For many women trying to have children, finding out that you're expecting is one of the happiest days of your life - and one you want to share with all your loved ones.
But one mum was left disappointed when she didn't get the excited response she was expecting from her best pal after announcing she was pregnan t with her second child.
Sharing her story anonymously on Mumsnet, the woman explained her friend is also currently pregnant and when her announcement was made, she splashed out on flowers and a " pregnancy hamper" and began calling her "every day" to see how she was getting on.
When the mum then fell pregnant a few months after her friend, she expected her to return the favour and be just as excited for her - but so far, she has been "consciously not celebrating" the woman's pregnancy news.
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She said: "My best friend found out she was pregnant last Autumn after trying for a year. I was so thrilled for her, I sent flowers the day after she told me the news, made her a pregnancy hamper, showered her with love, and checked in on her every day to see how she was getting on. I asked if she'd be happy for me to think about baby showers for her when she's further along and started sharing ideas with her.
"Once my friend conceived I told her that I wanted to start trying and she was very supportive. She knew I was holding off for her to get pregnant, as I already have a toddler who I conceived straight away so thought it could possibly happen again. She was fine up until I conceived in the first cycle and told her I was due two months after her. She seemed in shock that I was pregnant and I think some of it could be that it was so quick for us in comparison to her journey."
The mum said she feels "disappointed" that her friend hasn't made any effort to check in on her, and said that while she would usually make a "big deal" out of important events, she seems uninterested in her pregnancy.
She added: "A few months on, despite me still checking in on her almost every day, she doesn't ask how I'm doing or return any of the love and support I give her. I don't expect gifts like the ones I gave her, but as an example, we're planning a meal out as a big group and I asked if she had any cravings or aversions so we could decide around that, but she didn't ask about me.
"She's the type of person who would normally make a big deal about this (and did for my engagement), so feels like she's consciously not celebrating my pregnancy. This is my best friend of 15 years so I was expecting her to be excited we'd be on Mat leave together and experience this together."
But commenters on the Mumsnet post were baffled by the mum, as many of them said she was being "over the top" and putting too much pressure on her friend - especially when she's also going through her own pregnancy journey.
One person wrote: "You are very over the top. It would make me very uncomfortable if my friends reacted like that to a pregnancy announcement."
While another said: "I think your friend is probably feeling somewhat smothered, and maybe you should back off a bit. She's probably fine, and thinks you are too."
And a third added: "As lovely as your intentions are, it all sounds a bit suffocating to me personally. Also, it sounds like this is your friend's first pregnancy and your second one? So you've been through all this before, why do you need special handholding the second time around? I understand wanting a bit of support, but it all just sounds a bit intense and needy."
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
