The situation with the Redditor has divided commenters
One woman shares why she didn’t feel bad after a family member had a negative reaction to her pregnancy news.
The mom-to-be shared her story on Reddit’s R/BabyBumps subreddit, where pregnant women turn to each other for support and advice. Explaining how she announced the news with a “simple collection in a box”. [for] my MIL and FIL,” the original poster (OP) said things went wrong after the news was covered.
“When they announced our baby, she ran away crying,” she said of her sister-in-law. “It turns out that she and her husband have tried without success. They are also upset that they didn’t give their parents their first grandchild.”
OP explained that her baby news comes after three years of struggling. “I needed medication every month and eventually a D&C to finally get pregnant. I can sympathize with her struggles in that regard.”
However, her sympathy was limited by the fact that her sister-in-law and brother-in-law had previously “falsely announced a pregnancy 2 years ago during my husband and I’s fertility battle.”
“I didn’t run away crying and suck it up so I wouldn’t ruin the Christmas spirit,” she straightened.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(666x0:668x2)/Pregnancy-announcement-reaction-122923-3-b2c59b3e05064b6ebb5f783374b96715.jpg)
Picture of a couple holding knitted baby shoes.
Getty
Mom spray-paints her toddler’s Christmas tree muted colors — and the internet calls her ‘sad beige mom’
“I’m a little bummed that they turned our moment around, but it’s true. Our healthy baby will be here in no time and can handle her own emotions,” the OP wrote.
“Sorry if I sound mean or insensitive, but I think there’s a time and place to say that about yourself. I also want to make it clear that I didn’t know they were having fertility issues when we posted.”
When commenters asked for more information about the “fake pregnancy announcement,” the OP clarified that the couple didn’t know that she and her husband were struggling to conceive at the time.
“Two Christmases ago, she and her husband wrapped a box with paper for boys and a box with paper for girls. My MIL and FIL were so happy and tearful, thinking they were finally going to be grandparents. Once they opened the boxes, inside the box was just sports tickets,” she recalled. “After that, BIL and SIL laughed and said ‘haha, you got it right!’ some thing.”
She emphasized: “I don’t hold it against them because they didn’t know. I just don’t agree with it at all because it’s a shitty thing to do.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/Pregnancy-announcement-reaction-122923-1-4ce374a097b142139743087da65ae78e.jpg)
A picture of a woman holding the hands of a pregnant woman in the middle of wrapping presents on Christmas Day.
Getty
While many people criticized the OP’s sister-in-law for finding humor in the fake pregnancy announcement, they encouraged the OP to show her more compassion.
Someone who found themselves in a similar situation wrote one holiday: “I didn’t do it to be a drama queen. Who knows how sincere or attention-seeking it is.”
Another person added: “You said it yourself, ‘there’s a time and a place to say that about yourself.’ I personally don’t think Christmas is the time and place to grab the spotlight and shine it on yourself [to] announce that you are expecting.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education