You’ve just discovered you’re pregnant — and the urge to tell your partner, family, and friends right away is all too real! Your pregnancy is huge news, so why not go big with a pregnancy reveal your loved ones are sure to remember? These 35 pregnancy reveal ideas can be fitting ways to share the news, or you can use these suggestions to create a reveal of your own.
What is a pregnancy reveal?
A pregnancy reveal is a way of sharing the news that you’re expecting to your partner, family, and closest friends. This can be as simple as writing a note in a card, as detailed as creating custom-made candy, or as elaborate as throwing a party. Your pregnancy reveal can be as creative as you want it, so don’t be afraid to follow your imagination!
10 ways to reveal your pregnancy to your partner
From a diaper delivery to a food-based message, here are some unique ways you can share the good news to your partner.
1. Say it with a t-shirt
Surprise your partner when they least expect it. Wear a t-shirt that spells out the message, something like “We’re expecting” or “You’re going to be a parent.” You can create the t-shirt yourself or buy one online – whichever works best for you. Walk up to your partner while wearing that shirt, and watch their face as they digest the message!
2. Use their favorite food
If food is your partner’s love language, announce your pregnancy through their favorite meal. For example, if pizza is their go-to, create a homemade version and use pepperoni, peppers, onions, or other toppings to write “I’m pregnant” on the pie.
3. Collaborate with your kids
If this isn’t your first rodeo, enlist your kids to deliver the exciting news! You can dress your kid (or kids!) in shirts that announce their promotion to big sibling. Once your partner arrives home, have your kids waiting by the door, ready to share the big news.
4. Involve your pet
Already a paw-rent? Get them in on the announcement! Design a bandana or pet costume announcing their new role in the family.
5. Pregnancy test gift box
If you want to go a more traditional route, leaving your partner a positive pregnancy test is a classic pregnancy reveal. Wrap up the test in a box or a small gift bag and give it to them on their next special outing, on your anniversary, or even a simple Sunday morning. You pick the moment that feels right for your growing family!
6. Tell the news with baby items
Next time you and your partner are at your local big-box store, head toward the baby aisles and start picking some onesies, toys, and bedding off the shelves. At first, your partner might think you’re just going there to look, but they’ll get the hint as you fill the basket.
7. Capture the reveal with a photoshoot
Hire a photographer or enlist the help of a friend to get a picture-perfect moment of you sharing the news. While your partner may think this is a casual couple’s photoshoot, you’ll have a different message in mind. Bring a chalkboard and markers for each of you to write a message. Then, for one of your pictures, write out “I’m pregnant,” then turn around to reveal what you wrote. This picture will be worth 1,000 words — and will last you a lifetime.
8. Diaper delivery
If you’re looking for a unique way to surprise your partner, order a large box of diapers and wipes to be delivered to your home with your partner’s name on the package. Try to be there when the package arrives so you won’t miss the exciting moment when they realize the package isn’t a mistake!
9. Customize a fortune cookie
Order some of you and your partner’s favorite Chinese dishes for this reveal. A few days before, head online or go to a local bakery and see if they can make you fortune cookies with personal messages inside. Then, during your next night in, hand them the fortune cookie to reveal the sweet surprise.
10. Label the future nursery
Whether you plan to turn your office or a guest room into the new nursery, find some caution tape to block off the room. Then, before your partner walks through the door, create a sign that says “Under Construction,” with an opening date of your due date.
23 ways to reveal your pregnancy to friends and family
Now that your partner knows, it’s time to share the big news with your loved ones. These 30 ways to reveal your pregnancy can let them know in an unforgettable way.
1. Make a “bun in the oven”
It’s a classic idiom, but one your loved ones will instantly get. Bake some cinnamon rolls (or head to the grocery store — we won’t tell), and snap a picture of you pulling them out of the oven. Use this as the basis for a social media post, a card, or an email announcement to confirm the news.
2. Decorate a cake or cookies
A crowd-pleasing sweet treat can be a great way to share the news with folks. Bake some cupcakes or a giant cookie, then frost and decorate with your announcement.
3. Create a custom puzzle
If your family loves playing games, a custom puzzle is an immersive and fun way to tell them your news. Use a service like Snapfish to create your own pregnancy puzzle with a picture of your sonogram. You can even help your family put it together to ensure you see their faces once they finish the puzzle.
4. Use a letterboard
Spell out your special message with a letterboard. Use the letters to write “coming soon” or “arriving” along with your due date. Then spread a few baby items around the board such as baby shoes, onesies, and a few toys for a picture-perfect moment. This idea works both at an in-person gathering and as a social media post!
5. Kids photoshoot
Involve your kids to share the news with Grandma and Grandpa. There are lots of ways to have them share the message — they can wear custom t-shirts, hold signs, or even hand-deliver a present for them that contains your news.
6. Create babysitting “survival kits”
Although this isn’t your parents’ first time taking care of a little one, they might need a little help with babysitting duty. Prepare them for their upcoming “promotion” with a survival kit filled with diapers, wipes, onesies, and a cute stuffed animal.
7. Host a game night
If you host regular get-togethers with your friends and family, make your next one a game night. Add charades to your game rotation. Then, when it’s your turn to mime the clue, act out the good news and see how long it takes everyone to guess.
8. Ask them to solve a pregnancy riddle
Lead your family and friends to the news, one hint at a time. Create a series of riddles that eventually build up to your big announcement. Start off with more vague clues, then get more specific as the clues go on. The last riddle is saved for your reveal! The pregnancy riddle is a great way to get your guests in on the fun, whether in person or on Zoom.
9. Create a new year calendar
If you discover that you’re pregnant around the new year, use the change in the calendar as a way to announce you’re pregnant. Fill a customized calendar with family photos, people’s birthdays, and — you guessed it — your due date. The accompanying photo for that month can be your sonogram, so nobody will miss the new addition to the family.
10. Set up a surprise family photo
Gather your family together to capture the moment at your next gathering. Right before the camera clicks, have everyone count up to three. Instead of saying “cheese,” tell your family to say “I’m having a baby!” instead!
11. Sidewalk chalk announcement
Invite your loved ones over for a casual get-together. Before they arrive, spend some time outside with your partner designing a pregnancy announcement on your sidewalk. Your guests will be giddy and all smiles as soon as they walk through the door.
12. “Promoted to” present
Congratulate your parents and siblings on their new role in the family with a small present. Choose t-shirts, mugs, or anything your family likes, customizing each gift with their new “titles.”
13. Custom-made candies
Host an ice cream sundae party for your friends filled with different ice cream flavors and toppings. One of those toppings can be custom chocolate-covered candies, printed with your due date. (You can opt for something else if it fits in the tiny space.) You can also opt for traditional baby shower colors, like pink and blue, to get the message across.
14. Create a movie poster
You’re the star of the show when you make your pregnancy announcement, and a movie poster focused on you takes this to a whole new level. Enlist the help of a design-savvy friend to put you in the center of a beloved movie about pregnancy or parenthood. If you don’t want to go the parody route, ask if that same designer friend can design a photo of you and your partner, subbing the movie title with “We’re Having A Baby.” Then, at the bottom of the poster, include your due date as the release date.
15. Send flowers
If your family lives far away, a cute way that will keep them guessing is to send them a bouquet of flowers. But it’s not just any bouquet: The flowers themselves are a hint. An abundant amount of baby’s breath — or perhaps chrysanthemums, a symbol of rebirth — are right for the moment. Use the card to share your news, either by writing “we’re expecting” or hinting with the flowers, with a message that reads something like “I have something to share! Examine the flowers for a clue.” While this one takes a bit to click, your recipients will be over the moon.
16. Host a bake-off
If you and your friends love to bake, invite them over to try some new recipes — and for a little friendly competition. Whip up some cookies or pies, and while you’re rolling out the dough, casually write “I’m pregnant” in the flour. Then, wait and see how long it takes your besties to get the message. (Plus, after this news, you’re guaranteed to win the bake-off.)
17. Gift them wine with a custom label
At your next happy hour celebration, toast to friendship with a bottle of wine. But it’s no ordinary bottle of bubbly — this one has a label nobody’s ever seen before. Your custom label will share the good news. Don’t mention anything as you gift the wine or when you plan to break it open. See how long it takes to figure out the news.
18. Host a movie night
Next time your friends come over, host a movie night that only consists of pregnancy movies. From Baby Mama to What to Expect When You’re Expecting, you’ll get a ton of laughs while getting in some subtle hints.
19. At the bottom of a mug
If your family are avid coffee or tea drinkers, announce your pregnancy at the bottom of their mugs. Invite your guests over for morning tea and scones, and try your best not to, ahem, spill the tea before they finish their drink.
20. Use blue and pink balloons
Another simple yet creative way to share the news both virtually or in person is through blue and pink balloons. Place the balloons in a box behind you, then have your partner walk over and open the box for them to fly out.
21. Gift them a custom book
Create your own custom book to gift to your parents as a way to announce your pregnancy. Once they realize why they have a book for infants in their hands, they’ll be overjoyed knowing who they’ll read it to in just a few months.
22. Design a homemade card
Not every pregnancy announcement needs to be over-the-top. A simple and sentimental card is a touching way to share the news about your newest bundle of joy. Include a sweet message and an image of the sonogram.
23. Cake topper
Maybe you’re a creative cook, but you’re not the next Martha Stewart. Instead of decorating cakes and cookies to announce your pregnancy, share it through a cake topper! It’s simple, effective, and you don’t need to worry about baking and decorating your own sweets.
When is the right time to reveal your pregnancy?
The right time to tell your partner, friends and family about your pregnancy is a personal decision and one that doesn’t look the same for every soon-to-be mama. For many folks, their partner is the first person who will find out, and likely quite soon after you find out. For other folks in your life, though, it’s pretty common to wait until the end of the first trimester, around 12 weeks in.
The bottom line
There’s no one right way to reveal your pregnancy to your partner, family and friends. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with simple news-sharing over dinner or on the phone, doing something extra to mark the occasion can turn this into a truly special moment. And once you’ve shared your news with the world, you can move on to building your baby registry, designing your nursery, and researching the best baby tech out there for your soon-to-arrive little one.
