Pregnancy announcement ideas

Finding out you’re pregnant is a big deal. And when it comes to telling other people your happy news, it can be difficult to know how to broach the subject. Do you ‘go big’, and create a viral video sensation? Keep it simple, with a scan pic and a quick text? Or do you prefer to tell family and friends in person – or even keep it to yourself for as long as possible?

When should you tell people you’re pregnant?

Traditionally, people have waited until after the 12-week scan to share the news of their impending arrival. This way, they have a confirmed due date and a picture to show, as well as the reassurance the sonogram brings. However, there’s no reason why your baby announcement has to coincide with the scan. Many people find they need additional support in the early weeks of their pregnancy, perhaps because of anxiety, previous losses, or even morning sickness.

HiPP mum Gen shares her story. ‘We told our immediate family members ahead of the scan. Having experienced pregnancy loss before, I needed their support in the run up to the scan. I also had to tell work quite early because I was suffering with morning sickness. For us, it didn’t make sense to wait.’

For other people, anxiety around the pregnancy means it is easier to keep the news quiet for as long as possible.

‘We left it quite a long time to announce our pregnancy,’ says HiPP mum, Helen. ‘Luckily, due to having a lockdown pregnancy, we could keep it quiet from family and friends until we were ready and sure the pregnancy was viable.’

Who should you tell?

You can tell whoever you like, in whatever order you like.

‘We waited until 16 weeks before telling family,’ says HiPP dad, Ian. ‘But my wife had to tell work much earlier – around 8 weeks – as she works around anaesthesia, radiographs, chemo drugs etc., all of which are high risk. It wasn’t practical to keep her pregnancy quiet.’

Creative pregnancy announcement ideas

If you like the idea of doing something creative with your pregnancy announcement, the internet is not short of ideas. And don’t forget, you can tailor these to your preferences – so if you want to put it on social media, you can. But if you prefer to keep it to close family and friends, these fun ways to announce your pregnancy will still work. You might even want to use the same idea for both, telling family and friends first, and then posting on social media further into your pregnancy.

We recommend Poppy Forrest, one of our BabyClub Partners. They’re a family run business selling personalised cards and stationery for life’s special moments, including adorable pregnancy announcement cards. Plus, if you join our free BabyClub you can get an exclusive discount to use on their website!

The unexpected moment

‘We used to visit my mum every weekend to catch up or just have some food,’ says Stephane, another HiPP dad. ‘In one of those visits, we started showing her pictures and videos on my laptop of our last road trip, and then, randomly, we opened a video of the scan. She stared at the video for a couple of minutes in total shock and then started crying and laughing uncontrollably. It was such a great reaction that we did the same with most of our family and friends.’

The couple photo

This is a special moment in both your lives, so why not capture it with a little photoshoot? You could bring props, like the scan photo, a little onesie, or even your pet (pets are a popular feature of pregnancy announcements!), or you could let your bump do the talking.

Bear in mind, if you’re looking dreamily at a Pinboard full of smiling couples in neutral tones suffused with the golden glow of late afternoon sun, that these people have probably hired a professional photographer. If you don’t want to do that, you can get a similar effect with a little effort, a decent phone and a friend to act as photographer.

When it comes to sharing the photo, you could announce your pregnancy in the caption of your message or social media post, or use a tool like Canva to add some text to the image.

The flat lay

As you begin to get excited about your baby’s arrival, you might have collected a few key items. A cuddly toy, some little baby shoes or booties, a sleepsuit, etc. Take some inspiration from those who have done it before and create an Instagram-worthy flat lay sharing your news. You’ll need a plain background and natural light to really set everything off. Once again, remember that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on styling this ‘shoot’; people will be excited for you, whether you got the personalised onesie or not.

The letter board

The letter board pregnancy announcement is a classic way of sharing the news of your new arrival. You can keep it simple with just your name and due date – e.g. ‘Baby Smith, due March 2023’ – or make it fun with a rhyme or joke. Letter boards are also great additions to couple photos and flat lays – and if you do decide to buy one, you can continue to use it to mark your baby’s milestones through the years.

The gift

Pregnancy is a big moment in your life, and sometimes it’s nice to make the pregnancy announcement a big moment for the people who are most important to you. Personalised gifts are a great way of creating a memory and a keepsake all in one.

‘Most family and friends we just told in person,’ says HiPP mum, Laura. ‘But for my dad and stepmum, we decided to do something special. We bought a cute baby vest on Etsy that said ‘Hello Nanny & Grandad’ and we wrapped it up with a picture of the scan. I will never forget their faces!’

The gender reveal

If you prefer to wait until later in your pregnancy to announce to your wider circle of friends and family, you might wish to combine the pregnancy announcement with a gender reveal. This is a trend whereby the sex of the baby is announced via coloured confetti, cake, or similar – usually in a surprise for you and your partner, as well as for your loved ones. For some people, knowing the sex of their baby helps them to better prepare themselves and their family – perhaps older siblings – for the baby’s arrival.

Preparing yourself for people’s reactions

One of the good things about announcing your pregnancy via text or on social media, is that you don’t have to cope with real-time reactions – you will mostly get a whole bunch of ‘Congratulations!’. Telling people face-to-face or over the phone can get a more mixed response – particularly as the face-to-face audience is more likely to be personally impacted by your pregnancy; for example, your parents, your work colleagues, your best friends.

On the odd occasion when you don’t get the warm response you were hoping for, don’t panic. There are any number of reasons why they might be less than thrilled, and none of them are about you. Once they’ve had the time to digest the news properly, to process how it impacts them and how they are going to adjust to it, they will come around. The best thing you can do is give them the time to work through it without pressure from you. You’ve got enough on your plate without taking on other people’s worries.

What if I don’t want to announce my pregnancy?

You must tell your employer about your pregnancy no later than 15 weeks before your baby is due. However, there is no obligation to announce your pregnancy to anyone else. Don’t feel swayed by social media, or what your friends are doing, or anything else. How, when and if you announce your pregnancy is a personal decision for you and your partner to make together.