Pregnant Australian influencer Caitlin Bailey had a message for her followers after receiving backlash for traveling to the U.S. for sex selective IVF.
“[I] wanted to come on because I’m like, ‘Woah,’ I’m getting flooded with messages,” Bailey said via her Instagram Story on Tuesday, May 13. “I did an interview last week with a reporter just to talk a little bit about my story with Gender Selection Australia, and yeah, my journey and why I decided to share and a little bit about that. And I had no idea how much it was going to blow up.”
Bailey noted that she was on the front page of a newspaper on Tuesday and had been contacted by “a couple of TV shows” to share her story with Gender Selection Australia. (The organization orchestrates conversations between Australian families and California-based Dr. Daniel Potter.)
“So anyway, I just wanted to come on because I feel like this sort of thing makes me really anxious. I don’t like conflict. I don’t like drama. I don’t like confrontation,” she said. “I chose to share my story and my journey purely because I thought if there’s people out there it could potentially help and not feel so alone, that’s why I shared it.”
“I didn’t share it to start online arguments or have, you know, troll conversations online. It just makes me feel sick to my stomach to think about the negative side of things. I’m all about positivity,” she continued. “So yeah, it’s just a good reminder, if you have nothing nice to say, please refrain. I’m trying to just be really positive, and yeah, with this all going on, it’s just freaking me out thinking what’s potentially to come. But I’m just going to stay positive.”
Bailey also shared several messages from users praising her for sharing her journey, with one noting that they had seen “some of the negative responses.” Bailey, for her part, gushed that she was “inundated with beautiful messages of support.”
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Of course I’ve also received nasty messages but the kind words have helped drown out the negativity,” Bailey wrote. “I truly appreciate the kindness more than you can understand, and it’s so nice to know that we’re not alone.”
Bailey, who has amassed more than 60,000 followers on Instagram, is currently expecting her fourth child. (Bailey is mom to daughter Thea, 5, and sons Kai, 4, and Taj, 22 months.)
Bailey sparked debate online when she flew to the U.S. and paid $45,000 to ensure her fourth child, conceived through IVF, would be a girl. IVF sex selection is banned in Australia.
“Everybody gets a brother,” Bailey told the Courier Mail on Tuesday, per 7news, “everybody gets a sister.”
