You May Regret Not Surprising Your Partner With A Fun Pregnancy Annoucement
Every pregnancy is unique and every one has their own way of reacting to the news. Some are stunned, some are relieved, some never thought it was possible, and some just knew it in their bones. One of the cutest things online is getting the chance to see some of these reactions from people who share cute videos of surprise pregnancy announcements they give to their loved ones.
The Huffington Post recently shared a video by Kelsey Cocklin, who announced her baby news to her husband by wrapping a couple craft beers in labels that said “Daddy’s Beer” and “Oops.” Her husband says it was the perfect way for her to share the surprise.
I love craft beer,” Jordan Cocklin told The Huffington Post in an email. “So when I got home that night, she told me she had a surprise in the fridge for me. I assumed she had found a rare beer, or a beer I really liked. I didn’t think twice about looking in there, or think there was something else going on.” When Jordan peeked in the fridge, he found a rare beer indeed: Dad beer.
I only wish my reactions to my own ‘oops’ moments had been as thoughtful and well-planned as Kelsey’s. I am one of those rare creatures who has only had unplanned babies. I have two beautiful, healthy children, and both of them were the results of birth control that was used 100% correctly, according to my OB/GYN, but just happened to fail. Both times I found out I was pregnant, I was panicked out of my mind and couldn’t have kept it a secret and made it a surprise to my husband even if I wanted to. I told my husband before I even took a test. I needed the emotional support of my partner.
I’ve been lucky in a lot of ways. I got pregnant easily and both of my children are healthy, I’m with a devoted partner, and we’ve been able to adjust to accommodate our surprise kids relatively easily. I don’t take any of that lightly. It’s an abundance of privilege. Still, I wish our memories of finding out about our kids weren’t muddled with so much surprise and panic. I feel like I missed out a little bit when I see other people surprising their partners, siblings, or parents with cute pregnancy announcements. I feel bad ours weren’t a bit more sentimental and less stressful.
I guess that’s what I’m really jealous of: the sense of calm. I never got to have that experience of thinking and planning, doing it on my terms, and sharing the news on my terms. Even though the Cocklin’s baby was a surprise, they still seemed relaxed and ready, at least enough that she took the time to surprise her husband instead of just letting him pace outside the bathroom door while she peed on a stick like I did. I wish I had handled it a bit differently.
I’m done having kids, so I won’t get a third try, but that’s okay. I’m grateful for my babies and I’ll just continue to live vicariously through cute pregnancy announcements on Facebook and The Huffington Post.
