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Worried to tell a friend about pregnancy

14 replies

Lbb24 · 17/09/2023 18:18

Hiya

I'm 30 and super early in my pregnancy but I'm thinking ahead as you naturally do.

My friend is getting married next May in Italy and should everything with my pregnancy go well, I won't be able to go.

I mentioned a while ago we were TTC (they got engaged April 23) and her response was "well what about my wedding" and I laughed it off.

I feel so nervous about telling her... we've been close since we were 11 so of course I understand if she were to get upset. But at the end of the day I didn't want to put my life on hold when of course you never know how long things may take. We haven't booked flights or anything.

Any advice or reassurance would be great. I'm planning on telling her privately before I put it on our group chat x

OP posts:
SofiYol · 17/09/2023 18:22

You’ve done nothing wrong, and she would be a shit friend if she was anything but happy for you.

I do not understand people who think that their wedding is so important other people should alter their own plans to accommodate it. Did she want you to not start TTC until after the wedding?

flappersdelight · 17/09/2023 18:23

Congratulations on your pregnancy. I would just tell her as soon as possible. If she's a real friend she'll be delighted for you.

TenderChicken · 17/09/2023 18:26

Any reasonable person would understand - she may be a bit disappointed and that's natural.

In the run up to our wedding, DH's brother and his wife said they weren't sure they'd be able to make it as they were going to be doing IVF. We told them no problem. Some things are more important.

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Lbb24 · 18/09/2023 06:38

Thanks! Just sucks when you feel guilty. The other thing is we wanted to try now because if I did fall pregnant I'd be able to avoid being pregnant in the height of summer!

OP posts:
Pizzalover46 · 18/09/2023 06:53

I'm getting married in a few months. One of my best friends is a bridesmaid and is due her baby 3 weeks before my wedding. I've told her she's under no obligation to come, that she is welcome with/without baby if she feels she'd like to attend. If not, I'll be toasting to her and wishing her well and will be excited to see her once the baby is born. My wedding does not override someone having a baby, and it certainly doesn't give me authority to put a dark cloud over such a special occasion by making her feel bad.

You obviously need to tell her in good time, but if she reacts negatively, I would seriously reconsider the friendship. Bridezilla is in the making there.

MargotBamborough · 18/09/2023 07:11

Congratulations OP.

There will always be people who can't go to your wedding, especially if you need people to travel abroad for it. My husband and I am from different countries so wherever we chose to get married half our guests were going to have to travel from the other country. I had one friend with small children decline the invitation because it was going to be too expensive and complicated for them as a family, another friend whose wife dropped out a week before because she was in early pregnancy and feeling rough, and a cousin who just didn't show because his anxiety got the better of him at the last minute.

I also declined an invitation to a wedding that was a few weeks after my due date and would have involved travelling. I sent them a nice present instead.

On the flip side, I also put off TTC for a few months to attend a wedding in another European country, but that was my best friend's wedding and I was a bridesmaid.

At the end of the day, it's lovely if everyone pulls out all the stops to attend our weddings but sometimes it just isn't possible. And if you avoid TTC for two or three cycles every time there's a wedding you might want to go to, you'll be not trying more often than you are trying.

You haven't done anything wrong. Just wait until you're ready to announce your pregnancy to people, and then maybe give your friend a heads up before you post on social media if you are planning to do that. You don't need to tell her before you're ready if you're someone who wants to wait until after the 12 week scan to announce. Her wedding is next May, she won't be finalising numbers yet. Don't apologise, don't justify your decisions, just say, "We're expecting a baby around the time of your due date, we're really excited but unfortunately it does mean that we won't be able to come to your wedding. Hopefully we can celebrate with you at another time though!"

She might be disappointed but it's not reasonable to expect you to time your family planning around her wedding, and the only acceptable response from her really is, "Congratulations! Obviously we'll miss you at the wedding but I totally understand!"

If she's having a destination wedding or even if one of them is Italian and it's the most convenient location for most of the guests, there will be some people who will decline simply on the basis that it's in Italy and they don't want or can't afford to spend their time and money travelling there. And that's fine. It's an invitation, not a summons.

Lbb24 · 18/09/2023 07:37

Thanks so much. I'm going to tell her once I've had the 12 week scan as telling her now I'd be worried I was jinxing things in all honesty. She knows we are trying that is for sure.

If the world worked in a way that was like "if you tried in April, you will get pregnant", then I'd probably have waited. But you just never know.

OP posts:
PinkRoses1245 · 18/09/2023 07:39

Honestly please don’t worry. She’s choosing to get married abroad so she has to accept people can’t come.

xyz111 · 18/09/2023 07:53

PinkRoses1245 · 18/09/2023 07:39

Honestly please don’t worry. She’s choosing to get married abroad so she has to accept people can’t come.

Exactly this.

Some people may not be going anyway due to money. Please don't worry and enjoy your pregnancy! She'll show what type of friend she is when you tell her.

Lbb24 · 18/09/2023 07:55

You're all so kind, thank you very much x

OP posts:
Mangotango39 · 18/09/2023 08:06

Never ever ever put your life on hold for someone else's events because there will always be something.

TTC especially is very unpredictable .

A real friend will be gutted but so happy for you!

AlrightThen · 18/09/2023 12:49

Well your child is more important than your friend, no?

BMrs · 18/09/2023 12:52

My own sister couldn't come to my destination wedding as she was pregnant and gave birth two days after we returned. I wasn't upset I was just happy for her as she had issues trying to conceive

Roselilly36 · 18/09/2023 15:25

Many congratulations OP. Honestly, just tell her, if she is the good friend you think she is, she should be happy for you. Of course, you can’t expect someone to put their life on hold for a wedding.

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