Pregnancy Announcements

varimama

It’s a little early but since we’re mentioning it in the Randoms I thought I’d make a thread specifically for announcements! Feel free to post your announcement or ask questions or brainstorm ideas 💡 here!

How did or will you share the news with your SO, family, and friends? If you are choosing to share your announcement on social media, how do you plan on doing that and when? 

Stolen parts from Feb BMB

varimama

We’re still working through our ideas for in person announcements to DH’s family. There’s a lot of stuff already going on with them though and we don’t want to hijack anyone else’s events so we might just send something like the pic in spoiler below to them. The pic is how we’ll announce to my family as I’m not very close to them. Not sure if I’ll put anything on social media, probably not until after the anatomy scan if I do.

We’re waiting until after 8week u/s to tell DH’s family and close friends and after 13 weeks for everyone else. 

littlebug2010

We are heading to Disney in a few weeks, so I made a short for myself that says “baby’s first disney trip”.  My son has an ear hat and we will get a baby one for #2 and probably do a few pics on Main St. I’ll post them closer to 12 weeks though. We told my parents and DHs parents this week though. We had a big bro shirt for our son to wear to tell them. 

mrsvp614

My wish is to announce at DS’s 2nd birthday. It’ll only be close family and friends and I’d love to surprise everyone at once and in person by having DS open a “brother” shirt/book as a gift. However, I’ll be 11 weeks, and DH is already itching to tell our parents. 

I probably won’t post on social media until after the 20 weeks scan. That’s what we did last time. Most everyone close to us already knew, which is what I preferred. I met Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper and Andy recorded a video on my phone for my pregnancy announcement. I probably won’t top that this time around. #secondchildproblems 

keeksie84

@MrsVP614 - wow!  That would be hard to top!  

We'll wait until our first US at 7 weeks to tell our parents and closest friends.  For our first, we eloped without telling anyone (planned before the pregnancy) and hosted a dinner at a really fancy restaurant the next night to announce both our marriage and our pregnancy.  It was an amazing night, but the stress building up to it almost killed me.  I don't like surprises or keeping secrets/hiding things so it was a huge emotional struggle, lol.  I'm so glad we did it, but with that said I don't want to do anything like that again.  DH still wants to do something "fun" but I'd prefer to just roll in to a casual dinner with DD in a "big sister" shirt or something equally low key.  I'd like to say we'll wait until 20 weeks to announce on social media, but I'm impatient so we might do it sooner.  

phyllifish

We did IUI, which my mom, sister and 3 best friends knew about so they got texts, and our dads got FaceTime calls. 

For my DH’s parents, we ended up telling them the day I got the positive test. My MIL happened to be coming over for my birthday that day, and this is her first (highly anticipated) grandchild. We bought the picture book “How to Babysit your Grandma” for her and her reaction was well worth it! 

We have an annual end end of summer party with my family, and I’m thinking I’ll get a shirt that says “you can stop asking when we’re having a baby now.” But I haven’t decided yet. 

Not sure if we’ll post something on social media, but if we do it will be after the anatomy scan and that will probably be the only thing we post. 

EmilyLove25

@MrsVP614 OMG. If Andy Cohen did that for me, I'd about die from joy. Wow wow wow!

We're on baby 3, so literally no one cares haha. I'm going to wait much longer to tell our families this time. I'm also going to avoid (I think) some huge FB announcement. 

stacey6689

Since this is our first pregnancy, I’m feeling very superstitious with telling anyone right away. My parents live in a different state so it will be easy to hide it from them. I’m very close with my sister who lives all of 5 mins away from me so I’m thinking after my first OB appt and US I’m going to tell her. I was the first person she told when she was pregnant for both of my nieces so I thought I’d keep the tradition. DH wants to wait to tell anyone in his family lol I’m thinking once I get to 12 weeks in September I will tell close friends and family. Hopefully, I can hold out. We love fall and all things Halloween, so I was thinking of doing something with pumpkins. We are also going on a cruise in September, and I saw that I can get a cute shirt made on Etsy to say babies first cruise. We cruise twice a year so it’s a big thing for us! 

sunflower_auryn

We told my 3 best friends and my mom this week since we were in my hometown so it was a good chance to tell them in person. It feels too early but I know I will want their support if anything goes wrong. We're waiting until we can tell DH's family in person which will be past the 8w appointment at the very least since they live far away and we'll need to plan a visit. Sometime after 12w we'll tell the family we have in our city (cousins we're close with), and since once we tell them the news will get out quickly, we'll send emails to our entire extended families on both sides. I have an idea of what I want our "announcement picture" to be, but I'm torn on whether to share it on social media at any point. We'll see! 

das553

We will see my in-laws for a wedding in August around 11w so we are going to wait to tell anyone until then. My EDD is the same day as my FIL bday so I was thinking we would tell him we have a super early bday present for him and have him open a card with sonogram and due date. Then he can watch my MIL's reaction which will be priceless! Need good ideas for telling our best friends the next day at a small get together (we will be the first with a baby). My mom can't keep a secret to save her life so I won't tell her until after our closest friends know haha and she can't ruin it.

iiirene

I got my husband the book "Your Baby's First Word Will be Dada" and gave it to him along with the + test. We told his parents a few days later because we happened to be at their house. DH said "I have this book that I wanted to share with you. It's really interesting" and he showed them the book I gave him. Inside was a card I made that said "Whoop Whoop! You're going to be babysitters! ...I mean grandparents. You're going to be grandparents! This is their first grandchild so it was so wonderful watching their happy reactions. My parents live in another state and I already had a trip out there planned for next week so I've got to come up with a cute way to tell my mom and dad.

stac4056

@MrsVP614 That is so cool!!
We made the mistake of telling our 3.5 year old right away so pretty much everyone we pass on the street knows 'mommy has a baby in her tummy'!! I already told my dad who is local and my close friends and sister. We will tell more close friends and DH's family after the first appointment. I'd like to do a cute social media announcement around 20 weeks. I didn't post an announcement with my second and when MIL tagged me in a picture with him for her own announcement I felt kind of guilty!!

stassischroeder

@MrsVP614 It's becoming obvious that your life is way cooler than mine   

My sister and BIL already know (and are luckily both great at keeping secrets), but we're traveling to see my family in Colorado when I'll be about 14 weeks. I'm sure this is more common than I realize, but when we're there I want to act like we're taking a pic of my dad/step-mom/mom/whoever with DS, but we'll actually be taking a video. DH or I will say "ok, everyone say 'DS is going to be a big brother!' " so that we catch everyone's reaction on video. I'm not sure if we'll be able to keep it a secret for 14 weeks, and since this is #2 I might be showing a bit at that point.  And maybe I'll think of something cooler by then LOL.

iiirene

@stassischroeder my family is in CO too! I had already planned a trip to go out there tomorrow before we found out and I'm HORRIBLE with secrets so I'm going to be telling my mom and my best friend. I made a onesie to tell my mom! 

EmilyLove25

@sivosk You MADE that?!? I’m so impressed and think it’s SO cute!

iiirene

@EmilyLove25 yes! I have a Cricut so I used that to cut a design I found on the internet from iron on vinyl then ironed it onto a onesie. I made two more for my best friends’s baby who I get to meet today! 

miss.sally

We already told our parents and I’ve told two close friends, but other than that I’m not really sure. I’m not big on waiting (at least to tell friends and family) because in the past I’ve been really open about our losses and I like having the support if something does go wrong. As far as social media goes, I’ll probably just post a picture once I have a real bump. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I had a really pretty picture last time because I hit second tri at Christmas, and DS was our rainbow baby, so I did a silhouette in front of a multi-colored Christmas tree. 

kagesstarshroom

I will probably wait until our first appointment to tell anyone but DH, except *maybe* my two closest friends & my Mom. Here's how DH found out today! (House = messy always, but also bc we have had to move stuff from our back room to the living room for Tropical Storm Barry prep.)

RanFan28

@miss.sally I’m in the same boat. I want to start telling those people that would be our support system if we had another loss, but DH is more introverted than me, therefore more prone to keeping in to himself. He also just has less friends than I do that he would tell because #man. 🙄 I think I’m going to have to talk to him about it. 

janice9821

The girls helped me make these matching shirts to announce to some close family we decided to tell early.  Nobody got it. 😂

kantobean

I ordered this shirt for DD from Etsy. I’m thinking we’ll share with our parents after the first appointment (I’ll be 8 weeks) and with friends at a BBQ we are hosting for Labor Day (I’ll be 11 weeks).  

silverhope

I told my mom immediately after I told DH last pregnancy, but I know she thinks we are having a second too soon (since she thought someone else having a second with similar spacing was nuts), so I have no clue when I’ll be ready fo tell her and have her rain on my parade.

For our friends, I have a video of DS saying “baby” (one of his few words right now ha) that we will text out saying DS has some news.

No social media though—too superstitious. 

varimama

@janice9821 when my SIL announced her 2nd pregnancy she had my nephew in a big brother shirt and I was the only one to get it for way too long 🤣 DH and my ILs were like what???

@silverhope I hope your mom is kind to you when you tell her. My mom reacted very poorly when I told her about DS and it really strained our already difficult relationship. I was so happy and it hurt so much that she wasn’t happy for me. No one should judge spacing bc it’s different for everyone! 

silverhope

@varimama oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that. My mom and I bicker a lot, but I do value her opinion so I know it’s gonna hurt when I tell her and she isn’t happy. 

janice9821

@varimama eventually my 5yo got frustrated nobody was noticing and went around with her sister telling everyone to look at their shirts. When nobody got it (still!) she rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh and said, "GUYS!  We're having a baby!" 🤣

RanFan28

@janice9821 That’s even better really! Hahahaha! I love that. 

samsamiam_

Let me preface this by saying this is our first pregnancy, but HOW DO YOU KEEP THIS SECRET?!! Haha it's only been a week since we found out and I am dying to tell everyone. I have told my best friend and my in-laws and will tell my parents this weekend. We have a somewhat risky pregnancy due to PCOS and plan to keep it to that small group until the end of the first trimester... we will see if I can wait that long though  

kantobean

@samsamiam_ it’s hard! I thought it would be easier for me this time as I’m a STM, but every time I’m around a friend I want to tell! 

My in-laws figured it out super early last time (like 6 weeks) and then I told my parents right after that, and then it was a PITA keeping them all quiet until second tri. Everyone was so excited, but they just couldn’t keep from telling a million people. So I remember that when I want to tell people early. 

keeksie84

@samsamiam_ It's SO HARD!  With my first pregnancy, we waited until 14 weeks to tell our parents because we announced on the night we announced our elopement.  I had several full-on ugly cry fights with my husband about wanting to tell my mom sooner.  Have fun sharing your news with your parents!  It was the best.  

mrsvp614

@samsamiam_ Same as @kantobean, that when we told our parents last time, around 8 weeks, my mom would not leave me alone about telling other people and posting it on Facebook. It was quite annoying. We didn't make it Facebook official until after the 20 week scan, but I "allowed" her to share with some of our family, since she was so excited about her first grandchild.

DH really wants to tell our parents, because he's stressed out about money and feels that he can justify his fears more if he explains that we're KU. But I want it to be a happy experience, rather than out of fear/stress, so I'm really pushing him to make it one more month at DS's birthday party so we can celebrate with everyone at once. 

lusineg

@sivosk SO adorable!!
@samsamiam I agree, it's hard to keep a secret! I found out at 4w3d, and I'm bursting. DH asked when we should start telling people, and I said 12 weeks. Well. I'm 5w1d and I told one of my really good friends a few days ago who is a L&D nurse. We don't live close, but while talking, she said she wants me to visit in the spring. I said I can come this fall, but not next spring! 

DH can keep it quiet, I am struggling. Two different friends already think I'm pregnant, and I hadn't even seen them face to face. We are weird, and have (fish) dreams/vibes. The day after I found out, my friend asked me if I was, and asked again yesterday. Now I just feel like I'm lying.   

As for announcements - my parents, I'm leaning towards "My Grandpa/ma" books, they can write down information about themselves, and fill out some childhood stories, etc.. I will probably do that. DH will probably just tell his parents, but I'll ask him again if wants to do books for them too. I think it would be neat to have later on. DH said that his mom won't be able to keep a secret, so there's that to consider. As for other people, I would like to tell in smaller groups first.

kagesstarshroom

@samsamiam_ It's definitely so hard! As a fellow future FTM, I totally agree!

**TW Previous Loss/es** / rant related to DH's inability not to blab & my ability to sit tight

 Since I have had two previous losses, my rule is that I can't tell anyone who I wouldn't also share with about my loss, and the rule for anyone else who knows is that they're responsible to telling anyone they've told if something happens again. Which you think would make their lips a little more zippery--- but not DH!

Despite wanting to shout about it, I only tell the people who I feel comfortable talking to about my loss In Its Immediate Aftermath--eventually, AL, I have wanted to be more open about the losses in a general sense, but, like, in the throes of them, there are only a few people I have wanted to share about what I am going thru with?

DH is *NOT* good at this and this time, like last time, he has a small number of ... to me, kind of random, people he's told. But my rule is anyone he tells, he has to tell if something happens, which I hoped after what happened last time, he would keep that number smaller and less random!? I've only told one of my BFFs and my mom, and he's told his sister (which is fine!), and two other people who he's been in work situations with lately. I wish he would Get His Talking About it out of his system w/ just a few people he is close with rather than feeling like he wants to tell people in these random social situations he's in? They're all people I know, but like--not my choice of people who would know about it? I guess bc they are disparate people in our lives, it seems safer to him? Like, they don't know other people we know to leak it to, really?

dckateh

I would love some advice from all of you! I'm only 4w4d along but my father's birthday is in early August. I'm flying home to surprise him, and I plan on giving him a "you're going to be a grandpa again!" puzzle, but my mom wants to have a girls night with all the aunts my first night home and dad's dinner isn't until the next night. I'd like to keep it a secret up until his dinner but how do I explain not drinking the night before? Any ideas? 

lm45678

dckateh said:

I would love some advice from all of you! I'm only 4w4d along but my father's birthday is in early August. I'm flying home to surprise him, and I plan on giving him a "you're going to be a grandpa again!" puzzle, but my mom wants to have a girls night with all the aunts my first night home and dad's dinner isn't until the next night. I'd like to keep it a secret up until his dinner but how do I explain not drinking the night before? Any ideas? 

Can you say you’re on antibiotics? Or another medicine that you can’t drink on? (You actually can drink on most antibiotics, but a lot of people believe you can’t lol). Or say you’re just getting over a GI bug, migraine, etc. 

bluguitarhannah

Medicine is making you sick when you drink.  It's believable.

dckateh

@laurenm2123
@bluguitarhannah
Perfect, I had not thought of the antibiotic excuse! 

dunder_mifflin

These are such cute ideas! This is our first pregnancy and my parent’s first grandchild and it’s really hard to keep my mouth shut since I’m living with them while we undergo renovations on our new house! I’m certain my mom is suspicious already since I’ve been passing out on the couch every night after dinner, lol. 

we are going to wait at least until our 7 week ultrasound to say anything to my parents or the ILs. I’m thinking a little onsie that says “hi yiayia and Papou, can’t wait to meet you March 2020” (I’m Greek). But the grandma and grandpa books are SO CUTE I love that idea!!  

As for with friends, DH wants to do something funny, so maybe an “eating for two; drinking for two” picture so we’ll see!

mrsc918

I told my husband using a fortune cookie that said “Confusious says...I see a name change in your future...DADDY!” Picked up some Chinese food for dinner and surprised him good haha 

Told my mom with a wine bottle with a label on it that says “Baby Feet” with our last name, California and March 2020 on it  

I told two of my best friends via text with baby GIFs. Didn’t care to make that that special lol 

We are trying to figure out how to tell the in-laws in a couple weeks. Hard to figure out a group announcement and no bdays or events coming up! 
 
But then we won’t be telling anyone else until after first trimester. Yes I have thought about whether I will regret telling people early but oh well. Everyone knew we were trying and kept asking anyway.

lusineg

@mrsc918 that's adorable with the wine label. How was her reaction? Did she notice at first?
@dunder_mifflin - I'm so tired after work, but I can't fall asleep!

I told my parents this weekend. My mom figured it out just on the phone, so she kept quiet for a few days. (She also thought I was the prior weekend, said my face is rounder.) I made an ultrasound picture with my dogs face in it to prank my dad. He started to open up the paper, and saw an u/s image and said I KNEW IT. I told him to open it, and when he saw the dogs face, he got mad. "Enough with this granddog stuff!" I had another piece of paper with other info and it said March 2020. Then I gave them each a book "My Grandpa/ma". He was confused because he didn't know if it was me being serious this time, or if I was pranking him again. He is very, very excited - I wish I waited now, because he is so excited and wants to tell his siblings. I asked him to at least wait until our first appointment. Once he tells them, it's out of the bag, but no one would post on social media.

My nieces birthday is coming up in 3 weeks, I'll be sending a box of clothes, but will also include a cousin crew shirt from Carter's. I already talked to SIL about Skyping with her when she opens her gift, so it'll be cool to see their reaction.

I'm pretty sure my close friends/family already know, they're just waiting for me to finally say that I am. Literally I had someone ask me the day after I found out, and then asked again a week later - this was just over the phone, and haven't even seen them in person.

mrsc918

@lusineg at first she was like “aw” bc I think she thought baby feet was a real brand 😂 then she kept reading and she’s like “oh! What! Omg” and freaked out. 

Also what you did for your dad just gave me a great idea for my in-laws so THANK YOU!! Yay! 

merle89

My dad collects coffee mugs.  I haven't seen him yet since fathers day because he has been on vacation.  When he gets back I have a gift for him.  It is a coffee mug that says Grandpa Bud est 2020.  I got one for my mom as well.  I can't wait to watch his face try to comprehend what it means lol!  I'm pretty sure he has no idea babies were even on my mind!  

Also, I bought this little bear hat that says "baby bear on the way,  Baby Earl coming March 2020" for my Oma.  We are going to tell her tonight because I'm too excited.  She was laughing the other day after seeing some kids playing while yelling to my mom, "Maybe Lissie's going to get us one of those soon".