30-08-16 Bad Social Media Mumma

Tuesday 30th August 2016

I could not be crankier with myself than I am now…and so very contrite. For this morning I received the most heartbreaking and upsetting phonecall, then urgent follow up message, from a dear friend who is in the very (secret, only 8 weeks along) early stages of pregnancy yet through my stupidity on social media, have let her entire network know that she is pregnant…without her permission to go public about it. So much unnecessary anxiety, distress and disappointment because I posted a montage of photos and images of us and others with an accompanying blurb describing my utmost happiness this week because a) got my hair done, b) mum with us in Dubai, c) friends visiting us frequency, and critically that d) some of my dearest friends/family members are progressing nicely with healthy pregnancies.

Well you can imagine the dark place she was in when her friends began contacting her about her pregnancy, even telling her that ‘we see your baby bump in Alice’s photos…’ And dreadful, limp, useless excuses spilling from my mouth for my stupidity. Endlessly I offered unreserved apologies, and with tail firmly between my legs, I humbly gave up any justification that attempted to escape my mouth about my behaviour. I was in the wrong, plain and simple. A bad social media Mumma forgetting her place in society and acting BIG.

My gauche faux pas, above, reminded me of my own pregnancy announcement drama over three years ago as I carried Seahorse. Ideals of romantic and personalized ways to share our pregnancy were abandoned overnight by a well meaning, enthusiastic, and naive pal who proceeded to tell all of my dearest friends the ‘news’ – “…have you heard the news, Scott, ALICE IS PREGNANT!!…” Etc, etc. You can imagine how distraught I was receiving calls from close friends asking me if I was pregnant and ‘why didn’t you tell us yourself?!’ Well I would have if I was allowed to make my phone calls in a systematic manner bearing in mind the 7 hour time difference from Dubai to Sydney and that half of you were on summer holidays in Mexico /Greek islands. Plus who would have guessed you guys would have bumped into each other in a gay club on Oxford Street the night of your arrival back to Sydney and I would be topic of conversation.

With the safe distance of over three years behind my own social pregnancy drama, I giggle. It was serious at the time…but now it’s just part of the lore of Kingsley’s gestation. I now pray that none of my beautiful friend’s family find out through Facebook that she is pregnant, before she is ready to tell them personally. May she and her husband pour scorn all over me for my idiocy, I can take it. Universe, answer my request to give her a clear path to a healthy pregnancy and get her to a safe spot when she will be ready to spread the news. For this social media Mumma has learned her lesson hard. That’s for sure.

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