Why Some People Are Ditching Baby Announcements
Over the past few years, the tradition of pregnancy announcements has gotten bigger and bigger. From social media posts to fun photoshoots, announcing a pregnancy has been something many soon-to-be…
Over the past few years, the tradition of pregnancy announcements has gotten bigger and bigger. From social media posts to fun photoshoots, announcing a pregnancy has been something many soon-to-be parents look forward to. Recently, though, there has been a bit of a shift regarding baby announcements. More and more people are choosing not to announce their pregnancy at all. Some parents are opting to share their news on social media after the baby arrives.
Plenty of celebrities have followed this trend. In 2018, Kylie Jenner kept her pregnancy with Stormi under wraps until after she was born. Her official announcement video racked up millions of views on YouTube. Last year, Paris Hilton and her husband Carter Reum welcomed their son Phoenix, and eleven months later, they announced the birth of their daughter London. Hilton waited one week after her son’s birth to share the news with her friends and family. During an episode of I Am Paris in February of last year, she said her life has been so public and she never really had anything be just hers.
Other celebrities who decided not to announce their pregnancy until after birth include Ashley Olsen and Louis Eisner, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song, Rebel Wilson, Ed Sheeran, and Kane and Katelyn Brown. Most recently, singer Halle Bailey and her boyfriend DDG welcomed their son Halo after keeping it a secret.
Why are people ditching baby announcements?
Some people feel that everyone that needs to know already does and might not feel the need to tell the world. A woman shared with the Washington Post, that when she was about 12 weeks pregnant with her first child, she posted a picture-perfect Instagram announcement featuring ultrasound photos and a knit gray "NEW TO THE CREW" onesie. But when she became pregnant a second time, it was an ectopic pregnancy. Then she had another miscarriage after that. And four years later, she skipped sharing anything about another pregnancy. Instead, she announced her daughter’s arrival by sharing a newborn photo with the caption "Surprise!"
Another reason people prefer to keep their pregnancy news off of social media is that they’re more aware of how the news could unintentionally hurt someone else. Many people struggle with getting pregnant and sometimes seeing pregnancy announcements online can emotionally trigger someone who is still trying to conceive.
Some people may just want to savor the moment before telling the world.
Some people prefer not to "Sharent."
What is "sharenting?" According to the Oxford English Dictionary, sharenting is when parents post pictures and other content about their children on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Some people love sharenting, so we won't be "sharent shaming" here. There are plenty of parents who love posting every little bit of parenthood, from ultra-sound photos to your baby’s first steps. However, some people feel that posting an announcement is the beginning of creating a social media presence for their child. There are expecting parents who see it as potentially teetering between respecting their child’s privacy and oversharing moments with them.
Whether you choose to announce or not announce a pregnancy, remember that it’s a personal choice.
