Social media: The home of the not so humble brag. Many times, it seems like everyone is saying, “Look at my house!” “Look at my car!” “Look at my awesome life… I freaking love it!”
Okay, so I’m guilty of being part of the problem, but, when you become pregnant or have a new baby, it gets even worse.
You’re no longer just comparing the stuff you have, you’re comparing your momness. “Look at my cute baby.” “Look at my chic nursery!” “Look at my mom bod!” “Look at all the places we’re going together!”
It’s keeping up with the Jones’ millennial style, and it’s exhausting.
Throughout your new momhood journey, social media will truly have a way of making you feel like you aren’t doing the things that other moms are doing, and, if you aren’t doing those things, you must not be momming right.
Picture after picture, post after post, it’s hard to keep yourself from thinking, am I a bad mom? Here are five ways social media makes you think you suck at being a new mom, even though you aren’t!
1. Pregnancy Announcements
The creativity that has to go into a pregnancy announcement in the modern age is cray. Sorry soon to be moms, but this is when the social media guilt first begins.
Will my announcement be funny or cute? Am I just going to old school it with the ultrasound pic? The stress!
At one point, I actually considered hiring someone to do costume make-up for an idea I had. Call me obsessed, but this is the world we live in!
After dropping this thought, I realized I officially begun my descent into the black hole that is “Social Media Mom.” FYI, it’s scary in there.
Our social media announcement
2. Pregnancy Progress Chalkboards and Apps
Ah yes, the pictures and posts that you could really care less about if you are kidless. Then, all of a sudden, you become preggers and start to question if you should compare your unborn baby to different types of random fruits and veggies.
You begin to marvel at women who have time to create little chalkboards updating us on her weekly cravings.
Was I lacking a maternal instinct for not wanting to do this? Did I really want to inadvertently see how large all my other body parts had become week after week?
The short answer is no, but social media will make the thought cross your mind.
3. Maternity & New Baby Photos
It seems like everyone gets these beautiful pictures taken during their pregnancy or shortly after.
The natural light catches their hair in just the right way. Their skin- flawless. The baby bump draped with an angelic flowing gown.
I went through my whole pregnancy asking myself if I should get these photos done. Would I end up looking like these model women on my Facebook page? Would I be an awful mom with no memories if I didn’t?
I later succumbed to the pressure after I had my baby. I found a photographer, picked a great location, bought three outfits for my baby to change into, and actually did my make-up.
What happened? Our lovely boy had RBF the ENTIRE shoot (minus one picture), and, after crying for the last 30 minutes of it, came home and crapped his pants so bad it was spewing out the back. My payback for contributing to social media momness.
The only smile we got all day
4. Monthly Baby Progression Photos
This is seriously one that will guilt the ish out of you! Those monthly social media check-ins with your gorgeous baby. The internet world wants to know how they look and what they’re able to do this month, so we can jump for joy about their quick progress.
Must be the smartest baby out there!
I feel like a terrible mom for not being able to keep up with these as well as other social media moms. I tried, at first, and due to infant crying, failed to capture how my baby looked at exactly one-month-old.
Although my photography skills have gotten better, the timing of them has gone way downhill. Let’s just say, at 4.5 months old, I had yet to take that monthly picture.
5. Family Activities
People love to post everything they’re doing with their new baby on social media. Whether it’s baby playdates, pumpkin patches, sitting on Santa’s lap, or going to the pool, no matter what activities you have planned with your child, it never feels like it’s enough!
As a first-time mom, I was excited to do all this family stuff, until I realized how much work it is to get a small baby out the door! It takes an army, or in my case, two very tired parents who haven’t a clue what they’re doing.
You basically show up places just to get a picture of it. Because us modern moms’ know that no picture means it didn’t happen.
In those first few months, whenever I felt guilty for staying at home with baby instead of visit the mall Santa, I reminded myself my baby is three months old and won’t remember any of this!
Social Media Momming
Props to the women who can do it all! This mom life ain’t easy. Not only do you get a lot done, you get proof that it happened. Kudos!
As for the rest of us, just stop!
Do things because you want to do them, not because social media makes you feel like you have to. But first, write a ranting post about it on Facebook and share this article!
This is so true and hilarious in parts. We do get sucked into the mom social media world! Nice to see this article calling it like it is 😊
I love those one and two month pics! So cute! I can’t believe how little they were! Social media is ridiculous but sometimes feels like a necessary evil. We love to hate it yet still hope our pictures get the adequate number of likes. If only we were 90s moms!!
This comment is very true! Why are we so reliant on those likes? Gives me the warm fuzzies. Thanks for your insight!
Oh, the pressure! Fortunately, by Baby #2 you’ll be too exhausted and over it all! Keep being an awesome momma…on and off social media! ❤️
Thank you! I can’t even think about baby #2 yet lol
Ha! That last thing about “no picture means it didn’t happen” – that doesn’t just happen to moms! No kids here but I went for a beautiful paddle with friends yesterday and felt gypped because I forgot to bring the waterproof camera I almost ALWAYS have with me! 😀
I totally agree! When we do something, and don’t get pictures, I even question if it happened or not! haha Thanks for your comment!
It’s a good thing your baby is cute!!!!!
He gets it from his mama!
Don’t succumb to the soc media pressures but DO make memories and document them because I will say I add photos for my family and so I can see them again next year on my throwback feed and remember the good times…also when you get a new phone…sometimes those photos are lost #millenialphotoalbum
I agree! Using apps and social media to track our baby’s life, does have its perks. Hopefully my throwback pictures will include me looking less and less tired over the years.