There are thousands of things that go through your mind when you find out that you are pregnant. You are likely to feel delighted, nervous, amazed, scared and quite excited, all at the same time. For many couples, the news of expecting a baby takes about a week or so to sink in. Containing so many emotions on your own may be a bit overwhelming for you and your partner and the two of you probably can’t wait to inform your family, friends and colleagues about your good news.
However, many couples face a dilemma about the most appropriate time for them to announce their pregnancy to their close ones and the rest of the world. One partner may want to let others know about the pregnancy immediately, while the other may think it is best to wait for a while.
When to tell people you're pregnant?
There is no such thing as a “right time” for you to let people know that you are pregnant. Some moms-to-be take their first pregnancy tests in the presence of their best friends, thereby letting their close ones in on their secret immediately. Others wait the entire first trimester, before telling even their immediate family members about their good news. If you are a working woman, it may become necessary for you to inform your colleagues about your pregnancy (depending upon the nature of your job) without any delay. Therefore, it all depends on when you feel comfortable in announcing your pregnancy to people.
In case the only pregnancy confirmation you have is the positive result of a home pregnancy test, then you may want to wait until you’ve visited a proper Obstetric/ Gynecologist. This is because a home pregnancy test is not 100% accurate. There is a chance that the test may show a positive result even when you are not pregnant. Moreover, most of these tests only tell you that you are pregnant; they cannot keep you informed of any complications with the pregnancy. Therefore, it may be a good idea for you to get your pregnancy confirmed by an OB/GYN and ensure that there are no complications, before you start informing others.
Pregnant women who have a prior history of miscarriages usually prefer to wait for at least 12 weeks before telling anyone that they are pregnant. This is probably because the risks of having a miscarriage reduce considerably after the first trimester of pregnancy. More than 80% of all the reported miscarriages take place within the initial 12 weeks of pregnancy. Most women therefore prefer to wait until the end of the first trimester to announce the pregnancy.
After learning that you pregnant, both you and your partner should take various factors into consideration, such as your family setup, lifestyle and professions, to take a joint decision about when you’d like to share your joyful news with your family, friends and other associates.
Submitted by J on May 15, 2012 at 06:30