April fools is the one day a year in which most people love to play a prank or two on their loved ones and friend and believe it or not over the years I've seen some quite amusing ones. From people creating fake speeding tickets and filming whilst there wife opens the letter and hits the roof, to people sticking plastic bugs and spider on the inside of a lamp shade and watching another household member scream for the high heaven and cry because they think its real and beg the prankster to get it out the house. It's all in good fun and can be funny but there a few jokes that rear up every year that can be more damaging than funny.
Every year without fail people take to social media and think that announcing the words I'M PREGNANT!! Or looks like the stalk has dropped me a gift that will be in here in 9 months is hilarious and sit and watch whilst people freak out with excitement for their friend and family and the posts are hit with lots of likes and congratulations. Then later in the day they announce GOT YOU!! April fools.
Now for those reading this some will think well whats the big deal about that, it's just a joke there no harm in it. But actually for someone who has severe fertility problems and long for a baby, or to a parent who has recently lost a child through miscarriage or other health reasons it's not so funny at all. In fact it can be very damaging and hurtful and emotionally draining.
Every year since i joined face book and other social media sites there is always one or another who plays this prank on April fools and every time i see the words I'm pregnant on April fools announced for all to see my heart sinks just a little. why might you ask.... Well that is because i can't have children of my own because of my health issues. Now there maybe some reading this thinking OK fair enough but really that's your issue not everyone Else's. Which is true but if you were in my shoes you would see it from the other side.
Today was like every other year and without fail the joke was played on social media pages by 4 of my friends when they announced they were pregnant, Bare in mind at this time i did not realise it was April fools so When i saw the first one my heart sank just reading the words but i was happy for them, by the second one i had a lump in my throat, by the third one i was a blubbering mess and thought is there something in the water and could feel myself going so i hide in the toilet for half an hour to stop myself from becoming a blubbering mess and then later in the day i made the mistake of going back onto social media again and by the fourth one who posted a fake pregnant test with a positive result and the words we did it guess who's pregnant i went from a form of blubbering mess to jealousy and anger saying to myself why you? why not me? why can you get pregnant and i can't what had i ever done to deserve this. I was emotionally all over the place by the 4th one and just at the thought and my head was spinning. It wasn't until a friend of mine asked me what was wrong over messenger and i told her that she realized i was in a bit of an emotional mess and she reminded me what day it was. It was then that i realized it was April fools and before i knew it those that had announced their big news of I'm pregnant they had typed the words got you! or April fools was posted as their status.
When i realized it was April fools jokes and the I'm pregnant announcements were nothing but fiction to wind those up i was angry and felt like giving them a peace of my mind. But I let myself calm down as I knew they didn't do it to purposely to hurt anyone it's a joke right!?! Now you may think I'm just being jealous and angry and I'm making mountains over molehill's but having a baby to someone who has fertility issues is a very big deal and if you have never had to deal with the heartache of longing for a child you can never have you will never understand how it feels. Someone who's infertile longs for it every day from morning to-night, it's always on your mind and you long and dream for the moment you hear the words your pregnant from a doctor or you take that test and it shows those lovely two lines to show you've pregnant to dreaming of the moment of your first scan to the moment you hold that child in your arms. But when you know it will never happen your heart breaks.
Now i'm not saying don't do it just have a think next time before you post that I'm pregnant post on april fools day. Your not just posting the joke to freak out your family, your posting it to everyone on your list and you might just find that there maybe someone on your friend list dealing with a hidden fertility issue or have recently lost a child through miscarriage. Someone who can't have children think about it all the time and its unfair to those reading the i'm pregnancy joke. All i am saying is next time you think i know i will post I'm pregnant and freak out my family on April fools day there are people out there longing everyday of there life for a child that doesn't and never will exist without reading your bad jokes about your babies that don't exist. Have a heart and think first.
Lou aka mrsxwolfiex
