Baby announcements on social media? Yes or no?

[Moana1212]

One of my friends has put a baby scan photo and vest with 'baby ...' on social media after the 12 week scan. It's her first baby. I'm in two minds about this, I get why people want to share the news, it's happy and exciting. It's also really positive and everything has gone smoothly far. Plus, she's has no previous losses which might make a difference.

But on the other hand, I feel like it's not a done deal at 12 weeks. I know that sounds really negative. Maybe my views are tainted by two difficult pregnancies and births. Both times, it felt like so many things went wrong. Fortunately, both dc1 and dc2 are now here and well but I couldn't have imagined sharing the news on social media when it felt so precarious throughout.

I get that my personal views and experiences might not be typical. Maybe I'm just traumatised by my own experiences and that's why I feel this way.

I guess I'm interested to know what drives people to put baby announcements on social media? Have you done it and if you did, how and why?

To family and friends that I regularly spoke to I announced in person after 12 weeks. At about 14 weeks I posted on SM so that friends who live in different parts of the country (or abroad) whom I don't often speak to (Christmas card friends I guess) so that they'd know (& I don't then have to mention it in Christmas cards, sheer laziness lol). I didn't announce DC1 on SM until she was about 3 months old and it felt weird doing it/receiving congratulations that late, so for DC2 I did one announcement that we were expecting at roughly 14 weeks and posted a photo announcing his arrival maybe a week after he was born. Whilst anything could happen/maybe it's tempting fate I felt that after 12 weeks the statistics were sufficiently on my side to let people know and for me sharing the news made something I was so happy about even better, I guess because people who responded reinforced the happy feeling because they were happy for me too. I completely understand why you wouldn't want to post it on SM though.

I did with my first. I didn't with my second.

This is just one of those personal things, and it can even change depending on what number baby it is. I know people that have done different things with each pregnancy. Some announce at 12 weeks and do a gender reveal, others that wait for 20 weeks and some that just one day pop a post up with their newborn baby with no prelude. Its like anything, its your social media so its up to you what you share and what you're comfortable with not really too sure why its taking up space in your head tbh.

@KatRee I totally understand where you're coming from and can relate x

I didn't with either of mine but I had very bad antenatal depression so didn't want anyone to know I was pregnant!

I have no problem with anyone that does though, I do think it must be hard for people who are struggling but then I guess people can opt out of social media for that reason.

I find it generally odd wanting to share your insides with the world.

Also, as you say it’s still early days - I don’t like baby showers for the same reason. Nothing to do with whether you lost a baby before or not.

I think baby announcements should involve babies, not foetuses - although nothing wrong with announcing you’re pregnant.

But each to their own of course..

I don’t really like most social media announcements, I feel a lot of information people put out there on social media can be quite fake and attention seeking. It’s not representative of the actual ups and downs of anyones life, people just put the Kodak moments up on there for everyone to see don’t they…

I guess it could be a way of letting everyone know at the same time maybe?

As some other posters have mentioned, it could be triggering to anyone you know who has experienced loss or infertility. So it’s probably not something I would do.