Pregnant Mom Who Broke Down Sobbing From Gender Disappointment Shares Why She Posted Video
@audi_elise/TikTok, oksana_nazarchuk/iStockPregnancy is a time that can be filled with highs and lows, thanks to hormones and other bodily changes. At the halfway point, it is common for expecting moms and dads to learn the sex of their unborn child. And despite the health of their baby being the most important part of the anatomy scan, soon-to-be parents sometimes experience gender disappointment.
The subject is relatively taboo, however. Many parents are told they should "just be grateful" regardless of whether they're having a baby boy or girl, and that any reaction other than joy is a sign of poor character. This is why one mom posted a video of her breaking down in tears upon learning the sex of her second child: to show fellow expecting parents they are not alone.
More from CafeMom: Mom of 3 Girls Immediately Bursts Into Tears at Gender Reveal for Fourth Baby
A video of one mom's gender disappointment has gone viral.
In October 2023, Autumn Freeman and her family learned they were expecting a baby girl. They filmed the gender reveal, and unfortunately, Autumn experienced initial gender disappointment.
In February, the expecting mom decided to post a TikTok video showing the difference between her first and second gender reveals — and as of writing, it has more than 12.7 million views and over 574,000 likes.
In the first video, Autumn was overjoyed.
In her first gender reveal video from 2021, the Michigan mom was overjoyed by the result. She popped a black balloon that read "Girl or Boy," revealing a shower of pink confetti. Immediately, Autumn screamed and jumped up and down before leaping into her partner's arms.
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In the second video, she was visibly distraught about the gender reveal.
Autumn's TikTok video showed a starkly different reaction following her October gender reveal. This time, she and her husband each pulled poppers, which shot out pink confetti, signaling another baby girl. When her husband's popper went off first, Autumn immediately seemed disappointed.
"I'm actually sad," she admitted while still trying to process the result. Although her partner attempted to cheer her up, Autumn started crying as she embraced her husband and then walked offscreen.
“In my perfect world I'd have one boy and one girl,” the expecting mom explained to People. “With this one, we know it's our last baby.”
Many TikTok users shared harsh reactions to the video.
Unfortunately, TikTok users were brutal in the comments.
One person wrote: "Oh no!!! a healthy baby girl."
Another person commented: "I don't understand trying to normalize gender disappointment. I have two daughters and feel absolutely blessed to have healthy happy children."
"Can't wait til she sees how excited you were," another TikTok user snarked.
Someone else pointed out, "Maybe don't have a gender reveal ceremony if you aren't going to be excited?"
Meanwhile, another person declared, "The FBI couldn't make me publicly post this video... like ouch dude."
More from CafeMom: Teen Dad's Reaction to Baby's Gender Reveal Has TikTok Telling Mom-To-Be To 'Leave Him'
Still, the mom doesn't regret sharing the video.
Despite the negative feedback, Autumn told People she also received a slew of supportive messages.
“There [have] been so many positive people — maybe even more positive people than negative people — who are like, ‘I've gone through this and thank you so much for sharing it,’” she told the publication.
Autumn also clarified that her gender disappointment has since passed. "It was just a brief moment, and now it's gone," she explained. "I'm ready for my girl.”
