I've Just Found Out I'm Pregnant, When Can I Tell People?
Seeing that positive pregnancy test is such an amazing moment, one you will never forget. You will have so many emotions running throughout you and a question that could pop into your mind might be "when can I tell someone that I have a little human growing inside of me"?😱
Many parents-to-be wait until after their first trimester to let other family members know about this exciting secret for many different reasons. The choice should be completely yours to make on when you let your big announcement out.
12 Weeks Of Pregnancy
The first 12 weeks of your pregnancy is a time where so many changes happen physically, emotionally, and mentally as your body starts to prepare itself for birth and motherhood. After the 12th week of pregnancy, is generally the safest time to reveal that you are pregnant.
You may be eager to tell your loved ones and friends you are pregnant, but here are some factors to consider if you want to wait until your 12th week of pregnancy to announce it to the world.
Miscarriage
Many women tend to wait till after 12 weeks of their pregnancy, due to the fact that a miscarriage is more likely to happen within that time. It is estimated that 1-8 pregnancies end in miscarriage.
If you have experienced a miscarriage before, you will be more likely to keep your pregnancy a secret until you are well out of your first trimester and that you know for sure, your unborn baby is happy and healthy.
Your First Midwife Appointment
Another big factor why you may wait to announce your pregnancy is so that you can attend your first prenatal appointment. You normally attend this before 10 weeks.
At your appointment, your midwife will run tests to confirm your pregnancy, estimate your due date, screen for infections, and determine the general health of you and your baby.
This is the perfect time to take notes as well, as your midwife will talk you through everything you may need to know throughout your whole pregnancy experience. For example
- Breastfeeding
- Options on where to give birth
- Antenatal classes
- Safe pregnancy exercises (pelvic floor)
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Tips on how to maintain a healthy diet and foods you should avoid
The Pros & Cons Of Waiting To Tell The World
👍🏼 Pros
If you have personally experienced waiting to tell the world your exciting news, you may know all the pros and cons of waiting.
It may be an extremely difficult time for someone who has previously had a loss of their baby in the first trimester of their pregnancy. It comes with uncertainty and not wanting to share this news with anyone else, as you do not want to deliver that sad news again to the people you love.
Waiting a bit longer will also give you and your partner the time to bond with just the 3 of you, and experience all the changes that are happening together. Who knows it could maybe bring you and your partner even closer?
Another pro of waiting until 12 weeks is hearing your baby's heartbeat for the first time. Which definitely makes things a lot more real. By this point you may feel so overjoyed you might just have to tell your loved ones.
👎🏼 Cons
The first trimester can be quite difficult for some women as you may experience
- Nausea
- Extreme fatigue
- Vomiting
Not having much support around you during these times can become quite a lonely place for some. We understand that every woman is different and how they experience pregnancy, we do suggest telling a few key people who can help take the burden off what you may be going through.
Another factor as to why keeping your pregnancy a secret is that you may need to tell your employer. Especially if your job involves a task that may cause harm not only to you but your unborn baby.
Remember that game in your childhood called Chinese whispers? Well, imagine if someone very important to you found out from someone else that you were in fact pregnant? I bet you'd be quite upset, especially if you wanted to tell them in a fun and exciting way. So maybe even if you didn't want to announce it to the whole world as of yet, it might be best to let those who are the closest to you or to people who you can really trust that you are pregnant.
📱 But, It's Not Real If It Isn't On Social Media?
Sharing this wonderful news can be exciting and scary all at the same time. Questions may run through your mind about how people will react to your big secret, but it's entirely up to you if you post it on social media or not.
Some people live for the "gram" and love to find cute and unique ways to announce their big surprise to all their friends and family on Facebook far and wide.
However, if this isn't for you then that's totally okay! As long as the most important people in your life know then there isn't much need to post it on social media.
Let's say if you have family and friends who live in different parts of the world and cannot be there to share your news in person with them. A post on social media is probably the way to go! There are many unique ways to share this with the people you love on the internet. We have a whole blog dedicated to creative ways to do this.
