As a mommy-to-be, you want to be as engaged as possible with pregnancy and babies. You just can't get enough. You have already offered your best friend 1000 times to babysit her little sprout, you are scouring webshops all day for baby items, and your partner is slowly going a bit crazy from your sweet and dreamy conversations about the little one. Let's face it, those pregnancy hormones play a big part in this. All those different emotions. This is not surprising, of course, since this is your life's work.
I have the perfect solution for those moments when your partner prefers to retreat and talk about football with friends, but you feel the need to be occupied with pregnancy: pregnancy movies and series! Swoon over romcoms about pregnancy and babies and immerse yourself entirely in the world of pregnancy. Grab your favourite snacks and chill out!
1. What To Expect When You're Expecting (2012)
This remains my absolute fave. This film introduces you to five couples, who show in the most humorous way that pregnancy and having a baby are full of surprises and don't always go as expected. The necessary dose of humour and a great combination of actors and actresses (hi JLo and Cameron Diaz) included.
2. Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)
Bridget Jones and a baby? Not the perfect combination if you ask me. And that is what makes this movie so hilarious. Watch as the clumsy and chaotic Bridget Jones finds out she is pregnant at 43. Completely Bridget Jones-like, she doesn't know who the father is. I will not reveal more.
3. Knocked Up (2007)
This entertaining film revolves around the story of aspiring journalist Alison, who is in utter shock when she discovers she is pregnant by her lazy one-night stand, Ben. Alison is not too keen on the idea of being a single mother. That's why she makes a choice to get to know Ben better. But is Ben ready to take on his father role?
4. Friends (Series; Season 8)
All Friends lovers already know this, but pregnancy plays a significant role in season 8 for those who have not seen Friends yet. Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) is expecting a child and gives birth this season. This is, of course, presented with the necessary dose of humour, as we are used to from Friends.
5. Love, Rosie (2014)
Life is not always a bed of roses, and this film shows that perfectly. The protagonists Rosie and Alex have been best friends all their lives and dream of packing up and leaving for America. Unfortunately, this dream does not come true for Rosie, who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand. On the other hand, Alex does go to America for his studies. But is it possible to maintain a close friendship with such a distance between the two friends?
6. The Letdown (Series)
Mother of a newborn, really a dream, right? Right...New mother Audrey experiences her struggles to be positive in motherhood: fatigue, social isolation, and perfection overpower her. Jeremy, her husband, tries to help but also struggles with the baby. Audrey's mother is somewhat selfish, and Jeremy's parents don't know how to improve the situation either. We say goodbye to perfection and hello to imperfection.
7. Life As We Know It (2010)
This movie also shows that life does not always go as expected (or planned). Holly and Eric are told that their best friends have died in an accident in this film. As if the grieving process wasn't complex enough already, they have to deal with the next shock: the adopted child of their best friends is their responsibility from that moment on. Will the very different Holly and Eric succeed in this?
8. Jane the Virgin (Series)
Of course, this one couldn't be missing from the list. Chances are you have already seen this telenovela, but if not: binge-watch it right now! Jane's life is turned upside down when she accidentally gets artificially inseminated during a check-up with the doctor. The biological father turns out to be the owner of the hotel where Jane works, and what's more, he is married. The question is: will Jane choose to keep the baby or not?
9. The Back-up Plan (2010)
Yes, we get to enjoy JLo on the movie screen again. In this film, she takes on the role of Zoe, who no longer feels like waiting for Mr. Right to become a mother, so she decides to take fate into her own hands. Zoe gets pregnant with twins through artificial insemination. It just so happens that Zoe meets a man on that day, who appears to be Mr. Right. To not scare him off, she chooses to conceal her pregnancy (for the time being).
10. Baby Mama (2008)
What if your own chances of getting pregnant are slim? This is the situation of Kate, who would love to have a child of her own. Because the statistics are not in her favour, she searches for a surrogate mother. Eventually, she finds Angie, but it turns out to be a tremendous job to get her ready for motherhood. Will this challenge succeed? Humour with a capital H.
11. Nine Months (1995)
We welcome the legendary Hugh Grant, who takes on the role of Samuel in this comedy. Samuel seems to be living the perfect life until he finds out that his girlfriend Rebecca is expecting. He does not want a baby, but Rebecca is only too happy to welcome the baby, even if she has to do it alone. An argument between the two provides Samuel with an insight: he realises that he cannot live without Rebecca, which means he will have to change. Definitely a golden oldie!
