How and When to Announce Your Pregnancy on the Internet

Excited to share with the (virtual) world that you have a bun in the oven?

Deciding when and how to announce your impending arrival on social media can be as difficult a decision as when to reveal it to your nearest and dearest in person. And when it comes to social announcements, it’s not just about getting the most likes.

Parents-to-be used to consider whether they should make their big baby reveals in person, over the phone or even by letter. While those ways might seem archaic today, a lot of the same principles can be applied to your social media announcement.

What

Whether you choose to honor older siblings too, make a super-pinnable announcement or follow Queen Bey on to the top of a vintage car, just make sure that reflects you and the family you are trying to build.

When

Social media is all about timing, but the bigger consideration is at what point in your pregnancy do you want to reveal you’ve got a bun in the oven? At 10 weeks pregnant with barely a visible bump? Or do you want to wait to show off your big and beautiful belly when you’re six months along?

Think about whether you want to keep your pregnancy a secret and give everyone a massive surprise right before your delivery. As with other kinds of pregnancy announcements, most people like to wait at least until after the first trimester so if they experience a miscarriage they can have the option of keeping it quiet.

Don’t forget to think about who you want to tell in person and who you want to see the news first on social media. Your parents would probably like the exciting news that they’re going to be grandparents to be delivered in person or at least over the phone.

It also isn’t the best idea to have work find out via social media, so factor when you’re going to tell your boss and HR. Even if you don’t have your work on your social media profiles, there is a potential that they could still see the announcement. Everyone is always a friend of a friend.

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty of what actual time you’re going to post, consider if you want to be around to respond to people directly. Be prepared: this will be one of the most liked and commented things you’ve ever done online.

Posting your pregnancy announcement on your commute probably isn’t the best idea, unless you want to be distracted at work all day. Same goes for posting it on a day when you have a ton of appointments to go to. Weekends are normally a safe bet for everyone when they’re not distracted by work, school, and getting supper on the table by 6.

If you’ve got an international group of friends, try and think when is the optimal time to post so they can see your pregnancy announcement soon after it’s sent instead of waking up and seeing the news on someone else’s feed.

How

Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp. There are almost as many different social media platforms as there are types of strollers. Don’t feel that you have to do a separate pregnancy reveal on each one. Stick to the networks you use on a regular basis. Consider the ones where you chat with the people who you really want to know.

And think about maximum impact. Instagram Stories and Snapchat are great, but people who are on social media detoxes or those who don’t religiously check their networking sites might miss your “bun in the oven” announcement if it’s only live for a short window. If you’re a Twitter devotee, you might also want to consider pinning your post to the top of the page so it doesn’t get lost amid your 20 other tweets about being out of milk, the weather, and how stressful your commute was.

To go private or not? That is the question. It will depend on what social media network you want to make your reveal, but is important to think about whether you want everyone to potentially see it or only a select group of people. Would you and your partner be alright if your announcement went viral? Or do you prefer to keep things private between you and your closest 500 friends on your network?

And while we’re on the topic of viral posts, don’t feel pressured for the post to be the cutest thing on the internet. There are lots of baby essentials, and a viral pregnancy announcement isn’t one of them. You shouldn’t even feel pressured to come up with something “clever” or “funny.” You’re having a baby and that is already amazing in of itself. Of course, if you want to get creative and express your and your partner’s personalities with your announcement, go for it. Just remember that the key is to have fun with it.