Facebook adds 'Expected: Child' option in Friends and Family profile settings to let parents-to-be alert everybody that there's a bun in the oven.

It looks like the Facebook generation is starting to get in the family way. That's right, Facebook has added an "Expected: Child" option to its user profiles so doting parents-to-be can alert friends, family, and the world at large with the news that there's a bun in the oven.

(We tried it ourselves, as per the screenshot below, and will be accepting re-tweets of this story in lieu of baby shower gifts until further notice.)

To notify others that little Obsessica or wee Monstropher is arriving within the next nine months, simply go to Edit Profile, click on Friends and Family, and then "Add another family member." In the Select Relation pull-down menu, you'll see an option for "Expected: Child" with an option to either name the little zygote or not.

(As a side note, what's with the colon in "Expected: Child," which hints at there being something else we might reasonably expect to arrive? Does Facebook think a full-grown adult pops out under certain circumstances? Or is this just the beginning of Facebook's pregnancy announcement campaign? Will we soon have options for "Expected: Kitten" or "Expected: Puppy" or "Expected: Sea Monkeys"?)

There's also a slot on the Expected: Child listing for a picture. Of course, as anyone who's added actual birthed family members to their profile knows, their accompanying pictures are generated from their own Facebook profiles.

This leaves the door open for expecting parents to create Facebook profiles for their unborn children just to generate the little mugshotsomethine we are absolutely confident will happen, despite .