Sharing our lives on social media has become almost instinctual. In fact, posting on social media may have been one of the first things that crossed your mind once you found out that you were having a baby.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with this impulse. After all, social media was created as a way to connect people and keep our loved ones updated. An article on Baby Gaga highlights the surge of virtual mommy groups, parenting blogs, and online pregnancy journals — all of which are changing the way women experience pregnancy.
Like we said, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to share this experience with the world, but let’s not forget that navigating social media can be tricky — and not only for teenagers with smartphone addictions. Maryville University note that the digital world is built on strategic communication, with every platform designed to adapt to its audience. Moreover, so many fields nowadays rely on social media — from advertising and marketing, public relations and media. This can make it more challenging for users to distance themselves from the internet, even when it no longer serves them well.
So how exactly can social media be harming your pregnancy?
The pressure of being online
Every pregnancy is different. This is a scary realization, but also one that can empower you. It’s hard to fully appreciate all the changes your body goes through when you’re constantly comparing yourself to other people’s processes. Psychologist Jocelyn Brewer suggests that social media leads to a lot of internal pressure, mainly because we feel the need to keep our posts curated despite knowing that we don’t have the same reach or status that celebrities have.
As beautiful as it is to be pregnant, you’ll also be going through a lot of difficult changes even just with your body alone. Your hormones are most likely all over the place, which is why it may be best to avoid anything that could trigger you emotionally. Anxiety and other mental struggles are linked to skewed sleeping and eating habits, not to mention more internal issues like shortness of breath and tightness in the chest.
The pressure of knowing it all
As we briefly mentioned in the beginning, social media has become a treasure trove for information. Social media algorithms work by suggesting more of what you’ve already searched, which means that your Instagram and Facebook feeds have probably been recommending all sorts of pregnancy and birthing tips.
ParentMap suggests that this overload of information can also be harmful to moms. Succumbing to every tip on being a better mom can easily make you feel like you’re inadequate. What’s more is that it’s impossible to find an article where each and every tip works for you. While trial and error is part of every pregnancy, these tips can make your journey feel more like a science experiment and less like your growth into motherhood.
The case for quitting social media
With all these pressures in line, it may be best to curb your social media usage when you’re pregnant. The decision to either take your pregnancy completely or partially off of social media is ultimately up to you. If you want to keep your loved ones updated, you could opt for private messages or email threads to send information.
Our SCV Birth Center post on personal affirmations outlines some small tasks you can do to keep your sanity in check during this time. Some might also prefer exercise as a way to release their stress. Regardless of how you decide to manage your stress, social media can be more trouble than it’s worth. Knowing when to take a step back from posting online can allow you to foster a deeper connection with yourself and your little one.
Article specially written for scvbirthcenter.com By Pandora Alms