How to tell

So the age-old question remains…when should one tell their family and friends that they are pregnant, and once that is determined, how?  Some people feel that it is necessary to wait until they have gone to the doctor and seen the heartbeat before telling. The idea behind this is that the risk for miscarriage goes way down once the heartbeat is seen.  Many people do not want the heartache of telling all of their friends and then having to go back and tell them that they had a miscarriage. It is also neat to announce the pregnancy with a sonogram picture.

There are other people that tell just as soon as they find out that they are pregnant. The suspense is too much for them and what I have heard is that these people want their friends and family involved in the beginning stages regardless of whether or not something happens. The idea is that the support will be great if something were to happen. This is me. I like to tell early because I just can’t stand to keep the news to myself!!! Besides, if something were to happen to the pregnancy, I would want my friends and family surrounding me with prayers and comfort.

So, now that when to tell is out of the way….how do you tell?  I have heard of the mom telling the dad by hinting around with food. They might make a dinner with all things “baby” related – baby peas, baby carrots, small food items. There is the famous “Big Sister/Brother Shirt” picture if the couple already has a child. As I already mentioned, a sonogram picture could be used to announce the pregnancy. I recently had a friend who said on Facebook that her oldest daughter’s hand-me-downs have come in handy for her second daughter– especially the “Big Sister Shirt.” Another way that I know of is to write letters to the ones you are wanting to tell.  To the grandparents, if there are already other children, the letter can be from the kids talking about how funny Mommy is acting – eating weird things, feeling yucky in the morning, etc. All cute ways to tell!

That last one is the way we just told our family that we are expecting our 3rd baby later this fall!!! Yep, you read it right…I am expecting again! My blogs may go from talking about being a mom to being a pregnant mom but I am excited about being on the journey once again. And, yes…we are hoping for a boy! 

Rikki Hester is a social worker at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital and Mom of two girls with another baby on the way.