A pregnant mom has divided social media because she burst into tears after finding out she was having another girl.
Now, finding out the sex/gender of your baby is a pretty important milestone for a lot of people, with many people having an idea of whether they'd prefer a boy or a girl - but what happens if you don't get what you wanted?
Autumn Freeman says it's completely "normal" to have gender disappointment, a challenging phenomenon that happens when you hope your baby would be one sex, only to find out they're the opposite.
And she may actually be right.
According to the Baby Center, some people experience this feeling for a handful of reasons, with some being personal while others occur in the subconscious. Either way, the organization stated that it's characterized by four defining feelings - alienation, loss, control, and commodification.
Taking to TikTok in a video that has been watched over 12 million times, Freeman unashamedly shared her disappointment at finding out she was having another girl by comparing her two gender reveals.
In the footage from 2021, you can see how happy the Michigan-based content creator was at the prospect of having a little girl as she jumped into her husband's arms after watching pink confetti rain down from a popped balloon.
"Oh my God, I’m so excited!" Freeman can be heard saying.
However, in the second video, her disappointment is obvious as her husband twists a confetti cannon and pink streamers pop out of the cylinder.
"I'm actually sad," she says to her husband, Andy, who pulls her into a hug.
"I wanted a boy," she added, clearly emotional at the fact that her two-year-old daughter, Violet, will be getting a little sister very soon.
"It’s okay. She’ll be just as beautiful as the rest," Andy added, trying to make his wife feel better.
Have a look at the clips below:
Of course, the reactions to the video were pretty split, with some being empathetic with the mom, while others slammed her for upholding general stereotypes.
"I understand 'gender disappointment' but funny how it’s so often when they find out they’re having a girl..." wrote one user while another added: "I’m pregnant with my 3rd daughter and could not be more thrilled. Confused why parents feel upset about multiple daughters?"
"Is this satire? like actually," questioned a third.
And this user couldn't help but add: "All the people battling infertility over here like."
However, others who had been through the feeling of "disappointment" also recalled their personal experiences, with this mom writing: "I experienced gender disappointment last year when I found out I was having a boy because I had my hopes set on a girl... I have 3 boys and the little girl in me has always wanted a mini me BUT I wouldn't change having my boys for the life of me! They are mini me's, just rowdier ones lmao. But hey, I'm pregnant again so fingers crossed!"
Speaking to PEOPLE, the soon-to-be mom-of-two opened up about wanting a boy after spending time bonding with her "bonus kid,", her eight-year-old stepson Grant.
"In my perfect world I'd have one boy and one girl," Freeman told the outlet. "I actually wanted a boy with Violet, but it was my first one and I was just excited either way... Then with this one, we know it's our last baby."
Despite the initial feeling, the hairstylist and travel agent confirmed that she is excited to be raising two girls.
"I think I was bummed out for maybe a week, and then it went away," she recalled. "I just told myself the universe is giving me what I need and what I can handle... I'm just meant to be a girl mom."
When addressing all the hate the video had received, she said she wasn't surprised that people weren't holding back with their opinions, but assured them that she would love this baby just like her other.
"There's a bunch of haters in my comments that are like, 'You don't even love this baby. You don't deserve this baby,'" she said. "That's not the case at all. It had nothing to do with how I feel about the baby or how much I love it or how much it's going to be loved. It was just a brief moment, and now it's gone.
"I'm ready for my girl," she added.
