Can Social Media Help Make My Pregnancy Easier?

I’m currently nine months pregnant with baby number two, and while I’m not one of those women that loves being pregnant, this time around has been a bit easier.

For one, I know what to expect. It’s true that each pregnancy is different, but I know in general how I should be feeling and what’s to come. There aren’t quite as many surprises this time around.

One thing that’s made both my pregnancies a bit more enjoyable and less worrisome is social media.

There are dozens of informative sites that provide advice for the mom-to-be, advice for the couple, tips on feeling better and tips on reassuring you that everything is normal. These sites provide factual, up-to-date information at every stage of your pregnancy.

The best forms of social media when pregnant

Let’s start with the most common form of social media – websites. Some of the best pregnancy websites today are The Bump, BabyCenter, What to Expect and Parents.com.

All of the sites provide apps you can download to track your specific pregnancy. Each week, you’ll receive an update on how the baby’s doing, what physical changes you can expect, what emotional changes you can expect, how dad-to-be can help and more.

Pregnancy is oftentimes a long and scary journey full of questions for women, so having access to helpful, informative websites is a must.

Blogs

Many women like to document their pregnancy via a personal blog.

They discuss how they’re feeling, symptoms, weight gain, the size of the baby, cravings, food aversions, energy levels and more. Women do this for a variety of reasons – including documenting the different stages of pregnancy so they can refer back to it for subsequent pregnancies, keeping family and friends updated and meeting other pregnant women with similar due dates.

Blogs are a fun way to share photos of your growing belly, ideas on decorating the nursery and the best pregnancy and baby products for new moms.

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are all other ways that pregnant women use social media during their pregnancy.

Though you won’t necessarily get any pertinent information from any of these tools, they’re a great way to stay up-to-date with friends or relatives pregnancies.

For pregnant women, sometimes it feels nice just to ‘vent’ on social media – whether they’re feeling more tired than normal, dealing with morning sickness or struggling with irritability – and have others chime in and make them feel a little better.

One of the most comforting things to know when pregnant is that you’re not alone and that other women have gone and are going through the same thing.

In general, social media makes pregnancy easier on the woman.

Though it won’t cure morning sickness, prevent weight gain or make you more comfortable, it will reassure you that everything is normal, keep you entertained and in tune with what’s going on with your pregnancy and allow you to meet other women going through the same thing.

It can prevent you from calling your doctor with every ache and pain, offer tips on how to stay connected to your partner and give you a feeling of relief that everything is normal and going to be alright.

Coming from a pregnant woman, there is nothing better than a little reassurance during this difficult, ever-changing time!

About the Author: Sarah Brooks is a freelance writer living in Glendale, AZ. She covers topics on parenting and nursery cribs, small businesses and travel.