Getting pregnant is such a big deal! You don’t want to just casually slip this big announcement into a casual conversation, do you? Here are some rules on announcing your pregnancy and some great ideas for making this big announcement.

How You Should & Shouldn’t Announce Your Pregnancy

Tell Your Partner First

Once you confirm that you are pregnant- through the at-home test or at the doctor’s office- you’re going to be bursting at the seams to tell everyone!

However, if you haven’t told your partner yet, it’s best to hold off on telling everyone else. He should be the first to learn about this news.

Consider how he will react to the news- especially if this isn’t something you’ve planned together- and figure out the best way to share the news.

Do you want to do something funny or cute? Or do you just want to break the news gently? No matter how you choose to make your announcement, following these rules will be helpful.

Make sure that you tell him in person- not on the phone. In addition, it should be in a private setting, preferably at home, instead of in public or in front of others.

Tell Your Families Next

After you tell your partner the great news- it’s time to tell both families. It’s up to you when you tell them. Some couples make their announcement right away and others wait until they are out of their first trimester.

However, no matter when you tell them, it definitely should be before you tell your friends and acquaintances.

The same rules should be followed when announcing to your family that is when you’re announcing to your partner- do it in person and in private if at all possible.

Of course, there may be times when you want to announce to a close friend before you tell your family- and this may be fine in your situation, but make sure you use your discretion when telling friends before revealing the news to your family.

Never announce your news with a card/gift in the mail

Of course, pregnancy cards can be a fun way to make your announcement, but you should be careful when sending a card or gift to someone to let them know your big news.

Sure, the “Grandparents in the making” t-shirt is cute- but this is something that should be done in person.

If your family does live in another state and you want to send a gift/card it’s fine- just make sure you follow that up with a phone call to make your announcement.

Make sure that you wait before making your announcement public on social media

If you are on social media, you’re going to want to make your announcement on there at some point.

However, before doing so, take a look at your friend’s list and make sure that there is no one else you’d rather tell in person.

Once you’re sure that you’ve told everyone that you want to- it’s fine to post it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. How you do this is entirely up to you!

Tell your friends and family who are infertile

Chances are, it will be difficult to tell your friends and family who are dealing with miscarriages or infertility- especially if they’ve been trying for some time and it just happened for you.

However, you should definitely tell her- but be careful how you do it. Keep in mind that not telling her could cause some pain.

Make sure that you tell her in private before she gets the news from someone else and be gentle with your choices of words.

If you’d rather, you may want to write her a letter or send her an email- and that’s perfectly fine. Just let her know that you do care about her and you understand that it may be hard for her to hear.

Do not discuss your fears or symptoms with her- she will most likely need some time to process your news because it can be painful. Just give her the time and space that she needs.

Make sure that you discuss it with your boss before your co-workers

Typically, it is recommended that you wait until after your first trimester to make your announcement at work and it’s fine to wait until you are showing to share your news with your boss.

While it may be tempting to tell your co-workers first- your boss should actually be the first one that finds out. When sharing your news, it’s best to be as professional as possible.

You may find it easier- and more professional- to let him or her knowledge through an email- and that is perfectly acceptable.

Spend some time on your own looking over the company’s policy on maternity leave and physician appointments before letting your boss know.

Chances are that he or she will have some questions: if you plan to come back to work after the baby is born, how your work performance will be affected, and how much leave you to plan to take. Make sure that you are prepared with some answers.

Tell others when you feel comfortable with sharing

For many years, it was common for women to wait until they were out of their first trimester to make their announcement.

Since you are the one who is pregnant, the decision of when to tell is entirely up to you. Some women prefer to wait and some women want to tell right away. There are pros and cons to telling people early.

For example, if you tell everyone early on and then the pregnancy ends in a miscarriage, people will know.

On the other hand, if you choose to wait until later and you lose the baby, you may not have the support of friends and family because they had no idea.

Tell who you want to tell

Just as with the above information about waiting until you are out of your first trimester, telling acquaintances or even strangers is entirely up to you.

After all, if you want to tell the checkout person at the grocery store, that’s up to you. On the other hand, if there are people that you don’t want to tell- you don’t have to.

While these are all general guidelines, you know your personal situation best and you know how your friends and family will take your news.

Just take the time to consider the other person’s feelings on the news and you won’t go wrong. Just make sure that no matter what you do you have some fun in your announcements.

Fun Ways to Announce Your Pregnancy to Daddy

As already mentioned, the baby’s daddy should be the first one to find out. Here are a few ways that you can share the news with him:

1) Take a picture: as you are making the announcement, take a picture. This is a great way to capture his reaction to the news. Simply set the self-timer for a family shot, making sure that you have it set to take multiple/sequence images. Then, as the first flash goes off, say: “Guess what? I’m pregnant!”

2) Get some rootbeer: this sounds a little on the strange side, but listen up. There’s a brand of rootbeer, called “Dad’s Brand.” Get a case of that to put with your pregnancy test and/or a personal note. This will be a dual announcement because you can take his picture with the rootbeer to share with others.

3) Get a cute card: there are lots of cards available to give your baby’s daddy- one that says “You’re my favorite person to make a person with.” Again, with the camera- have the timer set and see how long it takes him to connect the dots.

4) Write a letter from the baby: this is really cute. Take some time to write a letter from the baby to daddy. Something like: “Hi daddy- I’m looking forward to meeting you!” would be great. Then, put it with your pregnancy test and/or ultrasound image and put it somewhere that you know he will find it.

5) Get him a t-shirt: there are lots of “daddy-to-be” t-shirts out there. Something like: “Who’s going to be a Daddy? This guy!” is really cute. Then, you can give it to him along with your pregnancy test.

6) Get some candy: go to the store and get some of his favorite candies. Then, write a note that says: “Guess what? If I’m going to be getting fat- so are you!” and give it to him. Again, if you want, you can set the timer to take pictures of his reactions.

7) Announce over dinner: one fun idea that has recently come about is to use a ceramic paint pen to write a note on his dinner plate. Something like “We’re Pregnant” or “We’re Expecting” would be great. Then, when it’s time for dinner, just put the food on his plate and wait for him to uncover the news.

Fun Ways to Announce Your Pregnancy to Grandparents

After telling the daddy-to-be, it’s time to make the announcement to grandparents. Here are a few fun ways to let grammy and gramps know that they have a grandchild on the way! With the daddy announcements, it was suggested that you have a camera ready to snap pics of their reactions- you may want to do the same thing with grammy and gramps.

1) Get a pacifier: pick out a pacifier and wrap it up with a note that says something like: “Dear Grammy and Gramps: please keep this for me for when I come to visit. You know how forgetful mom can be! Love, Baby” Then, watch for their reaction.

2) Put your message on the bottom of a cup: bring them the cup like you would if there was a drink in it- and “serve.” Then, wait for their reaction.

3) Get a new set of coffee mugs: a custom coffee mug is a great way to announce your pregnancy to the grandparents. Just imagine serving them a cup of hot cocoa or coffee and watch out for their excitement!

4) Get some countdown blocks: countdown blocks are another new, fun way to announce your pregnancy. They are great for making your announcement- then grammy and gramps can use them as they countdown to when they get to meet their grandchild!

5) Get a locket: this is perfect for the grandma-to-be. Get her a locket and hide your secret inside. This is perfect if you are making your announcement near her birthday, Mother’s Day, or even Christmas.

Announcing to Everyone Else

These days, more and more people are taking pictures to post on social media to tell everyone else- once daddy, grandparents, and other close friends and family have been told the news.

Here are some great ideas for making your special announcement:

1) Take a picture with/of baby books: you can find children’s books to help prepare your kids for their new sibling that is coming- and tell everyone else at the same time.

On the other hand, if you don’t already have children, you can take a photo of some pregnancy books and some baby name books. Then, share your picture and let everyone figure it out.

2) Take a picture of baby shoes: baby shoes are so cute and tiny- who can resist? Take a picture of a cute pair of baby shoes on a calendar opened to the month you are expected to give birth with a caption stating “Our family will be growing by 2 feet”

3) Use a chalkboard: just take a look around social media- chalkboards are all the rage right now. They allow for so much creativity- your only limit is what you can come up with!

You can find a simple chalkboard to use, you can make one yourself, or- if you’re willing to give up one of your walls- get some chalkboard paint.

4) Use balloons: Grab two balloons. On one of them put “Expected to POP” and on the other, but the month and year of the expected arrival of your bundle of joy- or, if you know the date, you can put that as well.

5) Use numbers: if you already have children, get some miniature chalkboards or make some cute signs with numbers on them. Then, for baby, you can put a chalkboard on an empty chair, stroller, or stand there with it in front of your belly.

6) Use your birth years: make signs- or write on the bottom of your shoes the month and year of each family members birth. Then, get a cute pair of baby shoes and write the expected month and year of the baby’s arrival.

7) Use a “bump ahead” sign: find a road sign somewhere- or buy one- and take a picture of yourself and baby’s daddy beside it.

8) Use a “baby on board” sign: you can get one of these almost anywhere. You can pin it on yourself or stick it in your car and take a picture beside it.

9) Use a calendar: if you prefer not to be front and center in the photo announcements, just get a calendar and mark your due date somehow. You can also get a cute pair of baby shoes or even put your ultrasound in the picture.

10) Take advantage of “bun in the oven”: you know, one of the most well-known pregnancy expressions is “bun in the oven.” So, why not put a bun in your oven and take a picture of it? You can make it even more personal by adding a calendar with your due date circled.

11) Use an eviction notice: if you still have a child sleeping in the crib, take a picture of them with an eviction notice saying that they must vacate the premises by your due date.

12) Tell everyone your cravings: pregnant women are notorious for having crazy cravings. Take a picture of yourself with some weird cravings- whether real or not- and announce it that way.

13) Use family cups: create a cup for each member of the family and line them up. Then, put a bottle or a tiny teacup in the line for the baby.

14) Use chairs: if you would like to be in the picture, you can use chairs instead of cups- just make sure that you leave an empty chair for baby with your expected due date.

15) Use a jar of Prego: more and more couples are using a Prego jar to make their announcement. Simply grab a jar of Prego sauce, snap a picture, and share it. Your family will be able to fill in the dots themselves.

16) Use a movie poster: if you’re really creative with a photo design software, you can create a movie poster with the baby as the star.

17) Use your morning sickness: this one is both fun and honest. If you’ve spent most of your first trimester with your head in the toilet, telling everyone about it may get you some much-needed sympathy- and will get your announcement out there.

18) Use “genes” (jeans): string up a clothesline and hang up a pair of jeans for each member of the family. Get a tiny pair of baby jeans for baby.

19) Use a onesie: onesies are very popular for baby and is a great way to make your announcement. Just add some text to it (or leave it blank if you prefer) before giving it as a gift or taking a picture.

Sources:

http://www.justmommies.com/pregnancy/first-trimester/pregnancy-etiquette-the-dos-and-donts-announcing-your-pregnancy