The Big Announcement – “We’re Pregnant”

Finding out you are pregnant can be an exciting time for you and your family. After your pregnancy test confirms your suspicions and you have gone for one or more antenatal checkups, you might be thinking it’s time to make the Big Announcement. The right time to let the rest of the family in on your little secret is when you feel comfortable enough to do so. Some people wait until the 2nd trimester before telling the rest of their family while others do so as soon as they find out. In addition, there are those who let you know once the baby has arrived.

Often first time parents will announce they are pregnant by just saying “I/We are pregnant”. Simple, right? Announcing your pregnant doesn’t have to be a long over dramatized affair especially if you are still coming to terms with the idea. It is important to also bear in mind that regardless of how you go about informing everyone, the feeling of joy and excitement will still be the same.

None the less, it doesn’t hurt to create a bit of drama and suspense with the moment. If you do have time to plan for a Big Announcement here are some helpful tips:

1) The Pregnancy Test Gift
– This is where you place your positive pregnancy test in box and wrap it up using gift paper, you could also put a little ribbon on the top. Then present it to your partner as a present. Once he opens it and sees the pregnancy test he will know for sure what you are trying to say.

This option is usually best for spouses and some parents. Other relatives might find the pregnancy test a little off putting so it is important to know your ‘target’ so to speak.

2) The Food Art Announcement
If you are a baker/chief or just generally enjoy cooking then this option is the one for you. It involves using food to break out the news and works great with announcing to any member of the family.

– Bake/buy one of your special cakes and on the top of the cake or on the plate around the cake you could use your icing to write “We are having a baby”. Alternatively, if your cake decorating skills are top notch you could draw a picture of a baby at the top of the cake and on the bottom round the plate holding the cake write “Meet you in 9 months”.
– If a cake might not be your specialty you could always bake/buy cupcakes and on each cupcake write one word to read “I am having a baby”. Alternatively, if you are announcing to a relative such as your mum, you could write “You Are Going To Be A Grand Ma”.
– Lastly, if baking is just not your thing you could always try writing on a pancake using syrup or on a bun “I have a bun in the oven”. It might be a little confusing at first but with time they will get it.

3) Ultrasound Gift
– While the first ultrasound might be a little hard to read the first thing that often comes to anyone’s mind is ‘Baby’. You can place the ultrasound in a box and wrap it up like a gift or alternatively place it in an envelope. It also won’t hurt to write “It’s a Baby” at the top or back of the ultrasound before wrapping it to help drive the message home. You can then hand your gift to your ‘target’ and as soon as they see the ultrasound they will know what you are trying to say.

This gift is a good substitute to the pregnancy test gift and should work well with any member of the family.

4) The Customized Card
– This option involves getting a company to customize a card for you to help break the news. You could put a photo of you and your partner looking at your tummy or even a photo of a cute baby cartoon or baby clothes and inside the card write “A little birdy told me you are going to be an Aunty” or “Baby coming soon in October”. Another favourite phrase is “It might be a girl, it might be a boy, who knows. Find out in 9 months/June.”
– Alternatively, instead of a card you could have some mugs customized with the writings.

This gift also works well with any member of the family especially the extended family.

5) The Diaper Gag
– This option is involves writing a small message on your baby’s diaper to say “I am going to be a Big Brother/Sister”. You then ask your partner to change him/her (you don’t necessarily have to wait for the diaper to need a change). As your partner changes the diaper they will see the writing and hopefully put two and two together.
– An alternative to this option is getting a onesie/t-shirt which has the same writing and then asking your target to hold your daughter/son for a while. To drive the message home you could also ask them “By the way what’s written on the baby’s onesie/t-shirt?”. Once they read the message they bound to know what you are trying to say. Though stay close for this one as you would want emotions to get the better of your target and they forget they are holding your baby.

This option is bound to work well for any member of your family. Though it will only work for the announcement of the 2nd child and onward.

There are many ways to announce you are expecting with various different words or phrases you can use. For Example, if you already know the gender of the baby you could use the phrase “It’s a Girl/Boy”. Think through your options carefully and make sure not to break the bank trying to make a huge announcement because budgeting is also an important part of pregnancy.

Let us know how you made your big announcement by leaving a comment below.