Expecting mum's 'disappointed' reaction to gender reveal sparks heated debate on social media
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- Replies 16
These days, more and more parents are opting for big, over-the-top gender reveals.
For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, a gender reveal is when the parents find out the sex of their baby in a fun and creative way. It’s often done at a party with friends and family, and there are usually pink or blue balloons, confetti, and cake involved.
While many expecting parents are full of joy after finding out the sex of the babies they are carrying, one mum felt emotional after it was revealed to her that she was pregnant with another baby boy.
Nicole Shamlin has taken to TikTok to share a video of herself and her partner celebrating during a gender reveal party
Credit: TikTok/@nicoleshamlin
"What everyone saw at our gender reveal," Nicole writes over the clip that shows the excited couple cheering when the confetti gun shoots blue confetti, signalling that the couple is pregnant with a baby boy.
However, the video immediately cuts to the pregnant woman crying in bed.
Nicole writes over the footage of her mourning: "Me later that night grieving the fact that I'm not getting my baby girl just yet. How can I love another boy? Will I be replacing my first son? How can I love two sons?"
Additionally, the mum also captioned the post with: "Gender disappointment is real. I only felt that way for a day. Now we are beyond excited and thankful."
While the video was flooded with support from other users, several people did not approve of how Nicole reacted when she learned of her baby's gender.
One user wrote: "I’m sure there are plenty of mamas who would take that boy off your hands!"
"This is sad. I went through years of IVF. I was just thankful to have one live child. Healthy is what you should care about not the sex," another said.
The mum replied to this comment, writing: "Let's not assume someone's infertility journey, because I have had a miscarriage, so you shouldn't be trying to invalidate my feelings. And guess what? I'm allowed to feel however I want and nobody can say anything about it because you're not me."
A pregnant woman faced backlash on social media after she reacted negatively to the gender of the baby she’s carrying. Credit: TikTok/@nicoleshamlin.
Others defended the mum, pointing out that pregnant women can get extra emotional during pregnancy due to fluctuating hormone levels.
One woman shared: "I cried at my ultrasound when I found out he was a boy. I feel awful now because he’s amazing of course but [pregnancy] hormones are crazy. It will be OK."
"You’re not alone, I was a sobbing mess for hours… I promise it’ll be okay," another shared.
A third chimed in: "I love how you show the real truth behind stuff that many people go [through]."
"I've just found out last night I'm having my third boy, I know this feeling," another added.
And another wrote: "I had 2 boys and thought I’d never have a girl. Just had my 3rd baby which was a girl 3 months ago. It’s not off the table yet mama,"
Credit: TikTok/@nicoleshamlin
In a separate video, Nicole explained her thoughts on "gender disappointment", claiming that reacting negatively and wallowing in self-pity over this momentous life event is valid.
She says in the clip: "Your feelings are valid."
"And just because you have gender disappointment, doesn't mean you're gonna love that child any less."
"When finding out the gender you may have that expectation of getting your girl or getting your boy and when you don't get that it's okay to grieve that loss."
The mum's reaction is not the first time a parent has gone viral after reacting negatively during a gender reveal party.
We previously shared an article where a soon-to-be-father-of-three stormed out of his baby's gender reveal party, prompting social media users to call him out.
Since we're on the topic of gender reveal parties, what do you think about this event? Do you think it's necessary to publicise the expecting parents' reaction to their baby's sex or should parents wait until they’ve processed the information privately before announcing the gender of their baby to the public? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, a gender reveal is when the parents find out the sex of their baby in a fun and creative way. It’s often done at a party with friends and family, and there are usually pink or blue balloons, confetti, and cake involved.
While many expecting parents are full of joy after finding out the sex of the babies they are carrying, one mum felt emotional after it was revealed to her that she was pregnant with another baby boy.
Nicole Shamlin has taken to TikTok to share a video of herself and her partner celebrating during a gender reveal party
Credit: TikTok/@nicoleshamlin
"What everyone saw at our gender reveal," Nicole writes over the clip that shows the excited couple cheering when the confetti gun shoots blue confetti, signalling that the couple is pregnant with a baby boy.
However, the video immediately cuts to the pregnant woman crying in bed.
Nicole writes over the footage of her mourning: "Me later that night grieving the fact that I'm not getting my baby girl just yet. How can I love another boy? Will I be replacing my first son? How can I love two sons?"
Additionally, the mum also captioned the post with: "Gender disappointment is real. I only felt that way for a day. Now we are beyond excited and thankful."
While the video was flooded with support from other users, several people did not approve of how Nicole reacted when she learned of her baby's gender.
One user wrote: "I’m sure there are plenty of mamas who would take that boy off your hands!"
"This is sad. I went through years of IVF. I was just thankful to have one live child. Healthy is what you should care about not the sex," another said.
The mum replied to this comment, writing: "Let's not assume someone's infertility journey, because I have had a miscarriage, so you shouldn't be trying to invalidate my feelings. And guess what? I'm allowed to feel however I want and nobody can say anything about it because you're not me."
A pregnant woman faced backlash on social media after she reacted negatively to the gender of the baby she’s carrying. Credit: TikTok/@nicoleshamlin.
Others defended the mum, pointing out that pregnant women can get extra emotional during pregnancy due to fluctuating hormone levels.
One woman shared: "I cried at my ultrasound when I found out he was a boy. I feel awful now because he’s amazing of course but [pregnancy] hormones are crazy. It will be OK."
"You’re not alone, I was a sobbing mess for hours… I promise it’ll be okay," another shared.
A third chimed in: "I love how you show the real truth behind stuff that many people go [through]."
"I've just found out last night I'm having my third boy, I know this feeling," another added.
And another wrote: "I had 2 boys and thought I’d never have a girl. Just had my 3rd baby which was a girl 3 months ago. It’s not off the table yet mama,"
Credit: TikTok/@nicoleshamlin
In a separate video, Nicole explained her thoughts on "gender disappointment", claiming that reacting negatively and wallowing in self-pity over this momentous life event is valid.
She says in the clip: "Your feelings are valid."
"And just because you have gender disappointment, doesn't mean you're gonna love that child any less."
"When finding out the gender you may have that expectation of getting your girl or getting your boy and when you don't get that it's okay to grieve that loss."
The mum's reaction is not the first time a parent has gone viral after reacting negatively during a gender reveal party.
We previously shared an article where a soon-to-be-father-of-three stormed out of his baby's gender reveal party, prompting social media users to call him out.
Since we're on the topic of gender reveal parties, what do you think about this event? Do you think it's necessary to publicise the expecting parents' reaction to their baby's sex or should parents wait until they’ve processed the information privately before announcing the gender of their baby to the public? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!