Announcing Pregnancy

Now that you know you're pregnant, you may be wondering how you can go about announcing pregnancy, especially if this is your first child.

There are many different creative ways to announce your pregnancy to family and friends. There are simple ways such as phone calls or a cute e-mail. There are also special pregnancy announcements that you can order for the occasion. You could also have a party to announce your pregnancy, making it a surprise at the appointed time.

You'll probably want to tell your husband first before anyone else. There are endless ideas, so I will share only a few popular ideas to help you get your creativity flowing. Of course, it is important to put your own personality into your pregnancy annoucement. And please don't forget to let me know how you have gone about announcing pregnancy in the form below.

How to Announce Pregnancy

How you go about announcing pregnancy may depend on the time of year. You could use a holiday theme (Christmas, Father's Day, birthday, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, July 4, etc.) Many women have wrapped their positive pregnancy test and given it as a gift to their husband and waited for the shocked expression. Another great idea is to give a card to your husband or parents telling them what a great Dad or Grandparent they will be. At Christmas, you could put the positive pregnancy test or a pair of baby booties in your husband's stocking. A cake with a special message such as "Congrats Daddy" or "World's #1 Dad" would be a great way to suprise your husband. Alter this message for other family members ("Congrats Grandma and Granddad").

There are also many great T-Shirts that announce your pregnancy to the world ("Future Mommy and Daddy" or "Baby Growing Here!" ).

Other Great Pregnancy Announcement Ideas For Friends and Family

• Buy picture frames for the grandparents that say something about Grandma and Grandpa.
• Take a picture of the pregnancy test and give them to friends and family.
• Give a copy of the first ultrasound to the grandparents-to-be.
• If you have other children, put an "I'm going to big a big brother/sister" T-shirt on them.
• If you are writing letters/cards, sign them "With Love from, me, my partner and our unborn baby!"
• Put a pair of baby booties in your husband's shoes and see how long it takes him to catch on.
• Send your husband on a treasure hunt with the final place to go revealing baby booties or your positive pregnancy test.

When to Announce Pregnancy
I would advise waiting until after the first trimester (after 12 weeks) when the danger of miscarriage is much lower. I know this could sound depressing, and I was not in favor of it with my first pregnancy, but it is wise and could save a lot of embarrassment and extra heartache. I did have a miscarriage with my first pregnancy, so I had to tell everyone the bad news, which was really difficult. I know it's hard to wait, so if you decide not to (like many other women) - go for it and do it in style!

Go from Announcing Pregnancy to Pregnancy Stages.

If you or someone you know has gotten pregnant after first having difficulties, I would like to hear your story. This would encourage so many women who are trying to conceive and let them know, "If it's possible for them, maybe it can happen for me too." Please share.