Post created by Samantha
Sharing pregnancies on social media has been more prevalent than ever before. It has become a widespread phenomenon. Bloggers not only share when they get pregnant but also their journey. However, social media is infamous for people portraying a perfect life. This could be creating a false expectation of pregnancy towards a woman and younger generations.
Women commonly only post or talk about happy moments in pregnancies. For example, most of us only see progress photos of the baby bumps, fun pregnancy cravings, and the gender reveal. Future mothers tend to never share the side effects that come with pregnancy. However, if the future mom chooses to share the tough sides of pregnancy, they tend to dramatize it or only talk about morning sickness. Women also never mention how their body is feeling after they give birth to a baby and if they do they end up scaring the audience to never wanting to get pregnant in the future. Most of the younger generation are either scared of pregnancy or do not fully understand or are even aware of how pregnancy truly affects a woman’s body during and after pregnancy.
For those who choose to share their pregnancy online, there needs to be a balance in how much they share because the pregnancy journey can be quite personal. It is important to be aware of the information that is being put out to a large audience especially on social media.
With all that being said, what are the realistic symptoms pre, during, and post-pregnancy, and how they should be shared through social media? Every pregnancy will be different depending on our bodies. I will be talking about the most general symptoms that women will most commonly go through. Pre-pregnancy symptoms consist of implantation bleeding which can replicate a light period for a woman, fatigue, nausea, changes in breasts, mood swings, motion sickness, temperature changes, increase in blood pressure, and heart rate, bloating, acne, and temperature changes. These symptoms can happen within week 1 to week 11 of the missed period.
During pregnancy, more specifically during the first trimester is when women will start gaining weight. This is when morning sickness is most prevalent making you feel nauseous and tired most days. This is also when a woman begins to feel like they need to urinate more often, this is due to the baby putting pressure on the uterus. Mood swings will happen during the first trimester as well as an increase in heart rate and a change in breasts. The second trimester is when morning sickness and mood swings will begin to go away. The body will gain more weight now that the body is not feeling nauseous most days. The second trimester is also when ultrasounds begin evaluating the health of the baby. This will cause an increase in anxiety, however, doctors will look closely and provide help when needed. Cravings will become very prevalent. Taste and smell will also become stronger, and your body will either love or hate the smell. This can change during and after pregnancy. The women’s hair and nails will grow thicker and stronger. In the third trimester, you will feel your mind wander more than usual and you will become forgetful. The body will feel tired due to the body meeting the end of the pregnancy. The body will feel discomfort which is normal. Anxious will come and go as you grow closer to the set due date. Most women find themselves only worrying about the baby’s due date and tend to monitor their bodies more frequently. Back pain will occur and the body may feel pressure on the lungs. Weight will continue to increase as the baby grows to its full potential. The increase in weight also comes from the placenta, uterus, and amniotic fluid. Towards the very end of this pregnancy journey, the body will undergo something called Braxton Hicks. These mirror the feeling of contractions but are most often not the body going into labor.
Moving on to the body post-pregnancy. After giving birth, the baby bump will not magically disappear. Women will still appear pregnant after giving birth. The bump will go down during the first 4 weeks of post-pregnancy. The body can take up to at least 3 months to go back to normal. Most mothers expect to be back to how they are instant. Exercise is usually not recommended until 6 weeks postpartum due to the joints and bones being weaker and looser. The body’s weight, food consumption, and physical activity will become normal at around 6 months postpartum. However, the average time span is around a year for the body to feel good and back to normal. The amniotic fluid will need to be released from the body. A woman will feel vaginal pain due to stretching and ripping during birthing.
These are only brief symptoms and stages of pregnancy. It is important to educate others in a way where it is helpful and informational. If the mother chooses to share these things through social media it is best to share information informally and not in a tone that would scare future mothers. Pregnancy is a beautiful process and a blessing to be able to create a human being in our bodies.