Former ‘Bachelor’ star says it’s okay to ‘hate pregnancy’—even if you’ve struggled with infertility

Women are often made to believe that their parenthood journey should look a certain way, with so many feeling like there’s something wrong with them if their experience is different. Former Bachelor contestant Sarah Herron is reminding fans and followers that it’s OK to “hate pregnancy” even if you longed to be pregnant for years and struggled with infertility because pregnancy is “really hard.”

Herron has been open about her fertility struggles for years, after she was first diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve in 2020. She and her husband, Dylan Brown, are currently expecting twins after losing their “miracle baby” Oliver at 24 weeks old. And while it seems she’s grateful to be pregnant again, she wants other women who have experienced infertility and pregnancy loss to know they’re not alone if they flat-out “hate pregnancy.”

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In a series of since-expired videos on Instagram Stories, Herron discussed why it might feel like she’s “complaining a lot” on social media during her pregnancy.

“Twin pregnancy is hard on the body. It is. Any pregnancy is hard on the body and despite complaining or posting Reels about how difficult it is sleeping, I love every minute of my pregnancy,” she said, according to PEOPLE.

“And I fully recognize that it is all a temporary experience and so spirits are still high. Even though I’m pretty sure I have a cracked rib right now. It’s just part of it. And it’s also okay if you’re someone who experienced infertility and hate pregnancy. Just want to say that,” she added.

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A post shared by Sarah Herron (@sarahherron)

Herron, who uses her public platform to advocate for those with infertility, wanted others to know that “both feelings can exist,” adding, “The reason I wanted to say all that is because being in my position and having worked with so many women who’ve gone through infertility, I can’t tell you how many times myself or someone I’ve worked with has expressed, you know, like, ‘I would be so happy to be up all night with carpal tunnel, I’d kill to break a rib because of pregnancy, I would love to have swollen feet.’”

“And so, I always want to be mindful and respectful of wherever people are on their journey, especially when they’re viewing my content because I know how that feels,” she said. “It’s like, you just want it so bad. And it is such a grateful gift to become pregnant.”

“It’s okay if it’s really hard,” she continued, “and you don’t have to pretend that it’s all perfect all the time.”

Herron, who will be welcoming her fraternal twins shortly, says she tries “to be respectful of whoever’s viewing this,” issuing one final reminder to anyone who might be struggling with all the pregnancy content they see on social media. “AND it’s okay if you need to mute pregnancy accounts (including mine) for ANY reason,” she concluded.