One comment I keep hearing from women who had kids many years ago is that they never got to see their babies with such accuracy (think 3D scans) and were never tested (think 10 week chromosomal tests or nuchal screening) for as many things as we are now.
I think that's a blessing and a curse.
The ultrasound technology really is fascinating. It is such a treat to get to see the baby up close and personal so early into the pregnancy. The 3D technology is also incredible. I didn't know when we got our nuchal screen that the facility had 3D and just did it for you as part of the exam.
A 3D baby at 13 weeks looks frighteningly like a velociraptor in case you're curious. I much prefer looking at them on the 2D ultrasound at this stage of the game.
The other testing offered tells you so much about the baby's health at such an early age (as early as 10 weeks), but leaves you wondering....what would you do if you found out your baby was really not going to develop normally?
When you find out you're pregnant and start telling people they naturally get excited and can't wait for you to tell EVERYONE. But I experienced a fair amount of anxiety as it related to telling more and more people because of all.the.tests.
I felt like it wasn't safe to tell people because...what if?
When you first get pregnant some people advise to only tell people about it that you would want to tell if you had a miscarriage. Meaning, if you tell 40 people the amazing news early on that you're expecting and you lose the baby, you 40 people to recount the sadness of your miscarriage to.
We're blessed that Baby B is healthy and developing normally. But it's just now, at 14 weeks and a clean nuchal scan that I am feeling OK telling people beyond immediate family. Our plan was to announce the baby broadly on Valentines Day this past Saturday but we didn't for two reasons...
1. The announcement for social media is not V-day specific, but some of our initial ideas were
2. We had a lot of personal (non-baby) things to deal with over the past couple of weeks that just left us feeling like we wanted to make the announcement under less stressful conditions for us
The bottom line for couples is, you get to announce to who you want, when you want, how you want. If that's at 2 weeks, 6 weeks or 20 weeks, the choice is yours alone (unless someone spills the beans, which does happen sometimes unfortunately). Make sure you're clear with the people you're telling, even if it feels really awkward, whether you're ok with them telling others or if it's a secret they need to keep to themselves for a little bit longer. Most people we told at 6 or 10 weeks were so excited they're in the know early on they kept their lips zipped.
For the people who know the couples and know about the baby, just rest assured, when they are ready...really ready... to share the happy news with a broader audience you have to trust them that they will let you know when it's finally public information.
