April Fools: I’m Pregnant!

We say it every year.

A prank about pregnancy isn’t funny.

And every year, someone comments that this concept is “entitled.”

Can we be real for a minute?

No, this type of joke may not hurt everyone.

But isn’t one person enough?

Pregnancy loss impacts 1 in 4 women. Add the infertility statistics to that number and it becomes far higher than one in four.

Paula Foster is a mother who has lost 2 babies (Eliana and Micah) in the 12.5 years of trying for a family. 

Her thoughts on pregnancy pranks:

“Why do I dislike a commonly pulled (and sometimes admittedly well done) prank? Because of this picture. 

This is today.

I take a test every month to know if I need to stop my progesterone and let my period come. For 3 years, all I have seen are negatives. I beg for a second line to show up… yet it remains starkly white.

I’m happy when I see my friends post pregnancy announcements- please don’t think I’m not. Hiding this from me isn’t the answer either (actually, that feels so much worse.) I am happy you don’t know my personal pain and struggles. And I truly hope you never do. 

Believe me.

I hold my breath your entire 9 months praying your baby joins you and not Ellie and Micah… they have plenty of friends already.

But also know how much it takes to whisper a “congrats,” then unfollow the post so I don’t have it constantly popping up with notifications of additional congratulations. Know that despite my best attempts, I think I will always be slightly envious that I can’t make a cute announcement. (I had one planned for Micah that I never got to use.) 

And to go through these emotions only to find out it was just a prank? 

I knew yesterday that today was my “test” day. And, like many others, I braved social media cautiously (other than the heated discussions about “why not just adopt.”)

At the end of the day, did any of the ‘jokes’ I saw hurt me terribly? No.

But that single pink line this morning? I wish it was just an April Fools joke, too.”

 Empathy, friends.

Let’s choose empathy on April 1.