i found out last night that my brother Jonathan and his wife Rachel are pregnant with #2. well, i’ll rephrase that, since it’s Rachel who is the pregnant one.
she’s 8 weeks.
i’m ecstatic for them, of course, and excited that Lauren gets to be a big sister. and excited for myself…because, of course, it’s a competition which side can produce more cousins. i think the husband is going to win this one…since there are 7 cousins on their side and only 1 on mine. and since my sister isn’t planning to have any kids and my little brother is not yet out of college, i’m sure i’m going to lose this one.
my first two questions were, in this order, is it public? (as in, can i tell all my friends and family, and most importantly, can i tell the internet?) and how’s she feeling?
it’s a funny thing, this telling people you are pregnant thing. with all three kids, we didn’t tell people until after the first trimester. It was one part jewish custom, one part superstition and one part total fear. There are so many things that can happen in the first trimester that i just wanted to get past that hurdle before i announced to the world that i was pregnant. i wanted to see that 12-week ultrasound.
i didn’t even want to tell our families until 13 weeks. telling family, at least in our case, is pretty much the same as announcing it in The National Post. i know how the family telephone game works. you tell mother in law. shh. don’t tell. mother in law slips to so and so. who slips to so and so. and by that evening, the entire family knows your business. it’s not just babies. this also applies to any news you might not want broadcasted. lost a job? the family will know before you walk out the door of the building. got a promotion? the family knows. getting engaged? yep, you guessed it! they all know. and it’s not just the husband’s family either. no, no.
my mom calls to tell me that her friend’s daughter is pregnant. she’s only 8 weeks, but honey, don’t tell anyone. they aren’t telling until 13 weeks. aren’t telling? what does that mean they aren’t telling? if i know, and they don’t even live in the same country as i do, someone’s telling.
so…i just have to sit back and enjoy spreading the news of my new niece or nephew. since i didn’t get to do it with my own baby news!
what about all of you? did you tell early? did you wait? why or why not? did you reveal the sex of your babies? did you tell people your names? (ooh…future post ideas!)
song of the day: Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World
come on over and check me out at my other site today…where – surprise, surprise – i’m NOT discussing South Beach. the diet. not the place.
vote for me…and the other wonderful canadian bloggers…but mostly for me in two categories, best personal blog and best family blog at this site right here! It’s the final day to vote!!!
With the first, told everyone straight away (although lived in fear of invoking “bad luck” as I had had a miscarriage about 10 year before). With the second, ditto. With the third, waited until about 7 week, and thought what the heck? But didn’t tell my own family in Canada until 1 week before we were due to visit there (as I was already post 6 months gone) – mainly because my father never wanted me to have another baby!
To whoever asked: yes big time METAL taste with #1~
I only told strangers the first until after the 12 week mark.
Congrats on the new addition to the family auntie Ali!
#1 – told mom and dad at 14 weeks, everyone else at 20 (nope, wasn’t showing a bit until then).
#2 – same, except told my sis at 14 weeks too, as due date was 3 weeks after her wedding (oops!) He was born 4 days after the wedding. Fat, fat bridesmaid.
#3 – didn’t know until I was 16 weeks (yep – missed the whole first trimester drama) Total shock – emailed picture of ultrasound to family and friends, who were equally shocked, since we made a big deal about being “done” at 2 kids!
I didn’t know until I was 10+ weeks with the first! Had been trying for years and had done a pg test which was negative at about 5 weeks so never thought. By the time I found out we told everyone!
With #2 I knew right away. I could taste metal in my mouth (anyone else?) and just “felt” pregnant. I think I was about 10 weeks when people started to guess. I had already put on 15lbs!
I didn’t find out the sex of either but had a very strong feeling with #2.
We told key people right away – if anything happened, they’d need to know anyway.
With #1, I found out on Valentine’s Day – aaaawwww…no, really! I did the test in the bathroom at work and later picked up lunch and a card for my husband and “surprised” him at work. I was sooooooooo scared, I didn’t tell him until about 5 minutes before I had to go back to work, LOL. Then we told our families. At 12 weeks I told everyone else.
With #2, DH said one morning “I guess you’re right, we should consider having another baby” and we – ahem – well, you know. That morning I said, “it’s really weird, but I kinda feel sick…like I was pregnant, hahahaha”. The feeling kept on for another week, and then I was in Toronto on business for meetings on a Thursday, Friday. Stayed with family for the weekend. Did the test in the Starbucks bathroom after a warning from my sis to “prepare yourself – it’ll probably be negative”. Both sisters knew by the look on my face the instant I walked out of the bathroom. Then I phoned DH to tell him that, surprise! I was already pregnant all along. That’s how he earned the funny, but short-lived nickname: supersperm. Planned to wait until 12 weeks to tell at work again, but was hijacked by a coworker who asked, when I was 10 wks gone “are you pregnant again?”. Good thing I was, eh?
Did not find out the sex with either…tempting, but we wanted the surprise and actually didn’t even have an ultrasound, so not THAT tempting, after all!
I told my parents right away because I went…ummm…CRAZY. Next time, I’ll tell them right away, and probably you (Ali), and my other friends who helped me during my last pregnancy…. 🙂 It’ll be so hard not telling my readers. It’ll probably be obvious, though — my posts will be, like, one sentence long, or something! 😉
We told all immediate family after the first checkup (which included an ultrasound). We didn’t tell anyone else with #1 till 13 weeks. #2, 3 close friends (you included!)knew within 2 days of me taking the test. Then the rest of the world at 11.5/12 weeks-I had some spotting and didnt show up to some planned events, which got people talking- once we knew everything was fine we let everyone know.
Its so much fun having that special secret- but soooo hard to keep!
with my oldest, it was Christmas Eve the day I found out. I was in total shock, as this was NOT supposed to happen to me, not yet. I was in Nursing School, had just gotten married that past July…..ACK, this was so not what I had planned. But because of the shock, and the fact that my husband at the time was working in a mining camp and wasn’t home for Christmas, I told my sister. I think she was more shocked than me, probably because she wasn’t at the conception where the words, “Trust me, just this once” came into play. After that, I kept it my little secret for longer and longer, with each subsequent pregnancy. With my youngest, it was a lot easier, since I was not living anywhere near my family. I was in relatively new relationship, so getting pregnant at 36 and NOT being married was kind of, well, not the best thing I could have done. I think I was like, 5 months or so before I told my family.
I never found out the sex of any of my children until they were born. We had names picked out, but after the look I got from my mother when I told her if #2 were a boy, his name would be Dryden (big time Habs fan here), I chose never to divulge my choices again. FWIW, his name is Dryden and I love it!
Told right away with the first and waited three months with the second. With the first, it was too exciting, we couldn’t wait. With the second, we waited for a variety of reasons, one being that I was convinced I would miscarry.