When do you let the World
know you are pregnant?
It is always fascinating finding out
how other couples realized they were pregnant. For my wife and I the moment
came when we were sharing a carrot juice and my wife was mentioning how it
improves your eyesight, since you don’t see any blind bunnies! Stupidly I responded
that there were in fact blind rabbits in my homeland of Australia.
Upon hearing
this tale of the blind bunnies of Australia my wife began weeping and broke
down into a teary, sobbing state. It was not improved when a Queen Song broke
out on the radio suddenly there was a flood of more tears because poor Freddie
Mercury had died – only 21 years ago!
I said you are either crazy or
pregnant! One pee stick later it was confirmed were about to expect a bundle of
joy in the coming months.
Now that you and your partner, or in
my case – brand new wife have discovered that you are about to be parents, when
do you announce this joyous occasion to the world? My wife being a former
Southern Belle is one for occasion and following the correct protocol,
being
formerly Australian I have no idea of protocol and occasion! So this has
created many a humorous dilemma. Apparently there is some unwritten law that
you do not tell anyone you are pregnant until after the first
trimester. However this did not seem to stop my wife telling just about all her
friends, just she would say “I shouldn’t be telling you, but I am pregnant. Don’t
tell anyone because I am not officially telling everyone until after the first
trimester.” I saw the same conversation repeated to dozens of her friends,
almost to the point where everyone we regularly interacted with knew.
We went to the first ultra
sound to see and hear our amazing new person, who at this stage was called the “bean”
because of the size. It truly is a surreal moment when you see that little “bean”
on the screen and hear the heart beat for the very first time. We were both in
tears. Our little baby “bean” already had a personality. At the start of the
ultra sound the “bean” was clearly seen sucking what would be a thumb. Upon
realizing we were looking baby “bean” raised a hand over its face in a “no
pictures please, I am not camera ready yet!”
Well the ultrasound technician
managed a paparazzi shot of baby “bean” for my wife and I to take home. While
she was finishing up with some blood work my wife asked me to take a picture of
the little “bean” and send it to her parents, as it is their first grandchild.
Being an amateur photographer I took a splendid picture which I forwarded to my
new in laws and they were tickled pink.
I thought since we were so close to the
end of the first trimester and since my wife had blabbed to almost
every friend of hers that she was pregnant I figured it would be acceptable for
me to tell my friends too! Well how to tell them? Since many live around the
globe I figured the easiest plan was to post the picture on my Facebook!
My
wife came out and asked if I had sent the picture to her parents and I proudly
announced that I had, and that I had posted it on Facebook.
The look of horror
in her eyes spoke volumes to me that I had indeed done the wrong thing. I said “well
I didn’t tag you in the photo!” like that would make it better, and truthfully
we have very few mutual friends. The next second her phone rings and it is one
of her friends on the line – “Karith are you pregnant?” I was shot the I told
you so look while she spoke.
The moral to the story is do not mention
your child’s birth until your wife / or mother in law has sent out the birth
announcements to what seems like everyone on the face of the planet and some
other close galaxies too!
Check out my wife's perspective on her blog diary of a pregnant comedian
