Pregnancy can be a difficult and tedious process but the result makes it worth it. Mothers want what’s best for their children and the mother’s mental and physical health must always be taken into consideration and kept in mind. For my research, I looked at many different factors such as: 

How can social media affect your pregnancy?

How do your feelings and emotions affect your pregnancy?

How does your quality of life affect your pregnancy?

“The beauty of pregnancy is in the concealed revelation of a precious gift the future depends on” -Wayne Chirisa 

The problem is, that many women who are pregnant don’t have enough resources or they haven't been taught enough about it educationally; there aren't enough topics being taught on how to solve problems that you may have. Which may cause problems with pregnancy and motherhood. Women tend to go on social media to look for advice and learn about pregnancy and childbirth. These resources aren’t always correct and they aren’t always the healthiest. Some resources online are reliable and helpful, women just need to make sure that they are looking at the right sources. Not everyone's pregnancy will be the same and women cannot expect everything they see online to happen.

This topic on pregnancy is important because many young mothers or mothers have no idea what they're doing and are influenced by what they see on social media. Social media promotes the idea of a smooth pregnancy and birth; some women experience this, but most women don’t. It also puts pressure on women to look a certain way after giving birth and to feel a certain way as well. Social media’s ideas of beauty standards impact everyone, pregnant or not. When pregnant there are more pressures, with celebrities and influencers, to look and act a certain way. Most celebrities and influencers portray themselves and their pregnancies as flawless and smooth, with no bumps along the way. This is unhealthy for pregnant women and it creates unrealistic and unhealthy expectations and standards.

For my project, I researched pregnancy and how social media positively and negatively affects it; I also researched postpartum depression and the possible causes and ways to prevent it. For my project, I used qualitative data; I had many conversations with my mother (Kayleigh Givans) since she is a nurse and has a background in sexual health nursing. I also researched thoroughly on Google using several different sources and made sure to check and ensure that I was not spreading any misinformation. My opinions and knowledge impacted my work hugely as I am very passionate about this topic; I also use social media and see content that correlates with my work. I put all my research together and concluded using the information I was given alongside my opinions and knowledge.

When looking into this topic, my driving research questions were:

1) How does being pregnant affect your well-being?

2) How will the things you do affect your pregnancy?

3) How do your feelings and emotions affect your baby when pregnant?

4) What are things that cause and protect against postpartum depression?

5) How does your quality of life affect your pregnancy?

6) How does social media affect a woman when pregnant?

If the well-being of a person being pregnant is impacted, the result would be increased perceived difficulties within the pregnancy. When you are pregnant you are influenced by social media and other societal perceptions/standards. The education using reliable sources versus the perceived ideas is significantly impacting the mental health and well-being of the individual which is impacting the pregnancy process and increases the risk of postpartum depression. The idea of pregnancy and childbirth that is portrayed on social media, impacts women by making them think that all pregnancies are the same and they all have no problems. If the education about pregnancy isn’t improved, then nothing will change. Women need to be aware and understand how to take care of themselves and their babies whilst pregnant, if more women are educated it will help their pregnancies become easier and less stressful. 

I learned that social media impacts the well-being and mental health of pregnant women by influencing and distorting their expectations for pregnancy. Many women are not exposed to the harsh realities of the childbirth and childbearing process; this causes inaccurate expectations. Social media has many negative effects on pregnant women and can also help cause postpartum depression. Postpartum depression can be caused by many factors- one of them being your environment-  the use of social media and the influence it has, can have many negative side effects and we have seen how the risks of postpartum depression are heightened with social media use.

To stop the cycle of misinformation, we need to help pregnant women learn about the harsh realities of pregnancy and how pregnancy will not always be a smooth and easy process. We need to make sure that women don't automatically go to social media and believe everything they see on there. Postpartum depression can be caused by many different factors and if women research these things and look into them, it could help them understand more thoroughly and possibly lower the risk of them getting Postpartum depression. Social media has many negative impacts, but women should still be able to look on there for guidance. If more recognition is given to genuine accounts (medical doctors, nurses, mothers even) then pregnant women who go on social media for guidance will have an authentic and honest guide(s).

In conclusion, I learned that social media impacts the well-being and mental health of pregnant women by influencing and distorting their expectations for pregnancy. Many women are not exposed to the harsh realities of the childbirth and childbearing process; this causes inaccurate expectations. Social media has many negative effects on pregnant women and can also help cause postpartum depression. Postpartum depression can be caused by many factors- one of them being your environment-  the use of social media and the influence it has, can have many negative side effects and we have seen how the risks of postpartum depression are heightened with social media use.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322873

https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/im-pregnant/early-pregnancy/dos-and-donts-safer-pregnancy

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/condition/in-postpartum-depression/in-postpartum-depression?source=bing_condition

https://www.canadianliving.com/health/prevention-and-recovery/article/how-to-avoid-postpartum-depression

https://www.britishjournalofmidwifery.com/content/literature-review/how-does-social-media-influence-expectations-decision-making-and-experiences-of childbirth#:~:text=Social%20media%20can%20contribute%20to%20an%20ideological%20perception,women%27s%20ability%20to%20make%20informed%20decisions%20about%20childbirth.

Kayleigh Givans 

I would like to thank Mrs Dianna Easton for helping me and believing in me, your support and skills as an educator are truly unmatched. I also would like to thank Kayleigh Givans for pushing me and motivating me as well as talking to me about her opinions and knowledge, since she has a background in nursing and sexual health in particular. I would also like to thank and acknowledge Jasmeet Virdi and Eniesha Singh for always supporting me and being good friends. Thank you to Jasmeet for coming with me to the CYSF meetings and always cheering me on. Nikhil Summan is another person whom I would like to thank, Nikhil always supports me and without him, I would not have believed in myself as much as I did; he helped me manage my time and ensured I wasn't stressed. I am so grateful for everyone mentioned and I thank them all, this would not be possible without their love and kindness; words cannot express my gratitude. Thank you all and I appreciate you so much.