Or are fake pregnancy April Fools announcements just the naffest thing ever?

[MrsMogginsMinge]

A FB 'friend' (vague acquaintance from school) posted a picture of a Clearblue digital earlier. Only joking guys! UGH. Just the absolute worst.

Yeah - insensitive to people going through miscarriages and infertility - although I'm sure it didn't enter their heads and they just saw the funny side

Any 'joke' announcements of big news is just irritating and verging on cruel. I can't see how anyone thinks this is a good idea. Why would you laugh at people who are congratulating and wishing you well?

Yeah, I think those kind of AF 'jokes' are a bit tacky.

I don't know anyone who would announce their pregnancy on social media with a picture of a stick they'd just pissed on even if they were serous!

It takes a special kind of idiot to find that sort of thing amusing. You never know who in your Friends list (or life in general) might be struggling to conceive or have suffered a loss, or been told they will never be able to have children.

And yes I speak as someone who had to undergo fertility treatment and us about to start the whole process all over again.

Not funny at all and potentially confusing and makes people feel embarrassed
Although I did find out I was pregnant with ds2 on April fools day!! Only person I 'announced' it to was dh and did start with saying 'this isnt and April fool but ...

Anything April Fools is just ridiculous. Especially by adults.

Sorry cross post with cavemum - good luck with everything
We had the same with ds1 which is why ds2 was a happy April fools surprise!

There seems to be a thing on mine a lot this year campaigning against doing it which seems to have worked!

It'd be best if they did this and got an array of "April fools, not funny guys." Blah blah responses but they actually were pregnant.

It's not funny. Pranks generally aren't. There's always someone that gets hurt in some way. I prefer intelligent witty humour.

I saw this this morning and shared it. I know of at least 3 People on my fb list who have miscarried and would be very hurt by this sort of 'joke'.

I agree it's totally naf and not very creative either. I actually deleted someone a few years ago who went the whole hog and uploaded a fake scan photo - I found it to be in very poor taste.

I just don't get what is so funny about announcing a fake pregnancy.

Not funny. Not just due to the insensitive nature, but who is the joke on? I don't get why someone would be like 'oh what's she like, pretending she is pregnant. how hilrious'.

Thanks dylsmimi

I just don't get what is so funny about announcing a fake pregnancy

It's on the same level of narcissism as thinking anyone else really gives a shit about your wedding (cross ref to Maui thread).

I've been dreading today, and have avoided facebook in case of these. There were a few last year, some of them from people I would have thought above it. A lot of pages I follow, completely unrelated to pregnancy, have actually been sharing "don't do fake pregnancy announcements for April Fools" over the last two weeks, and that's been great. It did lead to a rather heated discussion on one of those pages, and it was infuriating to see how closed minded people can be to the struggles of pregnancy loss, infant loss and infertility, but hopefully in a few years time these will have stopped happening at all.

to anyone struggling with any of this today. It might be a joke, but it's triggering as hell.

Yes, Primal, that's exactly what it is. So attention-seeking too.

I think people who do this generally have low levels of intelligence and completely elevated ideas of their audience's interest in them.

... and that's without taking into account the feelings of others.

I'm not on Facebook, but two women friends of mine who weren't able to have children have recently told me that they were upset to get one of those "pass this on to wonderful mums you know" - from a very recent acquaintance. Very thoughtless.

I've made the pregnancy joke before and I've suffered multiple losses. Guess I am a twat

I think April fool pregnancys have Been done to death, to me it's the mark of somebody with no imagination

I had my first son on April 1st. His birth story was a bit Carry On Midwife style comedy shenanigans, but as he was born after 12 noon he ain't no fool.

Oh not this April it was in1994! Also Good Friday.

Not everyone feels like this though! I struggled with eptopics and infertility for ten years, was told I would never conceive. But I just seen them for what they are - naff attempts at jokes.

Not every one who has suffered losses band the 'B' words.

For me it's not so much sparing a thought for those going through difficult times in regards to fertility/baby loss (although that does play apart) it's more the fact that it's a crap joke that lacks a punchline.

I don't get the hate.

How is it any different to posting about a real pregnancy? For those that can't conceive that is?

If you are having fertility issues then presumably your reaction to any pg announcement doesn't depend on it being real or otherwise?

FWIW I wouldn't announce a pregnancy on social media as I think it's tacky, so neither would I announce one as a joke.

I just don't get the difference to the people who find it offensive

I don't think it's thoughtless to post about pregnancy and mother stuff on Facebook either. I'm afraid anyone who finds it upsetting would probably be better off staying away from social media.