For couples who are eager to start a family, there are no sweeter words than “We are expecting!” After all, parenting is a beautiful journey made more gratifying with the addition of your little one. What’s even more exhilarating though is its announcement to your family and close friends–for whom it is as much of a big deal as it is for you. And, of course spending time with each other.
But how do you do it in the new normal when gatherings are limited and masks and sanitisers are compulsory?
Well, that’s why we have done the work for you. We’ve curated an exciting list of activities for pregnant couples, not only to announce this big news but also to enjoy this phase with each other and their closest friends and family.
Fun Activities For Pregnant Couples: What To Do When Expecting
1. Pregnancy announcements
Sharing the news with your loved ones in the new normal means organising a Zoom call or a small gathering. But this also gives you the perfect opportunity to capture these sweet moments live and in a budget-friendly fashion.
You can personalise gifts and ask your friends and family to open together–on live video. Printable posters and t-shirts make for a great option with words such as ‘hello granny/grandpa’ or ‘hello auntie/uncle’ written on them.
- Bake a bun in the oven: You can try this tongue-in-cheek popular trick to surprise your guests with your pregnancy news. The next time you are hosting a dinner party, just put a bun in the oven. When your guests arrive, invite them to the kitchen and open the oven to show them “what’s inside.”
- Positive pregnancy test pic surprise: You can take a picture of your positive pregnancy test and sneak it onto your vacation album. Give it to your family members and ask them to look through the album with you, “just to reminisce.” When they reach the end, they’ll get to enjoy this good news with you.
2. Baby shower
The idea of a baby shower is to make a new mum feel less overwhelmed. In the new normal, when you have a handful of guests at your shower or if it’s virtual, there is no safer way to celebrate this moment.
Here are some creative baby shower activities for pregnant couples:
Unique decorations: If you have planned a virtual shower, your decorations might not be in the picture so much. Which is why you’ll need to get creative. A small budget should suffice, even if it’s a small post-pandemic gathering. Select a colour of your choice, and then decorate the room accordingly.
If you are planning to use a lot of props to decorate your room like balloons, banners, then try to make them interesting by getting them personalised. For instance, print photos or personalised messages on the balloons. The background behind where you will be seated, can be decorated with your family photos to add charm to the event.
You could also add in a tiara that matches your dress. It’s your day and you can choose to celebrate it the way you like.
Baby shower games: Just like a normal baby shower, you can play games during the virtual calls too. You can try the ‘Guess the song’ game where you give your friends clues and ask them to guess the song (as the name suggests).
You can also try ‘Movie Quizzes’ where you play the audio of a popular dialogue and ask your friends to identify the movie. Our favourite one is ‘Embarrassing baby stories.’ This is a simple game that is sure to get some laughter. Each guest must tell some embarrassing story of their childhood, whether it’s from school or college.
Decorate your cup-cake: Ask your friends to decorate cupcakes as per their wish. If you are organising a virtual event, you can drop off a pre-made cupcake to your guests’ doors. For the out-of-towners, you can share the recipe and ask them to keep it ready for the actual party. You can then choose a winner to your liking.
Design a Onesie: Another creative way to organise a baby shower is the ‘design a onesie’ party. You’ll need a plain white onesie for each baby shower guest, plus some markers or non-toxic fabric paints. Ask them to use their imagination and decorate it for your little one with a cute little message. After they are done, you can guess who has decorated which onesie.
‘What my parents said:’ You can ask your guests to write down a piece of parenting advice that they associate with their parents. Mix them up in a bowl and let everyone draw one. A virtual one can be played online, of course!
You can’t say that: Select a forbidden word for the day, like ‘baby.’ The number of times your guests use the word, their points will be deducted. The winner is the one who least used the forbidden word.
Diaper Fun: Melt different candy bars in small, microwave-safe bowls. Place them inside a diaper and have your guests guess the type of candy bar.
Opening of gifts: This is an important ritual of a baby shower. A little bit of planning and this works wonderfully for the virtual world as well. For instance, your friend may be coordinating with all the guests. She can have them send their gifts ahead of time. Then during the shower, you can open the gifts together for everybody to see.
Take group photos: Make the event memorable by taking a group photo at the end. You can even mail them a personalised ‘thank you note’ along with the photo later in the day.
3. Maternity photoshoots
Social networking is probably the easiest way to get the news out to friends and family who live far away.
Posting a picture online of your ultrasound can get the news out in an instant. It will also attract a lot of ‘Awws’ and ‘Congrats’ from the moment you decide to go online.
Some of you may also want to do a photoshoot flaunting your baby bump and involving some creative ideas. The ideal time to schedule a pregnancy photo shoot is generally sometime between weeks 28 and 32, so you can show off that adorable baby bump.
Here are some easy photoshoot ideas that you can explore.
Baby shoes: You don’t need a lot of props for this announcement. The sonogram and little baby shoes will tell people about your baby’s arrival.
Pets galore: The great thing about pet siblings posing with your bump is that they will make the announcement even more adorable.
Let siblings do the talk: Chalkboards are always a cute medium for your message if you have a pint-sized messenger. Your kids could pose with messages like “I will be a big sister soon” or “promoted to be a big brother.” Is there anything cuter than this? We think not!
Capture the bump from different angles: Your bump will go through different changes during your pregnancy. Capture your growing bump progressively each month for this type of a photoshoot. It’s simple, easy and a socially-distant way of showing your growing baby.
Go underwater: Capture your pregnant belly underwater. The distortions and reflections can make for a really cool look for a maternity photo shoot.
Go Traditional: Getting your maternity shoot done in traditional wear can be one of the coolest things to do. It is a great way to add the right dose of culture, colour and vibrancy to your photos.
Pose with nature: To capture your natural earth mama essence, you can organise the shoot at a local farm. The lush greenery in the background will add something extra to your photos.
While doing your favourite activity: Think about capturing your maternity pictures while doing your favourite activity. For instance, while reading a book or cooking. They will make for very candid shots and show you for who you truly are.
4. Gender reveal party
As parents, you are obviously interested to know the gender of your baby and share it with your loved ones. And a gender reveal party is one of the perfect activities for pregnant couples to do so. Here are some creative ways to help you plan your party that do not involve painting the room in the old-fashioned tradition colours of blue and pink.
Schedule an ultrasound: Your ultrasound technician will know if you are having a girl or a boy at around 18 to 20 weeks gestation. Ask the sonographer to write “boy” or “girl” on a piece of paper and place it in a sealed envelope. You can open this envelope on the day of the party.
Open the box: You can ask a close family member to reveal the gender to the entire party. Whether it is by cutting a cake, bursting a balloon, opening an envelope or reading a chat message on Zoom, or watching a personalised movie about your pregnancy together! This surely takes the cake for one of the most memorable activities for pregnant couples.
5. Go for a staycation
If you are planning to go for a staycation, then this is the time, go! You probably won’t get to enjoy a vacation for a while with a newborn to take care of. (Plus, let’s not forget about the pandemic affecting the whole world, still!) Choose a place of your choice closer home, where travelling won’t be hectic.
The idea should be to relax and spend quality time with your partner. You can also go for a prenatal yoga or a prenatal massage service while you are on your staycation. However, remember not to travel too close to your due date. Also don’t forget to carry your sanitisers and masks and practice caution.
Visit Singapore Parenting Festival for more information to help parents find answers to their parenting and pregnancy concerns.
Register now for SPF webinars here.