some commentators have pushed the rules, accusing Taylor of being the new mother, the bride’s equivalent.
“What if someone forgets one of the rules?” Are they in exile? Another commentator snapped.
One accused her of “burning bridges” and insisted she would be sorry when the baby showed up.
“I’m sorry, but I’m so tired of these extraordinary rules. I have a feeling that it comes from an inflated ego, “wrote another.
Others called the list “ridiculous.”
But dozens of commentators have also defended her, insisting that her guidelines are not only reasonable, but in some cases obvious.
“These are very basic expectations for respect for new families. Why are people so crazy?
“These comments are crazy because all these things MUST be common sense for family and friends,” he said.
Others applauded the list, insisting that everything on it was reasonable – and that she had every right to set boundaries.
Several applauded Taylor for setting boundaries, insisting that they should be needed if she spelled them out – and embarrassed those who opposed her list as people who did not respect borders in the first place.
“As someone who is pregnant and our families are EXTREMELY in power, guidance will be a requirement for us,” one wrote.
‘So proud of you! As a mother of 3 children, I support this 1,000,000%. Set boundaries now. Take it, little mom, “wrote another.
“I wish I had done that when my children were born. Our relatives were visiting us, and I was too weak and tired to do anything about it. Very clever, ‘said another.
“Some of you in the comments really just proved that you don’t respect boundaries and get angry when other people’s lives don’t revolve around you,” added another.