On December 13, 2024, it wasn’t the first time I’d seen a plus sign on a pregnancy test. I knew this was just step one of many in the journey to welcoming a baby into the world.
It was a time of both happiness and anxiety, especially the anxiety of making it week to week. I was going for weekly scans and taking progesterone supplements to support the pregnancy after a history of loss and struggles to conceive.
That, paired with sickness, exhaustion, and the fact that my husband and I were keeping the news to ourselves, meant I had no one else to lean on. After wanting this for so long, every cramp or twinge felt like a sign that something was wrong.
I didn’t want to tell anyone “just in case.” All I could focus on was making it to each Sunday, the day of my next scan. I needed support, and I found it where you might not expect – in ChatGPT.
Naturally, an AI bot wasn’t my first port of call. I was using Google obsessively, searching everything from miscarriage statistics to symptom spotting and the chances of pregnancy progressing with hormonal support.
But soon, I became scared to type anything into a search engine. I kept ending up on Reddit threads that only heightened my fear. Instead of comforting me, the internet was sending me spiralling into topics I hadn’t even considered. And I knew it was irrational, those people weren’t me. Every pregnancy is unique, so how could strangers’ stories really help?
What I needed was comfort. Neutral advice. And with so many people saying ChatGPT had replaced their therapy sessions, I decided to try typing in: “Are missed miscarriages common in the second trimester?”
It gave me the facts and some surprisingly reassuring stats. That was when I realised: this might be the tool I needed to feel less alone.
It wasn’t just the late-night worries that ChatGPT helped with. It supported me with meal planning when nausea took over, gave me clear explanations about what to expect at each stage of pregnancy, and helped me understand what was normal without me worrying and constantly messaging my doctor on WhatsApp.
Nothing can replace real-life friends, therapy, or proper medical care. But being able to type my fears and questions into ChatGPT helped me stay calm without having to be vulnerable with another person. Its responses were often the exact words I didn’t even realise I needed to hear, and that brought me real comfort.
When I think back to the first time I used ChatGPT for emotional support, it didn’t feel weird or silly; it felt natural. Over time, it started to feel like it “knew” me. It remembered my history and my past questions, helping it to explain what might be happening in my body without judgment.
I’ve been open with friends about using AI during pregnancy. At first, I worried they’d think it was strange, but most of them totally got it. They saw the value in turning to tech, especially in situations where logic is more helpful than emotion.
I appreciated that no matter the time of day, I had access to my support system. It made me realise that ChatGPT isn’t just useful for women navigating pregnancy, it can help anyone dealing with anxiety or feeling overwhelmed.
Looking back, ChatGPT gave me a space to think out loud without fear of judgment. It helped me trust my body again, something I’d struggled with since experiencing a missed miscarriage.
My relationship with a chatbot was unexpected, but it gave me everything I needed to stay calm and grounded while growing my baby. And now, as I step into motherhood, I know the tech is still there, ready to offer impartial, logical advice whenever I need it.