Why people are adding disclaimers to pregnancy announcements

When The Bachelor Australia alums Jimmy Nicholson and Holly Kingston told the world they were expecting their first child back in June, their announcement was much like others at first glance.
A series of photos showed a smiling Nicholson alongside Kingston, who was wearing a long knitted white dress that showed her baby bump, which she lovingly cradled in one image.
They also shared an ultrasound photo of their unborn child, which they have since revealed is a boy.
The couple, who met on the 2021 season of the show and wed in August 2023, shared the post across their Instagram accounts along with the caption “Coming 2024!”
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But the very next day, the couple took to Instagram again, this time with a touching video set to Coldplay’s hit song Fix You.
It showed the moment Kingston learned she was pregnant via a home pregnancy test, before she broke the news to Nicholson and they both burst into tears.
But it was the accompanying post that drew the most attention, with the couple choosing to not just revel in news of their pregnancy, but give a very real insight into the difficult road that led to the moment.
It is part of a trend of adding ‘disclaimers’ to pregnancy announcements on social media in order to be sensitive to those who might be struggling to fall pregnant.
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Nicholson and Kingston’s post began, “The moment our lives changed forever. As the saying goes… nothing worth having comes easy.
“Our journey to this positive result certainly wasn’t a walk in the park. Nothing could’ve prepared us for the lack of control, the pressure, the disappointment and overwhelming isolation that we felt.
“Every time we saw one of these posts, no matter how happy we wanted to be for those on the receiving end… it stung.
“Whilst we were struggling through this privately, we made a promise to ourselves that if/when we do eventually get pregnant, we will acknowledge on here that it wasn’t as easy as we had anticipated… in the hopes it might make some feel less alone.”
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The post continued, “For those looking at this right now experiencing infertility or loss, we see you, and from the bottom of our hearts, hope a little miracle comes your way too.
“Sending so much love and thanks for the support on our biggest adventure yet.”
The post struck a chord with many, including one follower, who wrote, “From someone who has lost, then had fertility issues afterwards and sadly weren’t able to conceive, it’s beautiful that you have [acknowledged] that it isn’t always a [rosy] pathway to parenthood, and that for some of us, we have had to pivot our lives.”
Another wrote, “This hits hard… It took us three years and IVF to conceive our son. I will never forget the IVF clinic calling me while I was driving down the M1 with the result, then having them tell me to pull over and then ugly crying on the side of the road. The struggles of infertility is not spoken about enough.”
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Seeing someone’s pregnancy announcement could be difficult for those struggling to conceive, says a Sydney-based midwife and childbirth educator.
She suggested sharing the news privately with a friend who is battling infertility before making an announcement on social media.
She also agreed with following the lead of celebrities who have added an addendum to pregnancy announcements.
When actress Anne Hathaway announced she was expecting her second child in 2019, she wrote on Instagram, “For everyone going through infertility and conception hell, please know it was not a straight line to either of my pregnancies.
“Sending you extra love.”
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