Soft-Launching Your Pregnancy Or Baby Online: What Is It, Is It For You, And How Is It Done?

There’s nothing wrong with sharing all your milestones on social media if that’s your thing. But, if you’re at the point where you want to avoid over-sharing, you might want to consider this low-key trend among young parents. Enter: soft-launching.

This term was originally coined for couples who don’t want to announce their relationships in full blast yet. Here, you might share a picture of a romantic dinner setting where it’s obvious that you’re eating with somebody, but you don’t show the person’s face in the photo.

'Soft-launching your pregnancy or baby online can be a great way to share the news of a pregnancy or the birth of your baby with friends and family in a more controlled and intimate way.'

It's a bit similar when it comes to babies. Soft-launching your pregnancy or baby online can be a great way to share the news of a pregnancy or the birth of your baby with friends and family in a more controlled and intimate way.

You may do this within your closest networks first before creating a social media post for all of your online friends to see. You may also just drop mysterious hints to keep people guessing (and hopefully root for your health and safety).

Why are parents soft-launching their pregnancy or baby news?

It could be a random personal preference, but a lot are doing this for practical or understandable reasons. When I did a mini survey through my friends, one of them said that they did a soft-launch so that they could inform their distant relatives and friends in just one post. Efficient, right? But that’s not the only reason.

Here’s a list of other reasons why parents make this choice:

1. Privacy

Some parents prefer to keep their pregnancy or baby news within their close circle of friends and family first. But, they might like dropping hints or simply want to document milestones through “soft launch” photos.

Kylie Jenner shares new photo announcing that she and Travis Scott welcomed their second child on Wednesday, a baby boy. ?? pic.twitter.com/xORufiC04k

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 7, 2022

2. Safety

A soft launch allows parents to share the happy news in a way that won't attract unwanted attention from strangers or potential harm to the baby. Some parents even choose to not show their baby’s face at all in their social media posts until they’re old enough to have their own account.

3. Control

With a soft launch, you can limit the people you share the news with and when, rather than having the news spread uncontrollably. This is understandable, especially if you have family living abroad and you want to surprise them when they visit here. 

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4. History

Sadly, some parents may have experienced miscarriages or other traumatic events with their first child (or children). Because of this, they might be discouraged to share the news with everybody until they’re confident about the situation (e.g. when the pregnancy has passed the most delicate months). 

How do you soft-launch your pregnancy or baby?

Back to the little survey I did, two preggos mentioned that they were still thinking about their soft-launch. If you think this trend is something you want to do, here are a few ideas on how to go about it, based on personal experience with my friends:

Chat Group (or Groups) First

Share the news on a private social media group or through a messaging app with close friends and family. Or, share a sonogram photo or the baby's first photo with a select group of people. 

Recently, another one of my high school friends also sent a “random” chat that confused us all. He said, “Hi friends.” And in that chat group, it was out-of-character for all of us—getting a “Hoy!” or a “Kailan tayo next magkikita?” was the norm.

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And then, we all started replying and asking what’s up. The friend didn’t reply for a few minutes and left us all on the edge of our seats. When he came back, he sent a sonogram photo with the name of his wife printed on it. And we were all so happy for them and excited to welcome a new baby into the group!

In-Person Surprise

This is still in the context of your closest family or friends only—but in a face-to-face get-together. You can make your announcement during a family dinner or a scheduled hangout with your barkada. 

One of the wittiest “soft-launches” I witnessed was when my college friends got together for the first time after the pandemic. Eight of us ate at a buffet. When it was time to check the bill, our guy friend who got married to a girl in our group started “rechecking” the number of people accounted for in the bill.

 'The best way to soft-launch your pregnancy or baby online will depend on you.

He said, “Eight lang nakalagay dito, eh nine tayo.” He started counting out loud, pointing to each of us around the table starting from himself. He ended with his wife and counted, “Eight, nine.” You can just imagine our confusion, loading time, genuine surprise, and delight when we realized what he meant!

“Cryptic” Post

This is perfect if you’re the type that loves stirring up people’s curiosities. Maybe you just “randomly” post a prayer request for your health in the coming months. Maybe you share a baby meme or photo that hints at the pregnancy. (In my case, on the day I found out I was pregnant, I shared a random memory with my first “kids”—our dogs.)

Maybe you create a video sharing your thoughts and feelings about a recent celebrity pregnancy or baby announcement. Most of your acquaintances might shrug it off, while the people who genuinely care about you may try to start conversations. Enjoy!

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Ultimately, the best way to soft-launch your pregnancy or baby online will depend on YOU! Prioritize your personal preferences and the dynamics of your relationships with friends and family. Put your own flair to however and to whoever you want to share the news with.

Getting pregnant and giving birth are stressful enough, so we hope that for these little things, you make them a joyful experience. And whether you come to a point when you’re ready for your social media world to meet your child or you choose to keep the news your secret till the end, you do you.

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