It’s the biggest news of your life, the most exciting, telling people that you’re pregnant.
How did you share your baby news?
I found out I was pregnant on my first baby a few days before Christmas in 2007. My husband and I kept the news to ourselves until I was 14 weeks. I really don’t know how I did this but I think my paranoia that something would go wrong, combined with my very-tiny-compared-to-what-it-is-now waistline and my lack of any early pregnancy symptoms other than nausea and tiredness meant it could be hidden.
I’m about 17 weeks pregnant on my first here. On top of Mount Sinai as you do.
Back in 2008, pregnancy announcements were, well tame, at least in my neck of the woods. They were usually done by text, social media wasn’t really a thing yet. I knew of a few people who had given their parents copies of their scans in Christmas gifts but the idea of announcing on Facebook was out of the question. (I only joined Facebook in 2007). I did tell my online mum community first I guess, but then I was completely anonymous there, and the news said something like “OMG I got a BFP 4 +1 whee”
The first person I told was my mum. I brought her out for dinner to celebrate Mother’s Day and gave her a card and a little teddy like this one, that said “with Love Granny”.
She didn’t have her reading glasses on initially so I had to direct her to read it. Then she cried. And I realised that I had just admitted having sex to my mother, and that I would have to do it to my father, siblings, aunts and uncles too. For some reason, this bothered me. Anyway I got over it and that night my husband and I sat in our sunroom on opposite couches and phoned family and friends to tell them our big news. There was screeching, there was smiling, there were warm and fuzzy feelings. And with that my belly “popped” and it was obvious to all. Clients commented and TOUCHED MY BELLY. (The capitals are to indicate I didn’t like it.) It was out in the open.
The first photo of me as a mum
Asda recently commissioned a survey in the UK about breaking the baby news and found that 57% of parents told family in person, but a third of 25-34 year olds made their announcements on social media. You can read more about it here including some top bloggers sharing their stories.
Despite my own love of/addiction to social media I still think that there is some news that family should hear in person. Social media is very passive sometimes and the important people could miss the important news.
My beautiful cousin (who fits the 25-34 demographic) out-announced everyone at at her wedding last weekend, as her husband ended his wedding speech with a projected slide of their second baby’s scan photo. Jaws dropped in the room, people smiled and cheered. It was such a lovely way to bring their baby to the day (which his/her toddler sister was a big part of) and to tell all the people at once. (Don’t panic, close family were all in on the secret- their little girl gave a gift to each set of grandparents with a note asking them to read it to her and her baby brother/sister in November. THE CUTENESS)
How did you share your baby news? I’d love to hear your stories.
*This is a sponsored post.
