Teyonah Parris, Keyshia Ka’oir & More Share That They Are Expecting
Social media has redefined pregnancy announcements in a significant way. From over-the-top baby bump photos to emotional videos when couples find out they are expecting, pregnancy announcements have become an online phenomenon shared between people and their following.
And when it comes to celebrities, fans gobble up their pregnancy announcements and look forward to the social media posts that follow. The last few months saw many women in entertainment reveal that they were expecting. Here is a list of pregnancy announcements so far in 2022.
Teyonah Parris
Teyonah Parris revealed that she is pregnant with her first child. The Marvels actress made the announcement on Instagram in a photo with her husband James. “We're pregnant!! Whooooo chiiile!! I'm so excited to share that we have a baby on the way,” she wrote.
“There have been so many feelings since we've learned that our dream of becoming parents is finally a reality. My husband, James, and I have felt a mix of shock, lots of nerves, but most of all so much excitement! Seeing the word PREGNANT was such an amazing feeling! We are so blessed and so grateful.”
Keyshia Ka’oir
Ka’oir fitness owner Keyshia Ka’oir shared that she and husband Gucci Mane were expecting their second child together. The influencer shared a video of the “Lemonade” rapper’s reaction to finding out that they were having another baby, and it was priceless.
“Let’s Have Another Baby ICE Needs Somebody To Play With” 🤍 🤰 🤍, Keyshia wrote quoting Gucci’s song “Mrs. Davis.”
The couple already shares a one-year-old son and they both have kids from previous relationships.
Chrissy Teigen
After losing their baby a few years ago, Chrissy Teigen revealed that she and John Legend are pregnant again. The model shared the exciting news on social media.
“The last few years have been a blur of emotions to say the least, but joy has filled our home and hearts again. 1 billion shots later (in the leg lately, as u can see!) we have another on the way,” she wrote. “Every appointment I’ve said to myself, “ok if it’s healthy today I’ll announce” but then I breathe a sigh of relief to hear a heartbeat and decide I’m just too nervous still. I don’t think I’ll ever walk out of an appointment with more excitement than nerves but so far, everything is perfect and beautiful and I’m feeling hopeful and amazing. Ok phew it’s been very hard keeping this in for so long!”
Jhené Aiko
@jheneaiko ✨✨✨
In July, Jhené Aiko finally confirmed the rumors that she was expecting her first child with rapper Big Sean. Following the news, she began sharing images from a celestial-themed maternity photo shoot with the Detriot rapper as well as a song dedicated to their unborn child. Big Sean commented under the photo of them together, “Thankful For My family ♾🖤”
The “On the Way” singer already has a 13-year-old daughter whom she shares with O’Ryan.
Summer Walker
Summer Walker revealed in a June 25 Instagram Live video that she was pregnant with her second child. In the Live, she said, “People asking me if I'm pregnant: I am and you know I'm very, very, very, very, happy about it. I'm very, very excited because it's going to be different from how it was before. It's really peaceful, really happy, lots of help, lots of love.”
The “Body” artist is expecting her child with her boyfriend Larry. She also has a one-year-old daughter with producer London On Da Track.
Keke Wyatt
Powerhouse singer Keke Wyatt revealed in February that she and husband Zackariah were adding to their big, blended family. In June, she shared that she gave birth to their “miracle baby” after he was diagnosed with trisomy 13, a condition where a person is born with an extra chromosome and the likelihood of survival is very low.
“Most of you are familiar with the challenges I faced during this pregnancy. My husband & I made the decision not to accept the Medical Specialist’s suggestion to terminate our baby early despite the positive trisomy 13 test results,” Keke wrote. “We appreciate and thank God for all of the Dr’s in the medical field. However, I can’t stress enough to all mothers & couples, when the Dr gives you life changing information about your unborn child …. pray about it, use faith & follow your spirit before making ANY final decision. We believed the report of the Lord and after holding our beautiful healthy baby boy Ke’Zyah & looking into his eyes, I’m glad we did. 😍
Leona Lewis
In March, Leona Lewis shared that she was having a baby in the summer. And in August, the “Bleeding Love” singer revealed that she gave birth to a baby girl in July.
“And then there were three 💗Our little Carmel Allegra arrived 22.7.22,” the British artist wrote.
Rihanna
Who can forget the pregnancy announcement heard around the world? The Fenty mogul and A$AP Rocky confirmed the rumors that they were expecting with showstopping photos in January that debuted Rihanna’s baby bump.
The “Kiss It Better” singer reportedly delivered her baby in May but has since kept any traces of the baby under wraps.
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TW: some depictions of intrusive thoughts may be disturbing for readers.
Have you ever caught your mind drifting off to entertain the most disturbing scenarios imaginable? Maybe you can’t stop thinking of all the ways a loved one could pass away or worrying that you left every candle lit in your apartment to which you’d return to a home in ruins. If distressing ruminations like these have crossed your mind, you may be experiencing an intrusive thought.
What Are Intrusive Thoughts?
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted or distressing thoughts, images, or impulses that pop into your mind without your control or consent. These thoughts can be repetitive, unsettling, or even violent in nature, and can cause anxiety and frustration for those who experience them.
“Generally they're unwanted thoughts that come up in our head that interrupt what we're doing or thinking, and can feel very foreign,” says Adia Gooden, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist and host of the Unconditionally Worthy podcast. “It’s any thought that intrudes or interrupts what you are doing. They can be distressing and upsetting for us because it feels like we are not in control of them, and they're coming up out of nowhere and aren’t in line with how you normally think.”
What Causes Intrusive Thoughts?
Certain trauma or stress can contribute to the development of intrusive thoughts, so having a challenging experience from the past or current life situations may trigger them to form. “An intrusive thought could come in the form of a flashback, image, or a thought about something that's happened to you,” Dr. Gooden tells xoNecole. “When it gets to the point where you feel like you can't function or make clear decisions, that's when intrusive thoughts become really challenging.”
While some of the 1 billion videos found under the #intrusivethoughts hashtag on TikTok would lead you to believe that these thoughts are nothing more than casual displays of our imagination going untamed. Intrusive thoughts are more than sticking your hand in a soap dispenser, wanting to cut all your hair off at 3 a.m., or having a random impulse to eat fake bread in public.
The Anxiety & Depression Association of America reports that approximately six million individuals, equating to roughly two percent of the American population, encounter intrusive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts are often linked with obsessive-compulsive disorders, but they can also manifest in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or anxiety.
Examples of Common Intrusive Thoughts
Because of the explicit nature of intrusive thoughts, they tend to cause shame and internal conflict in those who experience them. Although these thoughts can differ from person to person, these ideation can consist of:
- Violent or aggressive thoughts towards oneself or others, such as harming or killing someone;
- Sexual thoughts that are unwanted or inappropriate;
- Repetitive thoughts, such as a song or a phrase that keeps repeating in your mind;
- Contamination or germ-related thoughts or the fear of contamination and getting sick;
- Religious or blasphemous thoughts, such as questioning one's faith or having thoughts that go against religious beliefs;
- Doubts or uncertainty about one's own actions or decisions, such as fear of making a mistake or fear of not doing something right.
Intrusive Thoughts and OCD
That’s why Dr. Gooden encourages everyone to understand the difference between our fleeting thoughts and impulses and true, intrusive thoughts. “What level of distress does it cause and is it something you would never consider,” she says. “If you're finding that these thoughts are getting in the way of you living your life and that you're controlled by the thoughts, those are some signs that it would be good to get some support in navigating it.”
She also emphasizes the importance of understanding that while we may not always have control over our thoughts, we can control our behavior. “On TikTok, people are sort of blaming intrusive thoughts on their behavior, and our behavior is always a choice,” she says. “If we are in our right mind and we're not having a psychotic episode, our behavior is our choice — we are not obligated to follow any given thought that we have.”
Are Intrusive Thoughts Normal?
With intrusive thoughts, it’s natural to question whether these thoughts are “normal” to have. However, these thoughts are not meant to define who you are as a person but simply indicate that you have a functioning human mind with automated thoughts that you, or any of us, can’t control. These thoughts may come, but they don’t have to be acted upon, nor do they define who you are.
“I've worked with clients in the past who say, ‘Why am I thinking these things? What's wrong with me?’ But if you're not acting on the thought, then it's probably not a huge issue,” Dr. Gooden says. “If you are thinking a harmful thought towards yourself or someone else and you are making plans to act on that thought, then yes, we need to do something about it.”
How To Manage Intrusive Thoughts
If you are struggling with managing unwanted thoughts, Dr. Aida suggests taking these tips to help manage your mindset when they occur:
- "Recognize that it's a thought and thoughts are just thoughts. We often put a little bit too much weight on our thoughts, and that can create a lot of distress. But remember that thoughts are not facts."
- "Having a thought that's disturbing or upsetting doesn't make you a bad person, and it doesn't mean that you are suffering from a mental illness."
- "Sometimes the best thing you can do is say, 'Huh, that was an interesting thought. I'm going to let that go. That thought is not helpful for me right now."
- "Ask yourself: is this helpful? Is it helpful for me to buy into this thought and believe this thought? Asking that question can be really helpful because we are not at the mercy of our thoughts. If it's not helpful, you can let it go."
Intrusive thoughts can feel bizarre and foreign when they come up, but they aren't inherently "bad." Our minds can sometimes be filled with random and inappropriate thoughts, but that's what our stream of consciousness does: it thinks. Fortunately, we can release those thoughts at any moment; you don't have to follow through with them.
And ultimately, not every TikTok diagnosis is one that we should label ourselves with.
"It's important for people to acknowledge what they're experiencing but not run too quickly to diagnose themselves with some mental illness or disorder," Dr. Gooden advises. "It ends with confusion, and we miss the opportunity to understand the people who really do have that mental health challenge."
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