Pregnant woman sparks discussion after using they/them pronouns for her unborn baby

Unfortunately, in today's society, everything is up for debate. The clutches of society are so deep that everybody's personal freedom has come into question. Everything that is outside the social norm becomes everybody's business. A woman, u/greenapple816 faced societal intrusion when she decided to call her unborn baby by they/them pronouns for her own comfort. Her decision was personal and not a political statement by any means, but she still received raised eyebrows from almost everyone who heard of it. The would-be mother did not think she was in the wrong but was tired of offended faces around her. She shared the entire ordeal on Reddit.

The mother began the post by sharing her present state. She is almost done with her first trimester, with almost everyone around her knowing about her good news. The woman shared how, in a time where she should be surrounded by happiness, she is "getting so much sh*t from people for referring to my baby as they or them." Their initial reaction towards the pronouns is always shock, as people think she is expecting more than one baby. This always leads to her correcting them: "No, just one baby. I just don't know the gender."

The reason she had gone with using they/them for her babies was because 'it' and 'it's' seemed a bit unnatural to her. Moreover, constantly referring to her fetus as a 'baby' became awkward. Therefore, she went with they/them. The reaction had been discomforting, to say the least. She explained, "Even with all the individuals who know I am only carrying one baby, they will still kind of scrunch their nose at me and continue to question why I am referring to them that way." Everyone kept telling her she was confused with these pronouns, but she didn't think so. This was becoming too much for her to handle, especially in this condition. She doesn't want to argue, but at the same time, this is what comes naturally to her. Therefore, she came to Reddit to ask for suggestions on what to do in this situation.

The comment section supported the would-be mother in this situation. u/3qtpint wrote how the situation is being given a political turn for no reason, "NTA, that's completely benign. I suspect this might be because 'they/them' pronouns have become a bit more controversial in recent years. I feel like if you referred to your unborn child as they/them 10 years ago, no one would be that confused (or claim that it's confusing). Your reasoning seems perfectly sound to me. You don't know the gender and 'it' isn't very nice. If someone wants to have a problem over something so petty, they can have that problem. You shouldn't have to tolerate that."

u/SapTheSapient commented how there was nothing wrong with the woman's actions, "Using 'they' for a person when you don't know their gender is both normal and common. 'Someone forgot their phone. I hope they come back for it.' Also, it is your unborn baby. Call them what you want."

There have been other instances as well where society has tried to intervene in parents' choices. u/Resident-Step-2917 shared how she was questioned by people around her for taking her stepson to get a haircut to feel more comfortable with his transition. People around the mother made her feel that she was in the wrong as a stepparent to move forward with such a change. Her befitting reply was, "I would rather take him to a professional than him cut his hair himself and come to resent living with us."