We had only been trying for about three months the first time I got pregnant. A few days before I
took my first test, I had a full blown emotional breakdown because I thought I was “broken.” I
was in my mid-twenties, made notes on my calendar for when I was ovulating, and I even threw my
legs in the air thinking gravity would grant me a baby.
After I saw the positive result on my pregnancy test, I couldn’t contain my excitement. While my soccer-loving husband was at work, I wrote “It’s gonna be a soccer player” on my belly (which is really hard to
do backwards) and waited on the couch. I have never seen someone more excited about
something than my husband when he saw my belly – even more excited than I was, I think.
The second time, it was all nerves. How do you announce a baby that is more serendipitous than
scheduled? And why do I always take these stupid tests when he is at work? At least pacing is
exercise. I can’t think of a single emotion I didn’t feel in those few hours. The obvious ones were
fear and guilt.
We had just signed a lease to move into a two bedroom apartment in San Francisco, I had just quit my job, and we are trying to save for a house. How is all of that going to work with another baby? The guilt came from blaming myself for not being religious about taking my pill. Let’s just say it was a very loving month in our household and missing a few days definitely made a difference.
After some tears and non-baby induced nausea, I took to my crafting roots to figure out a clever way to announce baby #2. It’s amazing what you can find in the target dollar section when you are desperate for distraction. Here was the result:
While I didn’t get the same spin-me- around, let’s celebrate reaction from my husband as the first time, he was happy. It didn’t take long for him to joke that I get knocked up to avoid heavy lifting.
I think the announcement was more for me than for him this time around. I was trying to fight through being scared by throwing myself into a project, but what I learned is that it isn’t about how you tell your partner. I wish I would have taken the test while he was home, so I could have gone through my range of emotions with him by my side.
You can be as cute and creative as you want, but your parter probably doesn’t care about sparkles and how you could one up your friends on Pinterest. Your partner is your partner for a reason. There isn’t a right way or a wrong way to share the news, as long as you feel safe and supported in the moment.
