Before fetal scans, when did people announce pregnancy?

[Magpiefeather]

Just musing on this. Now it’s the norm to wait til after the 12 week scan to announce pregnancy. When did women tell everyone they were pregnant before the 12 week scan was a thing?

Probably when they were certain they were so when they started showing or feeling movements.

When they felt the ‘quickening’ which I understand to be the first twitches of baby movement.

I guess unless actively trying and a very regular cycle they may not have been certain before then, especially during the first pregnancy.

Depends on them.

Pregnancy tests long predate scans. My mum reckons most people she knew announced when they'd missed two periods and had been trying, and she knew a couple who were caught out.

In historical terms, people definitely announced before the quickening (not invariably, just sometimes they did). Lots of accounts of women with experience of having babies announcing suspicions after one missed period and expectations after 2/3, which could be well before you'd feel anything.

My MIL said you couldn't be certain you were pregnant until after you'd missed two periods, so I guess you'd annouce after that once you felt the baby move or started to show. MIL is 90 this year.

(Though, back in the day, people used to fix on the quickening as the beginning of being certain you were pregnant, as before that it was considered less sinful to seek an abortion.)

Interesting, thank you all!