I know you’re just trying to have fun. It’s a prank – it’s not meant to be harmful, it’s not directed at anyone in particular, you didn’t know so and so would see it, you didn’t know they’d have an issue, etc…
Trust me, I’ve heard it all before.
The thing is, it does hurt, even if it’s unintentional.
Thousands of women across the globe are struggling with pregnancy loss, infant loss, or infertility issues RIGHT NOW. Countless more have dealt with it in the past.
Heck, pregnancy loss is how I started blogging in the first place. My first pregnancy ended in miscarriage, and when I became pregnant with Levi, I was too scared to talk to any of my real-life friends about it. I was scared to be excited, because I was afraid I would have to go through the whole ordeal of telling them I lost the baby again.
When I see a “joke” pregnancy announcement, it hurts me inside. I’ve dealt with my own loss issues over time, but I remember just how hurtful it can be to see those words. Someone else is pregnant. Someone else has what I so deeply desire. But not me. Why not me? God, I want to just be happy for them, but it’s hard. It’s really, really, really damn hard to put aside my own sadness right now.
Oh wait. They’re joking. They’re not really pregnant. They thought it would be funny to post that on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Etc… The heartache I just felt isn’t funny. The emotions that I buried so deep inside that came bubbling up when I saw their fake announcement are real and hurt deeply. The worst part is, they probably have no idea just how cruel it feels.
Millions of women suffer silently. Miscarriage, pregnancy loss, and infertility aren’t exactly popular topics around the water cool. I know you meant it as a joke, I know you weren’t trying to hurt anyone, but you might have.
Now imagine going through those feelings all day long as you see more and more people trying to play “pranks” for April Fool’s Day.
That’s why I think fake pregnancy announcements aren’t funny.
Photo credit: Esparta Palma on Flickr