Over 1,000 Americans revealed how they experienced a critical lack of emotional care in pregnancy. Hear their stories first-hand, and explore the full Invisible Weight of Pregnancy report here.
Having been through the experience first-hand, we asked pregnant Americans: “What would you say to someone who was experiencing difficult, dark, or negative emotions during pregnancy? What would you want them to hear?”
“Dark or negative emotions do not make you a bad mother.” – Survey respondent, 26 years old
“You are doing great, I promise. The voice that's telling you you aren't enough is lying. I know you're tired and scared and just want it to stop, but I promise you are everything you need to be for your baby and you are doing great.” – Interviewee, 26 years old
“Listen girl, you’re going to want to leave this baby in a bush one day. You won’t, but you’re gonna want to and it is okay to feel that way…” – Interviewee, 34 years old
“Take it one day at a time, sweetheart. Everything will be alright, and your feelings still matter—no matter if you are pregnant or not. You have the right to feel these emotions, and you have a right to take some time out…but in the end realize you have a beautiful blessing coming to your arms in no time. You matter sweetheart, your mental health matters, everything about you matters. So please don’t go too hard on yourself, please. I love you…” – Survey respondent, 21 years old
“Your strength will carry you through this. You're stronger than you could ever imagine.” – Interviewee, 34 years old
The Invisible Weight of Pregnancy uncovered a desperate need for more emotional care. Now that we’ve revealed the hidden impact of pregnancy, how do we address it? To start, we’ve put together a blueprint for better emotional care. Check out Mapping a better future for maternal mental health to learn more.
Nonfiction Pregnancy Study 2022 n=1,029 respondents