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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Birth announcement cards: yes or no?

42 replies

cyberminger · 24/09/2006 22:46

A friend (28wks) is dithering over whether to send out birth announcement cards when her little one arrives - her DH is dutch and apparently it's the done thing there, but I've not heard of them here at all. I'm a bit worried it may look like she's 'trawling' for presents, but then I know I'm hypersensitive about that sort of thing.
Any thoughts? (Sorry if this has come up before - can't find anything about it at the moment...)

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moondog · 24/09/2006 22:48

Nowt wrong with it-as long as it isn't to everyone you've ever known.
We put a notice in the local paper.I wanted people to know,yet I'm so not into rituals and ceremonies (got married in a registry office as the thought of huge meringue wedding turned my stomach)

mazzystar · 24/09/2006 22:50

yes, why on earth not?

prob by the time she gets round to it, anyone who is likely to be sending a gift will have done it anyway.

mazzystar · 24/09/2006 22:51

oh and so long as the recipient list is chosen wisely

Olihan · 24/09/2006 22:53

We didn't, mainly because of cost (stamps, the cards themselves). We texted everyone we knew who would be interested, emailed a few others and let the rest find out through word of mouth. People who want to buy you presents will buy them regardless. We had lots of presents from really unexpected people such as the IL's friends who had known dh since he was tiny but some 'close' friends didn't even send congrats cards.

I don't think it would be looked at badly at all, you do get them here - places like WHSmiths and John Lewis sell them. I think even my local Tesco sell them.

alexsmum · 24/09/2006 23:01

god yes! we did for both our boys.it's something nice to recieve i think and nice for their memory box too- areminder of how their arrival was announced.

Lact8 · 24/09/2006 23:03

I've intended to send them after the birth of all of mine. As I knew that DD would be a girl I'd even bought them in advance.

I have 3 packs of unopened birth announcement cards in a drawer somewhere as it was the last thing I felt like doing with a newborn in the house

UrsulatheSeaWitch · 24/09/2006 23:06

I thought birth announcements were fairly standard in this country too?

I always just sent out a photo of the baby (with the older ones for the 2nd and later kids) with details written on the back - mind you that was in the days of film and photographic paper - and often with the Christmas card! But only to people who knew I was pg and who wouldn't hear the outcome for ages otherwise, not to the world.

fussymummy · 25/09/2006 00:17

I sent them with all three of my kids.
Also included a photo in with them.
You could always email pics and details to everyone you want to know, if they have a computer of course.
Could even make them yourself with pic of baby on the front and birth details inside.

eidsvold · 25/09/2006 03:28

I sent them out with the last two and will with no3. I lived in the UK when I had dd1 and had lots of family and friends in Australia to tell - easy to do it by card - had plenty of time to write them out whilst dd1 was in SCBU.

With dd2 we were in AUstralia and the reverse - lots of friends and family in the UK so I could again write out the details without saying them ad nauseum.

Also thinks it gives them something to refer to when talking about the baby - rather than the scrap of paper they may have used to scribble the info on iyswim.

Done thing here in Aus - although we have had some email announcements.

melbournemum · 25/09/2006 05:44

we did for both our boys, most of our family were in Australia so they loved them. All my mothers group friends in UK did as well though. Kind of as combined thank you for welcoming Baby to the world and an announcement as well. We just took a lovley photo and did the card on photoshop so printed straight onto it . It didn't cost much from memory....

Earlybird · 25/09/2006 06:56

Like others who have posted, I did it for dd. I had lots of people to tell who lived in another country thousands of miles away.

FillyjonktheBananaEater · 25/09/2006 08:09

we just sent out photos with the xmas cards, tbh. but that worked well with when my kids were born

MrsTittleMouse · 25/09/2006 08:24

I thought that they were fairly common here too. My Mum has received beautiful home-made cards with foot prints etc in the past and has been showing them to me ever since I entered the 3rd trimester and telling me how wonderful they are!
I told her that with a newborn to take care of, I'll be lucky to have the energy to wash my hair, and that if she wants them she can make them herself.
Mind you, she's really into that kind of thing, so maybe she will and save me a job....

lemonaid · 25/09/2006 08:27

We sent them -- like others, thought they were fairly standard in the UK. I like getting them for other people's babies too. I've never thought of them as trawling for presents, and given that heaps of presents didn't arrive in their wake I assume that the recipients didn't see them that way either.

We had the design all set up in advance in Photoshop with dummy information so when DS arrived we just had to drop in a photo, update the birth information and print.

Original poster

cyberminger · 25/09/2006 09:38

Thanks everyone - like I said, I know I'm a bit hypersensitive about gifts, and good point about the timing mazzystar. I grew up in scotland too, so don't know if that's why I've not come across them? Probably not. I'm probably just being an ostrich again.
By the sounds of things it may be a bit of a hassle so I think I'll offer to get them for her and help sending them out, to assuage my guilt about doubting her wisdom...
have seen some nice ones from storkpost \link{http://www.storkpost.co.uk}and announceit \link{http://www.announceit.co.uk}. Any other sites you'd recommend?

OP posts:

eidsvold · 25/09/2006 10:30

i made it easy on myself as I addressed all the envelopes - took them to the post office and got them weighed ( for the overseas ones) and so had the stamps etc done. Knew the date - elective c-section and so just had to write in name, time and weight.

yes - I can be anal but as she was mid Nov and I had family coming for Christmas, a 2yo with sn to care for and all that - seemed good idea to get sorted.

QueenPeaHead · 25/09/2006 10:44

I sent them for all of mine, and like getting them. Everyone likes hearing about a new baby, and seeing all its names, and its weight etc and it is a lovely thing to keep.

QueenPeaHead · 25/09/2006 10:46

cybeerminger my last ones were from photobox - if you upload a photo of the baby, then order postcards - you are then asked what you want to write on the back of the postcard and you can put all the details there. I ordered them online at about 12 noon one day and was AMAZED to have them in the post the next morning! bonus is that you can just fill in the address bit and send them as a post card so don't have to faff with envelopes if you don't want to...

DumbledoresGirl · 25/09/2006 10:46

I did it for all my four children. Not trawling for presents at all - just informing people who should be interested that the baby has arrived safely and what sex, name, weight it was.

accessorizequeen · 26/09/2006 13:36

I've never thought of it as trawling for presents. We did it for ds1, made them ourselves & did the address labels & stamps whilst I was on maternity leave, DP just had to print them out when we knew date & weight, then it took 10 mins to stick them in the envelopes. We took 3 photos with digicam & stuck them on the front, had posted them when ds was 2 days old. It really wasn't a hassle, and I'm looking forward to doing it again this time. Everyone we knew already had the birth announcement via text or email, but we got a lot of comments about having something through the mail as well.

mrsdarcy · 26/09/2006 14:28

I made them when DD was born. It was mainly because we had relocated the previous year and moved house again a few months before DD was born. I hadn't told any of my old friends I was pregnant (dodgy history, difficult pregnancy blah blah), so announcement cards filled the functions of keeping in touch, giving people our new address, telling them I was pg, and telling them I'd had a baby!

Wordsmith · 26/09/2006 14:32

I did for ds1, but by the time ds2 arrived most of the people we knew were on email, so we sent them an email with a pic the same day. The few that weren't, and didn't get a phone call or be told by someone else, got a note.

I think the pre-printed ones that have been 'untouched by human hand' sort of thing are a bit naff.

Wilbur · 26/09/2006 14:33

I love them - have sent them out for all three of mine (we have lots of family and friends in the US and it was a good way for a quick catch up) with a photo. I printed labels for them as we have our address book on the computer so didn't need to do big addressing (I know that it's more proper to do handwritten but don't care about that so much). I LOVE getting them to - I wouldn't see it as a trawl for presents at all, just a lovely, exciting thing to share with the family. I used www.announceit.co.uk for the printing who are brilliant and really helpful, lots of different price ranges too.

ledodgyrobespierre · 26/09/2006 14:44

I sent them to family and friends who I didn't see regulary.

PinkTulips · 26/09/2006 14:47

i'm dutch and i had to send them to dutch family so i figured in for a penny, in for a pound and sent them to irish and english family too. nothing wrong with being proud of your baby and wanting to show off

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