When you discover that you’re about to be a mother, it doesn’t matter if it’s the first time or the third — you want to remember the magical moment when you first knew of this beautiful relationship you were about to have with this life you were creating, forever. It probably would suffice to do nothing more imaginative than a simple announcement to the family at dinnertime. An occasion like this would be so much better with an announcement that was creative and fun, though. If you like the idea but aren’t quite sure what you should do, here’s a few ways you could consider.
Get clever with a well-known cliché
Doing something fun with the idiom bun in the oven is easy enough (such as putting a bun in the oven, and repeatedly asking the father about it until someone catches on). Lots of expectant mothers just don’t tire of this idea. You might want to try a play with a different expression. If you’re from the part of the country where the idiom wear your apron high is commonly used for being pregnant, you could try something with it.
There are many others that you could get clever with — knocked up, bat in the cave, the rabbit died, in the putting club, up the duff, the tin roof rusted, peas in the pod, up the spout, and so on. A lot depends on what works for you.
Make a gift of pregnancy-related ornamental jewelry
According to Ornamentshop.com making a gift of a little ornament, say a Christmas bauble, can be a great way to announce a baby to come to anyone other than your partner or other children. There tend to be so many possibilities — a little angel, a chicken and an egg, a baby Jesus and so much more.
You can be somewhat less than subtle
It’s possible to do a quieter equivalent of proposing to someone in a stadium full of people. Putting a little message at the bottom of a cup of coffee is one way. Slapping a Baby on board sticker on your abdomen, leaving tiny baby shoes or a Binky somewhere prominent or putting a Baby Guard Duty sign on the family dog are all cute ways to invite conversation about the possibility of a baby on the way. Some will even order a custom fortune cookie with the appropriate message in it, or send their partner out shopping, and put all kinds of foods on the list with word baby in it – baby carrots, baby corn, baby peas and so on. They’ll take the hint.
Telling your parents
One of the sweetest ways to tell you parents is to send them a recording of the baby’s heartbeat from a sonogram, with no further explanation. They’ll guess.
Of course, they are sweet, conventional ways to go with, too
A little custom poem from a poetry writing service can be very sweet. If you’re planning the custom service route, you could order a custom fake newspaper headline, or take the person that you want to announce the pregnancy to out to dinner, and arrange beforehand to have the waiter read out many items with the word baby in it. It will be priceless.
Melanie Berry is a working mom and has always had a flair for creative gifts. She enjoys sharing her ideas and tips with an online audience and is a regular contributor for several lifestyle websites.