Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Announcing pregnancy on social media..

47 replies

firstlittlebub · 05/04/2024 20:09

Would you, or would you not?

I’m in two minds about it (won’t be for another few weeks anyway, if we do tell social media)

On the one hand it would be an easy, nice way of telling everyone but on the other hand there are some relatives that don’t bother with us at all that might come out the woodwork for the wrong reasons - as what happened with my sister.

Did you, or not, and why?

OP posts:
s4usagefingers · 05/04/2024 20:11

I didn’t bother. Just thought anyone worth knowing would be told by me anyway. When baby was a few weeks old I did put an announcement and a picture. I dont really do social media though.

Username9917 · 05/04/2024 20:12

I didn't! Our baby was a much longed for rainbow baby, and it just felt too jinxy (but I am VERY superstitious!). Obviously friends and family knew, but it was lovely surprising people with the news when DC arrived!

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 05/04/2024 20:13

Not until mine were born.

BingoMarieHeeler · 05/04/2024 20:13

Nope. 3 kids, never saw the need. People who would want to know I told in person/via phone etc.

TheSnowyOwl · 05/04/2024 20:14

No, never did. Why do you have people on your social media if you don’t want or have concerns about them seeing your posts?

Awaywiththeferries123 · 05/04/2024 20:14

No, it’s tacky.

Bobskeleton · 05/04/2024 20:15

No I didn't, but I'm not hugely into social media, I'm more of a social hermit. So I just told my family/friends in person.

MyOlivePeer · 05/04/2024 21:57

I didn’t announce it on Facebook. Told those close to me, I did however post pics on fb at a bbq, bump and all, at about 6 months pregnant. Some distant friends found out that way x

Twistie · 05/04/2024 22:04

No, we didn’t. Just texts to friends and more distant family, phone calls to immediate family/in person. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone on my Facebook doing pregnancy announcements for years - it’s more a photo and brief arrival announcement.

Rosesanddaisies1 · 05/04/2024 22:06

No I think it’s unnecessary. Anyone I want to know, I will see or can text. Of course there might be a photo of me pregnant but not an announcement. It can be very upsetting to those who are struggling with fertility or miscarriage as well. Absolutely do not post a scan photo, it’s weird and can be awful to see if you’ve found out at a scan that there’s no heartbeat

BartiRum · 05/04/2024 22:06

Only when baby had arrived safely, a social media pregnancy announcement can be really upsetting for others and I had friends who had been through recent losses.
In the back of my mind I also worried if something went wrong, having to delete that post would be heart breaking.

AComboOfSocksandNeverEnoughPants · 05/04/2024 22:08

I don't see anything wrong with it.

If you want to do it, but don't want everyone to see, you can limit who sees your FB post.

AComboOfSocksandNeverEnoughPants · 05/04/2024 22:09

I didn't - but Facebook didn't exist back then...

PrincessTeaSet · 05/04/2024 22:10

No, I have never put anything about my children on social media. I have about 280 Facebook friends though, including lots of people I never see any more, perhaps if I had a smaller number of closer friends I might have done

EveryoneJapan · 05/04/2024 22:13

I wouldn’t, and didn’t.

I told the people close to me face to face, and dropped a text to people who I wanted to know but who I wouldn’t really make a point of meeting to tell them.

Everyone else just found out if I bumped into them and it came up in conversation.

whatishappening1 · 05/04/2024 22:15

No, I think it’s become more of a ‘modern’ thing and a sign of the world we’re living in for many younger people and not a good thing IMO.
Of course a baby is an absolute blessing but I think there’s something off about those who film every intimate moment from finding out with the test, scans, to relatives reactions; then getting t-shirts for other children to wear. All to be carefully curated into a ‘reel’ just for social media over some twinkly music.

WhereIsMyLight · 05/04/2024 22:15

I had friends that had experienced losses or infertility. I knew from TTC myself what a gut punch a scan picture was and as a lot of people comment on those pictures, you really can’t get away from it.

I’m not a big social media user anyway but I deliberately post hardly anything about DC for their privacy. I posted a newborn photo with no name but showing their face when they were about 5 weeks old. I did a back of the head photo on their first birthday, again no name.

TheLambtonWorm · 05/04/2024 22:17

I did, but I have lots of physically distant family and friends on there, as well as local friends and family. The distant ones, I don't have contact numbers for some but we keep in contact on FB and easier to do it in one go than weirdly send individual messages. I don't have randoms from school or people who would cause any issues in my life let alone socials. Sporadically post updates maybe every 6 months or so.

Molonty · 05/04/2024 22:18

Awaywiththeferries123 · 05/04/2024 20:14

No, it’s tacky.

Agree. Anyone close to you, won't you either call / message them? I agree that it's very attention seeking and cringey.

SparkyBlue · 05/04/2024 22:18

No I never did for any of my 3 DC.

SpringHexagon · 05/04/2024 22:20

I didn't, I don't post anything about my daughter on social media, don't post anything at all actually. Feel the need for validation from likes is quite pathetic so I can no longer stand Facebook.

Pepsiisbetterthancoke · 05/04/2024 22:20

Agree with the tacky comment above. Especially when you know how lacking in security places like Facebook are (even if you think you the highest security settings)

Surely if people are close enough to you that you would want to share news of a baby with them, you would have their phone number?

But then I would only want to tell people that I am close to, not people I went to school with or worked with 10 years ago

CJ0374 · 05/04/2024 22:21

Why would you post it all over social media?
Just that really- why not tell them in person?
How far along are you- 12 week scan, 20 week scan??? If you just mean a positive pregnancy test, then IMO absolutely not! 😬

Jokl · 05/04/2024 22:22

We did. We both have big families, plenty of friends etc and it was the easiest way of letting everyone know all at once. I wasn’t going to frick about messaging and ringing everyone individually, would’ve taken forever. We don’t have everyone and their dog as ‘friends’ on Facebook, so wasn’t really worried about that side of it.

Notadoormat4 · 05/04/2024 22:24

No I didn't with any of mine. Announced their births on Facebook (around 24 hours after the birth) though so I didn't have to text each individual person. Only those closest found out by text.

Doesn't bother me what other people do though.