Your body does many things to be proud of during pregnancy, but bursting into tears over small matters (or even nothing at all!) isn’t one of them. Watching movies while pregnant can be an emotional landmine because you’re primed to cry at the smallest thing. But when the movies involve family matters or kids or moms getting hurt, all bets are off.
If you don’t want your eyes to end up as swollen as your ankles, avoid these 25 films that are guaranteed to make pregnant women cry (Spoilers ahead!).
My Girl
Watching the emotional struggles of a young girl who lost her mother will have you reaching for the tissues and vowing to write up a will. The fact that everyone’s childhood crush, Macaulay Culkin, dies a tragic death makes it impossible to watch this movie without crying.
Up
Infertility, lifelong dreams sidelined and the death of a beloved spouse make Up the most emotionally wrenching Disney film ever. If you’re not in the mood to watch your mascara run down your face and into your pregnancy-enhanced cleavage, fast forward past the first 20 minutes.
Beaches
The amazing Bette Midler makes watching this classic film worth it, but if you happen to be expecting when you do, be prepared to lie awake wondering who you would want to name as your child’s guardian in the event of your premature passing.
The Fault In Our Stars
It’s no surprise that a romance is likely to make you cry at least once before the end credits role. But seeing two young characters battling cancer alongside the complex emotions of young adulthood will make expectant mothers think about how it would feel to have a child going through this same battle. Keep the remote handy, you’ll need to hit pause when your sobs get so loud that you can no longer hear the dialogue.
Steel Magnolias
You don’t have to be from the South to get emotional over this movie. Nor do you have to be pregnant, but if you are, Shelby’s decision to have a baby in spite against her doctor’s advice and her eventual death because of it will require all the tissues in the house, and maybe your sleeve as well.
The Empire Strikes Back
A sci-fi fantasy flick like Star Wars may seem like the last movie in the world that would bring you to tears, but pregnancy hormones are tricky. When the infamous line, “Luke, I am your father” is uttered, don’t be surprised if you shed a tear or two for the intergalactic father/son relationship that never was.
The Hunger Games
Watching children be forced to fight to the death for the entertainment of an elite class would be hard for any mom-to-be to stomach, but the scene in The Hunger Games where Katniss volunteers to take her younger sister’s place in the arena will have you hitting pause so you can dry your eyes.
Stepmom
Although the overall message of a stepmom promising to do right by the children of her husband’s dying ex-wife is a sweet one, the last thing a pregnant woman needs to think about is the idea of another woman raising her child.
Lilo And Stitch
For a cartoon, Lilo and Stitch deals with some heavy issues. You may find yourself daydreaming about buying a cute stuffed Stitch for the nursery, but the movie’s subplot of a girl struggling to keep custody of her little sister after the untimely death of their parents makes this animated film a surprise tear-jerker.
Big Fish
You might not think a Tim Burton film could make a pregnant woman cry buckets, but this visually stunning story of a dying father and son trying to reconcile their relationship does the job handily. Dads-to-be will also want tissues on standby.
Titanic
Chances are you’ve seen Titanic already and you’ve probably alternated between crying and yelling at the television for Rose to move over and share that door. But if you dare to re-watch Titanic while pregnant, you may find yourself crying less over Jack and more over Rose’s relationship with her mother and the fact that they never get the chance to make things right between them.
The Blind Side
The true life story of NFL player Michael Oher and the adoptive mother who never gave up on him is sure to bring happy tears to anyone who’s expecting a new baby.
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
If your baby bump is harboring a daughter, this tale of a complex mother-daughter relationship and the powerful bonds of female friendship is sure to leave you dialing your own mom for a teary heart to heart.
My Sister’s Keeper
A family is ripped apart by a young girl’s decision to pursue a case against her parents for medical emancipation because she doesn’t want to be a donor for her sister who is dying of leukemia. Pregnant women and non-pregnant women alike will find it hard not to cry as you watch parents try to love their children equally when the stakes are life and death. Not surprisingly the film ends on a devastating note, but don’t look to the novel it’s based on to make you feel any better. While the book has a drastically different ending from the movie, it still brings plenty of tears of its own.
Sophie’s Choice
If the bun in your oven already has a sibling or two eagerly awaiting their arrival, then Sophie’s Choice is not for you, even if it does star Meryl. Watching the story of a mother forced to decide which of her two children will live and which will die is the kind of stress a pregnant mom doesn’t need. Maybe something animated instead? With a side of popcorn and a small snuggle buddy?
Dead Poets Society
If seeing the late Robin Williams isn’t enough to send your pregnancy hormones into overdrive, watching a boy commit suicide because his father refuses to accept his desire to be an actor is sure to cause tears.
Pay It Forward
This story of a child who wants to make a difference in the world around him through small acts of kindness will make you feel hope for your future child, until the main character is killed for trying to defend his friend against bullies. Then you’ll want to curl into a ball of tears and look into buying the baby a protective plastic bubble to live in until they’re 18. If you must watch a Haley Joel Osment movie, try The Sixth Sense, at least the dead in that movie ultimately find peace.
Terms of Endearment
This Academy Award-winning movie about the love/hate relationship between a mother and daughter will strike an emotional chord with anyone expecting a little girl of their own.
Armageddon
The whole panic-inducing end of the world plot aside, pregnant moms watching Armageddon will need a whole box of tissues to make it through the scene where a dad makes the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter’s happiness. Cue Aerosmith and all the tears.
Father of the Bride 2
Steve Martin definitely delivers lots of laughs in this delightful sequel to Father of the Bride, but seeing how his character handles both the birth of his daughter and granddaughter will leave your eyes glistening.
Forrest Gump
There are plenty of sad moments in Forrest Gump, but pregnant moms who know they’ve got a baby boy on the way will particularly relate to the on-screen relationship between Forrest and his mama.
The Judge
Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall give amazing performances as a father and estranged son trying to find peace with each other in the midst of a courtroom drama. Expectant parents won’t be able to watch without worrying about all the possible things that could happen to sour their own parent/child relationship.
The Family Stone
Holiday movies are typically fun-filled romps, but The Family Stone centers around adult siblings grabbling with the reality that their mother is losing her battle with cancer. If doing a breast self-exam after you finish wiping away your tears makes you feel better, by all means go for it.
Love Actually
Love Actually is a fantastic film with tons of moments that have tear-causing potential. Emma Thompson’s portrayal of a wife who finds out her husband is being unfaithful will cause your throat to tighten no matter how many times you’ve seen the movie. But pregnant women will find the scenes between the widowed Liam Neeson and motherless Sam to be particularly gut-wrenching.
Mermaids
Cher and Winona Ryder’s portrayal of a complicated mother-daughter relationship in Mermaids is painfully realistic, but it will reassure you that no matter what happens in the future, you and your child will love each other unconditionally.
Consider yourself warned!
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