19 Cringy And Embarrassing Ways Parents Announced They’re Expecting

As you can see from the pictures, these announcements come at different stages of pregnancy. But experts think that there is actually no wrong time to make one.

"Patients ask me all the time, 'When is it safe to tell everyone we're expecting?'" Heather Bartos, an OB-GYN in Cross Roads, Texas, told Today's Parent. "And I always tell them the same thing: 'Use your discretion. The decision is entirely up to you.'"

It can also be a slow roll-out, if you want to. "Announcing your pregnancy to one person—or one group of people—does not mean you need to tell everyone all at once," Bartos added. So your boss doesn't need to know at the same time as your mom or your best friend.

With that being said, "It's usually pretty traditional to wait until the end of the first trimester, around 12 weeks, when miscarriage risks greatly decrease," Bartos said. “But there are several good reasons to share earlier." For instance:

IVF babies

"I shared the news with family at six weeks,” Bartos, who is also a mother of two, said. "We had IVF pregnancies. In fact, most of the earlier announcers in my own practice have gone through IVF, too."

When everyone close to you already knows you’re going through in vitro (which often requires daily blood work, many months—or years—of treatment, and lots of medical appointments), it’s almost unnatural not to disclose the latest developments.

Extreme morning sickness

"This kind of physical burden coupled with not sharing the news can be quite isolating for some women," Shara Brofman, a clinical psychologist specializing in reproductive and perinatal mental health at the Seleni Institute in New York, said. "Telling early is a means to garner support."

Remember that if you’re unable to work, or feeling ill all day (and all night) long, coworkers and family are bound to notice. One way to deal with extreme morning sickness is to discuss accommodations with your workplace.

Past miscarriage

This might seem counterintuitive, but for some women who have experienced pregnancy loss in the past, informing others early on is exactly what they need.

Pregnancy after miscarriage can be a roller coaster of emotions, and some couples know they will want support and extra check-ins from loved ones, no matter what happens. "Ask yourself how you tend to cope with stressful situations," Brofman said. "If, for you, it often helps to have a few friends and family to safely share your feelings with, you might want to announce to some early.”

Early ultrasound

While The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) recommends that women have their "dating" ultrasound—meaning the scan when you find out your due date—from 11 to 14 weeks, some get their scans earlier. (This might be recommended, for example, if you have irregular periods or aren't sure of the date of your last period.) Practitioners can often determine gestational age via ultrasound (either using a traditional abdominal ultrasound or an internal vaginal probe) after seven weeks.

Some genetic screening is back

Some pregnant women receive non-invasive prenatal testing (sometimes called cell-free DNA or cfDNA, or the Harmony test) as early as 10 weeks (depending on your age, whether the pregnancy is a high risk, and other factors).

Here, parents-to-be can learn whether there are any indications of Down syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities a bit earlier than the more traditional screening that’s typically completed between weeks 11 and 14.

As a bonus, if you choose, the NIPT can also determine the [intimacy] of the baby, without waiting for the anatomy scan. (If you do not do the NIPT, you’ll get a nuchal translucency scan, an ultrasound that measures the fetus’s neck fluid—see below.) "For some, getting more information helps them feel more confident to announce," Brofman explained.

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