Do you remember when you fell pregnant for the first time? The excitement you felt when you found out? Do you remember telling your friends and family for the first time that you have a baby on the way? What about when you went into labor? When the baby was actually born and here and ready to meet the world? How excited were you to announce the birth of your little bundle of joy?
Social media is an amazing tool[2] when making special announcements. It means you can share your news with those you care about without making 101 phone calls or without sending a picture to half your address book. You can tell everyone simultaneously about your special news – it really takes care of the unnecessary admin when you should be spending time with your newborn baby[3].
Time to Announce The Birth
Of course, the last thing you are thinking about after giving birth is making a post on social media to announce the birth. Your baby has just arrived, it’s a time of intimacy, love, and bonding between you, your baby, your baby’s father, and if they are lucky enough, some other family might be around too.
The issue is, when you do finally get around to making that social media post, the last thing you want to see is that someone else beat you to it!
Okay, so you’re obviously thinking one of two things;
“Yup, that happened to me” or “Whoa, people do that?”
Yes. People do really think it’s okay to announce the birth of a baby they did not create. Yes. People actually think that’s fine.
If you are pregnant right now, this might not have been a thought you’ve had yet. And why should it be? Why should an expecting mother have to even think about asking their friends and family to be respectful of their news when it happens?
It’s downright rude to try steal this moment from a mother. You do not want to be that aunt who just couldn’t contain her excitement so she just had to announce the birth.
Instant Gratification Rules The World
We live in this world where instant gratification rules us[1]. Anything happens in our day, be it good or bad, we are posting about it. The thing is, instead of blurting out your every move for the world to see, stop, and think about what it is you’re so eager to let them know.
This actually applies to other people’s engagements too – We have all seen that friend post on someone else’s timeline congratulating them on getting engaged before they have even announced it themselves.
Unfortunately, it’s often overly excited grandparents who are to blame for oversharing too soon. This makes things even harder – the last thing you want is your mother in law resenting you for being upset about her overzealous sharing of your private moment.
Some new fathers also manage to get it wrong when they “forget” to ask their wives if they may make an announcement. You might be thinking; “why should he have to ask? He’s the dad!”. Well, the thing is, while some new moms might agree with you, many don’t. It’s us, women who have carried that baby for 9 months, it’s us who went through labour and it’s us who survived childbirth – It’s our right to choose when and how the announcement of our child’s birth should happen, and when!
Announce the Birth by Making it part of your birth plan
Okay, not exactly, you probably don’t have to tell your doctor not to post about your new baby on social media before you do, but let your friends and family know beforehand exactly how you feel about them announcing the birth is a good idea. Think of it as a birth plan for your friends and family.
Some Things To Remember
You might want to avoid conflict and not bring anything up, but If you’re at all concerned that your mom, brother, husband or a friend will ruin your proud moment – let it be known now that you would appreciate them not doing it. This applies to announcing your pregnancy too!
- It’s your baby, your rules!
- It’s an intimate private moment and others should respect that.
- Don’t allow anyone to make you feel guilty about what you want.
- Don’t allow anyone to get away with it – if you do, you are essentially letting them know they can do what they want.
The Bottom Line
If it isn’t your baby, don’t talk about it! No exceptions – ask first if you must, but respect what the new mom wants and asks.
Keep Reading: Husband Asks for Advice When His Pregnant Wife Won’t Stop Drinking
References
- “How Instant Gratification is Really Affecting Us“. Grotto Network. Jessie McCartney.
- “Social Media Is a Tool, It’s Not a Religion“. Duct Tape Marketing. John Jantsch
- “30 Little Ways to Bond With Baby“. Parents. Jacqueline Fulton Lauria and Andrea Bartz. August 04, 2016.
