Many people are partial to a silly April Fool's Day joke. Others find them, well, a little bit cringey. But some jokes aren't funny whatever day it is, and actually run the risk of causing distress to others.
Last year, British mum Kayla Lee Welsh posted on Facebook to explain why pretending to be pregnant isn't an appropriate April Fool's Day joke, and her post is once again being widely shared this year.
"This is why your April fools joke isn't funny," she wrote. "This is why it's not funny to lie and joke about being pregnant. This is what it looks like to have a miscarriage."
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She continued: "A week ago today I started spotting. I convinced myself it was normal because I did it with Keegan. This time it wasn't. I avoid laying down to go to sleep because as soon as I hit the bed I'm alone with all of my thoughts. My brain has finally stopped distracting itself from the one thing breaking my heart. And all I can do is cry."
After recalling the deep sense of loss and anger she experienced following her miscarriage, Welsh added later in her post: "It's a pain no one can describe. Because how can you properly grieve someone you never got to meet?
"Please think twice before you post that April fools joke. Because what's funny for a second in your eyes crushes someone else's heart for eternity. #pregnancyisnotajoke"
Welsh's post has clearly (and rightly) struck a chord. It's now been liked 24,000 times and shared 110,000 times. Many women shared their own miscarriage stories under the post, echoing the sentiments Welsh explained so bravely and beautifully.
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