Pregnancy is an incredible time in your life, but it’s fleeting. Even if you have more children later on, the time you spend pregnant in your lifetime is relatively short, and it’s so special its something worth celebrating. If you’ve found out you’re expecting, heres how to make the most of it every step of the way. 

Announcing Your News 

One of the first things most people will see about your pregnancy is your announcement on social media- even though you’ll have known about your baby for a number of weeks by then! Announcing your news can be so much fun, friends and family will be thrilled for you and it’s such an exciting time soaking up the congratulations. There are so many ways you can announce your pregnancy, you could go all out and hire a professional photographer to take photos with you and your partner, or you could take pictures yourself holding scan photos, baby shoes or other baby items. You could get your pets involved, or you could set up a beautiful flat lay photo. Companies like Mato & Hash custom t shirt printing could print you and your partner mum/ dad tshirts or a babygrow with your surname and due date on it which you could surround with some beautiful items that you’ve purchased so far. Or if you’re on a budget (or just not a creative person) there are premade versions of these you can buy on Etsy. The seller can edit the details on for you so it looks completely custom to you. 

Gender Reveal

The next big step in your pregnancy after announcing your news is finding out the gender (if you choose to!) While this can be confirmed with blood tests earlier in the pregnancy, if you’re waiting to find out via a scan then this can be done from 16 weeks onwards. You could either have an intimate gender reveal with just you and your partner, or you could keep it a secret and find out together alongside all of your friends and family at a party. If you want to do this, ask the sonographer to write the gender on a piece of paper and put in on an envelope. You could then either give this to a trusted friend who can sort out things like confetti cannons, cake or smoke cannons depending on how you plan to do it. Or you could go to party shops directly and show them the envelope and ask them to give you items in colours that correspond with the gender, asking them to make sure it stays a secret as you haven’t found out yet. Many people have differing views on gender reveal parties or even finding out the gender at all until birth, but it’s your pregnancy! You do what you prefer to do, and whether that means finding out in the scan room with just your husband, or throwihng a huge party then do whatever you like!

Milestone Photos/ Videos

It can be such fun seeing your bump grow each week, and capturing videos or photos of this and putting them all together once the baby arrives can be a great thing to look back on. There are lots of tiktok video trends that show bump to baby transitions, or you might choose to keep it simple and take a bump photo in the same place each week. You could buy pregnancy milestone cards or get a letterboard to hold up and keep track of the pictures at the end. Lots of people take part in trends like ‘Half Baked’ photos at 20 weeks (when you’re half way along) holding up Ben and Jerrys Half Baked ice cream. Have a look on social media for ideas, and embrace the cheesiness of it! Even if these are only ever pictures you plan to look at yourself, one day you’ll be so glad you have them to look back on. While it feels like a lifetime when you’re in it, pregnancy goes by so quickly in the grand scheme of things and one day you’ll forget what it was like to have a bump without pictures to remind you. 

Baby Shopping- Shops, Shows and Events

Admittedly, baby shopping can be expensive and buying some of the more expensive items can feel a little stressful. They cost a lot of money and chances are you dont have a ton of experience buying these things as a first time parent so arent exactly sure whats the best to go for. However, many parts of baby shopping can be really fun and a way to bond with your bump and imagine them in all of the little clothes you’ve picked out. Buying bits like clothing, blankets, nursery items, toys and more will definitely get you excited for your new arrival. Be sure to check out baby shows and exhibitions that are near to you as lots of baby companies attend them and can show you their products. So it’s a chance to test out things like prams in person, hear about safety ratings of car seats, check out baby swings and gadgets for yourself to see if you think they’re worth it and more. 

Decorate The Nursery

It’s recommended that babies sleep in the same room as their parents (in their own cot/ crib) for at least the first six months of life. However, that doesnt mean it’s not worth setting up a nursery. Doing this while you’re pregnant is a good idea as it’s all set and ready to go when you need it, and can be extremely useful even if the baby isnt sleeping in their. A changing table and a comfy feeding chair means you can change and feed them during the night. Having drawers and a wardrobe set up with all of their clothing, toys and more means it’s easy to keep track of exactly what you have, and stay organised which is so important in the early days of postpartum when you’re exhausted and have very little time for anything other than your baby. It can also be a nice, relaxed place to sit and hold your baby once they’re born. You might want to go with a ‘theme’ and decorate based on that, or just go with something that you love. 

Baby Shower

Again, baby showers are a love or hate kind of thing so you do what works for you. If you like the idea of meeting up with your friends and family before the baby arrives, spoil them with gifts, play silly games and have fun then it’s well worth doing. It can be as simple or elaborate as you like, but it’s another milestone to potentially celebrate in your pregnancy. 

Which of these things did you celebrate when you were expecting your baby?