– WITH VIDEO – By Gemma Francis
More women will find out they are pregnant on Wednesday January 17th than at any other time of year, a study has found.
The date falls just over two weeks after National Babymaking Day on January 2nd, which is the most common day of the year for couples to try to conceive.
Experts believe more than 10,000 women will be nervously taking pregnancy tests on Wednesday to see if the two blue lines appear so they can start planning for a new arrival.
The date emerged as a study by parenting site ChannelMum.com revealed a phenomenon dubbed ‘pregnancy test addiction’, with women taking an average of SIX different pregnancy tests to ensure they really are expecting.
A staggering 62 per cent of mums carry on taking tests, despite already having a positive result, as they worry about the health of the pregnancy or the initial test being wrong – spending an average of £30 on tests.
Seven per cent of mums-to-be take 10 tests while one in 20 admitted to checking 16 times or more before they finally accept they are pregnant.
The study of 1,435 mums even found one in 12 are so hooked on checking for the two blue lines that they keep taking tests up until they have their 12-week scan.
Siobhan Freegard, founder of ChannelMum.com said: “Being hooked on pregnancy tests may seem strange, but the majority of mums do it.
“Seeing the positive sign come up gives mums-to-be a buzz and also helps reassure those who may be nervous about their pregnancy.
“However, it’s important not to get addicted to continual tests, as they are expensive and unnecessary.
“We have heard of mums testing up to five times a day to check they are still pregnant, so if you are that anxious, then get professional support.”
More than four in 10 mums-to-be admit using specialist but expensive early tests which can give a positive result up to five days earlier than normal kits.
And one in 100 even said they resorted to wacky DIY tests including mixing toothpaste with urine which can indicate pregnancy if it changes colour.
Others mix a urine sample with bleach – if the mixture froths up, it means you are pregnant.
But the report found modern mums are breaking with the tradition of waiting until the three-month mark to announce their pregnancies, with just 26 per cent holding out until after their scan to share their news.
Instead, one third chose to tell family and friends as soon as they discover they are expecting, with more than half announcing their pregnancy by the seven-week stage, despite medical experts advising the risk of miscarriage remains high.
Modern mums are also radically changing the way they announce their pregnancy.
Rather than telling people in person, three in five reveal their happy news on social media, with 45 per cent going a step further and posting their scan picture.
This compares to just 53 per cent who still tell their loved ones in person, and one in five who telephone others with the information.
A growing number are also using apps including Snapchat and What’s App to announce their news, with 20 per cent of modern mums revealing their pregnancy this way.
However, despite pregnancy being a happy time, 47 per cent of mums-to-be experienced negative comments when revealing their news.
The most common jibe was ‘was it planned?’, with one third of parents asked this, while one in five were quizzed on whether they would cope.
Shockingly, 20 per cent were even told ‘don’t you have enough kids already?” alongside five per cent who were asked ‘who is the dad?’
A further 18 per cent were criticised for being too young and one in 50 where told they were ‘too old’ to have children.
Strangers are most likely to make negative comments on a new pregnancy, with 35 per cent of women subjected to comments from people they don’t know.
One third were verbally abused by work colleagues and 29 per cent by their own friends.
A further 28 suffered nasty comments from their own MUM and 22 per cent from their mother-in-laws.
Worryingly 13 per cent even had negative comments from their GP or midwife on announcing their new pregnancy.
https://www.channelmum.com/parenting/pregnancy/pregnancy-symptoms/
ENDS
