Details announced in birth announcement

[Confusion101]

I'm a while off this stage yet but it has always annoyed me so much that some of the first questions people ask when they hear a woman has given birth is 1. What weight was it and 2. Did she have it naturally? I really don't want to tell people what weight my baby will be and whether I push it out my vagina or not. It's so strange to even ask. (It's just very personal imo). I think it's more than enough info to know the date, gender, name, and how both of us are doing. And let's be honest, in this day and age all of that info will probably be accompanied with a photo. Anyone else feel the same or am I just being ridiculous?

I've never seen anyone share (or anyone ask) how the baby arrived, so I'm not really sure where you are coming from on that one? It's normal to share date/time of birth, SEX, weight and name if you've picked one. That covers everything. I don't see sharing the weight as a personal thing, I mean unless you have a 14lb baby and you are stitched ear to ear you may not want to share 🤣. I think you could be overthinking things here.

I live in Ireland too, I've never heard someone ask how the baby was born. Plenty of people have told me though, with sometimes far far too much detail!! Thankfully usually only with minimal, "ended up having a section, so I can't drive for 6 weeks, grrrr"

The weight is just a polite/ normal thing to ask. As pp's have said there isn't much you can ask about the baby!

People like to know the weight. You don’t have to announce how you had the baby, I didn’t, but it’s nice to add the weight

I just don't understand why the weight of the baby is such a key piece of info that people really want to know. What difference does it make what it weighed

So they can buy suitable sized baby grows?

Because as a female my daughter will likely get judged on her weight throughout life no need to start off being judged. It always comes with a oooh quite big or ooh dinky.

I have never been asked, nor heard a woman asked the method of delivery.

Name
Weight
Are both mum and baby well

That's what I ask and what was asked about me.

The weight question is really common. Unsure why it’s a thing but I suppose it’s a way of expressing interest. I don’t know anyone who would ask about the birth.

I'm also in Ireland and I was never asked about a birth and I've never asked that question to anyone else. In fact a good friend had a cs and I never mentioned it until she did, I offered any assistance I could but didn't ask re the birth in case she didn't want to discuss it. I'd be amused at anyone asking anything other than boy or girl and hows baby and mother doing, that's all I've ever asked and all I was ever asked.

I'm in Ireland so maybe it's asked more here but any conversation I've had around friends / family, the question "and did she have it naturally" has always been asked!

Don't quote me, but I think the c-section rate is a fair bit higher here in Ireland than in the UK. It's definitely a question that gets asked a lot, rightly or wrongly.

The weight is traditional and can't see the issue, never seen an announcement with the birthing method listed

Just make sure whoever send the announcement differentiates between time and weight.

My XH didn't phrase the message well and everyone thought I'd had a 10lb 12oz baby .

I think weight and type of birth questions are pretty standard and not meant to be intrusive. I'm sure noone is actually visualising your vagina when they ask if it was a natural birth.
My husband's colleague asked if I had needed stitches which dh found quite inappropriate and politely responded: "I don't think that's a question you need to be asking." -which is quite a good response to most intrusive queries.

Definitely just name, weight and date.

The weight frankly seems much more crucial than the precise date of birth - it is traditionally, and largely remains, the best "easy" and intuitive indicator of how healthy a baby is, after all. And we are, as a species, interested in how healthy our newborns are, and we respond to them differently, even if culturally that might seem distasteful.

Literally no one has ever asked me how I gave birth to my baby. These things sometimes come up in conversations with other mums when you happen to talk about births, otherwise no.
The weight thing is just a question people are used to asking I guess. I suppose it’s just making conversation and showing interest - in my case feigning interest. I’ve asked what weight a baby was myself but in all honestly I didn’t give a shit and wouldn’t remember after 5 minutes, I was just trying to make polite conversation.

@DuckyNoMates

Because as a female my daughter will likely get judged on her weight throughout life no need to start off being judged. It always comes with a oooh quite big or ooh dinky.

Honestly No one gives a flying fuck what your daughter weighed🙄 .....its just peoples way of being polite and acknowledging your baby has arrived....apart from my children and GC I have zero interest in the sex / weight / name of any baby....but I always ask even tho i really don't care

I’ve never asked, or heard of it being asked, how the baby got out.
And the weight is a normal question to be asked.

What does ‘natural’ mean though? As in no assistance, or no pain relief, etc. I don’t know anyone who had a ‘natural’ birth (as in the popped it out without anyone there or no medical staff on hand, or pain relief). I know someone who had a baby in their sitting room but there were paramedic there to help.

I think the weight thing is pretty uncontroversial though. I barely hear the response and I find it hard to tell the difference between a 3kg baby and a 4kg baby. I think it’s more small talk.

YABU with the weight thing, I see no issue with that at all.

Never, ever, have I heard anyone ask the how did you give birth question though.

Weight is just a convention, especially if a “ Healthy “ weight
One rarely sees weight noted if very small or a colossus.
A builder we knew was nearly 16 lbs which seems phenomenal.
His poor mum!
Natural delivery too.
Ooof.

@GeneLovesJezebel

I’ve never asked, or heard of it being asked, how the baby got out. And the weight is a normal question to be asked.

Love the term “ How the baby got out” Makes it sounds like she or he escaped jail, or out of a tedious meeting 😂

The only person who asked if it was natural was my brother. But I think he just heard someone else say it and didn't know what to say. I went into detail about the antibiotics, oxytocin, epidural, episiotomy, then.when I say him squirm said 'oh it wasn't a cesarean of that's all you meant' not much natural about many vaginal births. I'd not heard of the term natural births before. but weight isn't too personal or obnoxious imo.

Honestly No one gives a flying fuck what your daughter weighed🙄 .....then they should stop asking such pointless questions. Is all well? Is a better one.

….and just wait until you get the “are they good” or “are you feeding them yourself” they are all just questions people ask to be polite.

That sounds nosey to me - quite loaded and not potentially uncontroversial. They're obviously angling at finding out if you're breast or formula feeding, but "are you feeding them yourself?" ?!?!?! Who else is going to be feeding a baby other than his/her parents?!