When to Announce Your Pregnancy

So you have figured out your pregnant, firstly i want to say congratulations!! :) now your next thought might be: When do i announce it? or do you announce it right away?

a. Things to consider

There are a few things to take into consideration:

The risk of miscarriage- The first trimester is a time of the most development and change for you and your little one and with all that change comes some risk that the pregnancy may not carry to full term, most factors of miscarriage are beyond any mother's control, half are caused by chromosomal abnormalities meaning the baby isn't developing properly. Age is another factor that can affect miscarriages.

The first prenatal visit- Another reason couples wait until the end of the first trimester to share has to do with prenatal checkups, where tests will be run to confirm the pregnancy and estimate your due date, screen for any infections, determine the general health of mother and baby and for some getting to hear the heartbeat for the first time or having an ultrasound to date the pregnancy can be very reassuring before they announce it to all their loved ones.

Recurrent pregnancy loss- if you have experienced previous loss/es the risk may be slightly higher depending on your health history, and this news can be disheartening especially in the case of recurrent pregnancy loss(rpl) your doctor would likely examine you, order blood tests and do some other testing to determine the cause of your losses but the good news is that with the right treatment your chances of carrying to term may increase, but you just might be more comfortable waiting until after this treatment to announce your pregnancy.

The pros of waiting to announce your pregnancy- If you had difficulty conceiving or had previous loss or still birth you may want to wait even longer than 12 weeks to share, it is also ok to share later than traditional first trimester it is all up to you and your birthing partner and what you feel is the best. Though loss in the second and third trimesters are rare, many couples feel sensitive or worried that something could happen so instead you could choose to share the following:

having an ultrasound that shows a healthy baby, finding out the sex, reaching the halfway mark of pregnancy( week 20) or reaching a personal milestone( like when you start to show).

The cons of waiting to announce your pregnancy- Or you just might rather have a support network in place regardless of your outcome, so feel free to share your news right away.

The first trimester can be rough for some women because of fatigue, nausea, vomiting and other unpleasant symptoms, telling a few people may help to ease the burden and IF you do miscarry you won't have to go through it alone.

You might want to tell your employer right away if your job requires you to do any physical labor that might be dangerous, like bending repeatedly at your waist( more than 20 times a day) standing for long periods or lifting heavy items more than once every 5 mins or your being exposed to chemicals, but speak with your doctor if your concerned about your job and your pregnancy.

The excitement of wanting to share

Finding out your pregnant is a very momentous time of your life and for many it is both exciting and scary (as it was for me with my first, second and third, lol) and many know they are pregnant without even having the test.

It is up to you and your birthing partner in the end what is best for you, there are "social norms" but who says you have to follow it? you can start by telling those closest to you or none at all.

Why people wait to share

Many people wait to share their news for many reasons and their all unique to their situations, I shared right away with mine but the next person may wait for one reason or another.

Clever ways to share the news

The ways to share the news are endless and limited only by your imagination, some examples would be a personalized shirt for parents, bake or buy partner's favorite dessert and surprise them with your announcement on the top, cover a bottle of sparkling juice with your own label, get your pets and other children involved, onesies, mugs, ornaments and pictures, just to name a few.

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