How We Found Out + Announced That We’re Pregnant

It was a wild Friday night in the middle of a pandemic. We ventured to our local pharmacy and picked up a box of pregnancy tests. And the rest, as they say, is history.

We picked up a pregnancy test five days after my missed period.

Okay but really, when people ask me how we found out we were pregnant, the story usually goes like this: we started trying to conceive, I missed my period, and a few days later I peed on a stick that read “PREGNANT” within 90 seconds. That part isn’t very exciting, but everything else that comes after that most certainly has been!

The morning that we took the pregnancy test, we actually flew out to Phoenix to hang out with family for the week. We were staying with James’ younger brother and his wife, who we’re very close with, so as early as it was in our pregnancy, we weren’t worried about sharing the news if it came up.

Of course, as soon as we walked through the door, my sister-in-law asked me if I wanted a cocktail. Not too long after, she had plans to pick up some cold cut sandwiches and asked if we wanted any. Needless to say, there’s no way I could last a week – let alone a few hours – without sharing our big news!

Not too long after, James and I each told a co-worker that we’re close to at work – his co-worker was also pregnant at the time and mine was already a parent, so it was nice to be able to talk to someone who was going through or had been through the same journey.

Beyond that, we kept things pretty hush hush until Thanksgiving. By then, I was 14 weeks along and recently had my first two OB/GYN appointments during which we learned that the pregnancy was healthy and progressing normally. At that point, we felt comfortable sharing the joy with family and friends, and couldn’t wait to spill the beans to our parents!

The shock on my parents’ faces – simply priceless!

We had a couple of extra sonograms from my last doctor’s appointment to share with our parents. For my mom and dad, we wrapped a picture frame and presented them with “a special gift from New York.” My dad was so excited because he thought they were donuts. Spoiler alert: They were not donuts.

We surprised James’ parents with sweet treats and a sonogram.

For James’ parents, we had my brother-in-law and sister-in-law bring over Sprinkle cupcakes that said BABY and inside the box lid was the sonogram. 

Baby’s going to have a sweet tooth like mom and dad!

It took them both a hot second to register what they were seeing, but once it clicked, their reactions were priceless! In the midst of a pandemic, I’m really thankful we were able to share the news in person. It was really fun to experience their joy and excitement, and I’ll forever cherish those moments. 

The balloon was supposed to be rosegold, but looks more pink – we didn’t know what we were having at this point!

In the weeks that followed (around week 15), we shared the news with other family members, friends and co-workers before we made things social media official on our 16th dating anniversary. I had just gone to my 16-week checkup the day before, and once again felt reassured that our pregnancy was progressing along nicely.

James’ brother Uncle Dale and his wife Auntie Dianne!

Deciding when and how to announce a pregnancy is a very personal decision, but the best part is that the timing is completely up to you and your partner. The timing of the holidays worked out perfectly, but I personally found it assuring to hear how our pregnancy was progressing from our OBGYN before we continued to expand the circle of people who knew.

Our Christmas card photo to family and friends.

Don’t feel rushed to share if you don’t want to. James and I really enjoyed keeping the special news to ourselves for a little while, but it also felt good to confide in a few people that we could trust with our secret. And now that the big news is out in the open, we are just basking in all of the love for our sweet babe!

And in cased you missed it: Pregnancy Q&A + My First Trimester Recap

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