16/01/2025
THE 12 WEEK RULE 👎
I personally don't believe in the 12 week rule, and here's why:
▫️It pushes the expectation that we HAVE to announce our pregnancy. And not just to those we love, but to the world. We feel a need to make sure everyone knows because all hell will break loose if we 'forgot' Aunt Linda who hasn't seen you since you were 3.
▫️It supports a taboo and promotes a culture of silence and secret keeping. It allows people to believe that early pregnancy should be kept quiet and that if a loss occurs, it needs to be kept a secret.
▫️It prevents the village of support when you do need it, whether that's because of a loss or because the first trimester is actually sometimes, just that hard.
▫️It allows us to believe that a life before 12 weeks is not meaningful or important, when in fact it literally alters your body, mind, soul and future trajectory.
▫️It makes you think that once you've hit that 12 week mark, everything will be OK. A false sense of security leads to women asking why no-one told them about the risks of serious complications in later pregnancy.
▫️It makes you feel like you have to lie or come up with excuses about why you're not drinking, why you can't hang out or why you can't eat something, to the people who trust you the most.
▫️It is literally preventing society from dealing with early pregnancy loss. From researching it, from learning how to cope with and heal from it properly, from being informed and from having a system that supports families through this in a helpful way.
▫️It facilitates the idea that you should deal with your pain alone and promotes a culture of shame and guilt.
So what should you do instead?
Announce when you want, to who you want. It's YOUR CHOICE. No-one else's opinion matters.
Forget the 12 week rule. Make your own rules. Rules that align with you. Rules that allow you to feel safe and supported. Rules that are solely yours.
There is no one-size-fits-all here, because you're walking your own path and only you know what feels right for you.
It's 2025. Break the stigma, break the rules and wave goodbye to anyone who isn't on board 👋