Social Media Announcement?

[Zaplolly]

At what point did you (if at all) announce your pregnancy on social media ie the usual scan pic etc??

[DrWhy]

When the baby arrived safely - about 3 days after when we’d told everyone we could think of who’d care directly first.
Absolutely no way I’d put a scan pic up but I’m a bit of a worrier and I’d hate to then have to announce later that there wouldn’t be a baby.

[Nixen]

We won’t be sharing anything on social media until the baby is safely here and even then it’ll be a simple ‘one picture and this is her name’ post. I hate seeing sonograms on social media, I think it’s beyond tacky and I can’t understand why anyone would share something so private as a photograph of their insides 😬

[DowntonCrabby]

We did share on SM at 22 weeks, not a
scan pic just that “all going well we’ll be welcoming #2 in xmonth”
I wasn’t on any SM when we had #1.
If we ever had a third which will absolutely, completely, categorically not happen
I wouldn’t share on SM again.

[Listener73]

We won't be sharing on social media - at least not until baby has arrived. We're just telling people as we see them and a few messages to the people we're unlikely to see in person.

[AutumnGlitterBall]

Didn’t put a scan pic up but did a joint fb post at twelve weeks. A lot of people had already guessed as I had been moved into an office at seven weeks (police officer) and we had already told a couple of friends.

[SoyDora]

I didn’t with either of mine (and won’t with this one). It just felt weird to me!

[RedPandaFluff]

Ohhhhhh . . . see, I just had my embryo transfer today (donor egg IVF) so if by a complete miracle we make it to scan stage - even the twelve week one - I know I'll want to shout it from the rooftops! It's been such a long, hard road to get here and it would make us both (and our family and friends, whom we'd obviously tell beforehand!) so happy.

But now having seen your responses I'm thinking I shouldn't . . .

[Listener73]

RedPandaFluff - do whatever feels right for you. If you feel comfortable posting on social media and letting everyone know that way then go for it! You've had a difficult journey to get to this point so shouting from the rooftops may well be the way to go!

[RedPandaFluff]

Thanks Listener - lots of uncertainty at the moment, I don't even know if the IVF will work, but thinking positively about things like being able to share our news has helped my frame of mind.

I totally get why people would be cautious though - we have so many obstacles and uncertainties ahead and I appreciate that a positive pregnancy test isn't the happy ever after, necessarily . . .

[GeekyWombat]

With my first one we told people we were pregnant on Facebook at the time we had the first scan and knew everything was well.

Second time round it was much much later (about a month before I eventually gave birth!) and mostly because people were starting to think I was very weird about not having mentioned it. In hindsight it all seems a bit of a storm in a teacup, but I have PCOS and had been told getting pregnant would be very difficult. I think subconsciously I felt like I'd won the lottery with DD so was expecting something bad to happen with DS so didn't want to do anything to 'jinx' it or make it harder to cope with and have more people to tell if something did happen. What I found mind-boggling was the number of people who were really funny about me not posting all about it - really, why would anyone else care?!

[GrumpyOldMare]

I didn't with either of mine as social media wasn't a thing back then.
If I was pregnant again,I wouldn't,though.I'd just tell the people that matter face to face or by phone.

[SoyDora]

What I found mind-boggling was the number of people who were really funny about me not posting all about it - really, why would anyone else care?!

Yeah I found this... like I was being really weird for not doing a pregnancy announcement. I barely use Facebook as it is, why would I go out of my way to announce a pregnancy when all the people who mattered I’d already told anyway?
Then when I was about 38 weeks I went to a wedding and was tagged in some pictures on Facebook, and got loads of messages from people I hadn’t seen in 15 years saying ‘I didn’t know you were pregnant’. Well no, why would they??

[NoParticularPattern]

We didn’t share anything until baby was here safely. We had a couple of losses before DD and I remember vividly how much each surprise scan pic or “we’re expecting!!” announcement hurt me. I don’t know if any of my friends have been through what we did, but I’d hate to feel like I was the source of someone’s pain. I’d also hate to have to tell people that there wouldn’t be a baby after all, again.

BUT that’s not to say don’t do it- they’re just my reasons for not. If you want to and you’re comfortable with it then go ahead!

[Narya]

Never did a pregnancy or birth announcement - as far as Facebook is concerned I don't have a child (or a partner!). We just told people individually. But I have job sensitivities that affect how much I share on social media.

[WyldDucks]

When the baby is in my arms, I.e when the chance of my body causing the pregnancy to fail is over.

[Feb2018mumma]

I didn't use my scan picture but our shoes and some baby shoes... I kept my scan picture just for my family, don't know why I felt that way but never put it online, did that at 6 months and that was only because I was tagged in obviously pregnant photos and thought I should!

[polkadotpixie]

I did mine at 24 weeks. No real reason I waited so long, I just don't like a big fuss but I'm now obviously pregnant and didn't want to see people unexpectedly and them wonder why I'd kept it secret so I announced on FB

There will only be one more post about it, to announce when he's born

[MagicalCreatures]

@NoParticularPattern that’s exactly the reason why I won’t do it.
I’m not on any social media now (and love not being on it) but when I was, I couldn’t wait to finally get my turn to announce my pregnancy with a 12 week Scan photo on Facebook. After always seeing everyone else’s.

And then I had a miscarriage and everyone’s Facebook announcements with their scan photos around the same time as when mine should have been absolutely broke my heart.
I never want to be the reason someone has to feel the pain I felt.

I was talking to a friend the other day who is 19 weeks and was trying to conceive for 18 months, saying she nearly gave up. She told me she hadn’t put anything on Facebook about it for the exact same reason.

And that she gets shocked looks from people in the street saying ‘I didn’t know you were pregnant. It’s not on facebook’ As if social media should define our lives.

[Itonlytakesone]

This is interesting reading all of your views on this. I'm now 12 weeks after ivf and have been slowly telling just family about my 1st pregnancy (and probably only!)

I was pondering whether to announce on Instagram (not Facebook as I'm not on this) but now Iv definitely made up my mind not to. Thankyou all I'll keep my happy news to the people I'm closest to.

[hopefulmother]

I can't wait till my 12 week scan to share my news with everyone
I have already ordered special cards to put copy's of the scan in to give our parents to tell them, and looked up picture ideas for social media!
I have waited a long time for this so I am very excited to show everyone!!

[Itonlytakesone]

@hopefulmother
Aww that's brilliant, you enjoy telling everyone it's such a big deal! I'm only 12+6 Iv told the main people just onto friends ect next

[abxx]

I announced on social media with DC1 and would again if I have a second - I get too excited and want to share!!!

I announced it at 12 weeks after the first scan with DC1. Id probably wait until 20/21 weeks if I had a second to spend some more time with just close family knowing and looking forward to it.

[hoping2018]

I haven't and won't announce on social media - I may once they are born. It's an ivf oregnancy and it's been such a long Road and so much can go wrong I just don't want to jinx it. I think people are very naive about child birth and fertility.

[QuickWash]

I haven't in any of my pregnancies.

I got confused 'I didn't know you were pregnant, I didn't see it on FB' comments when babies were born but that's actually helped me with reaffirming how FB and insta etc are just a curated shop window to our lives and as much as most people know nothing about what is important to me, also I know v little about other people.

Im not anti SM, and I share photos quite regularly and don't have a problem with other people sharing loads tbh. But I personally felt pictures that were gained transvaginally were a step too personal and haven't regretted keeping some things private even a decade on.

[greendale17]

I didn’t post anything before and after my DS was born. I know of only 2 people who have posted on social media