Parents-to-be vary when it comes to the "when" of sharing the happy news. Some do it immediately; some wait many months into the pregnancy. No matter what your philosophy, when you are ready to share the good tidings, you can now do so on Facebook with an "Expecting a Baby" option added to the social network's "Life Events."
"Life Events are easy and expressive ways to mark significant moments in your life such as getting married, buying a house or traveling to new places," writes Matthew Dierker on a Facebook news posting.
Here's how you do it: When you are about to post to your Timeline on Facebook, you'll also see boxes for "status," "photo" "place" and "life event."
Click on "life event." There, you'll get a drop-down menu of choices that include "Family & Relationships." Choose that, and you'll see more options, including "Expecting a Baby." (That's different from "New child," which is the post-baby announcement.)
If you don't see the "Expecting a Baby" option, it may not have been rolled out to you yet, but should be in a matter of days, a Facebook spokesperson told TODAY.com.
Interested (or snoopy) about whether your friends are expecting a little one or ones? If they've used the feature, you can also find that info from the Celebrations section on your home page.
You’ll also be able to see when your friends are expecting a baby from your Celebrations section on your homepage:
Last month, Facebook rolled out the same feature for users who want to share news of their engagement or wedding. The social network also added new icon choices for gay couples, two grooms or two brides.
Baby news, for many, is quite personal. But understandably, if you feel like shouting it from the rooftops — or from your Facebook page, now you can.
Related stories:
- Is Boo the 'cutest dog' in the world a Facebook plant?
- Facebook feature lets you share engagement, wedding news
- Facebook rolls out same-sex icons for gay marriage
- Facebook kills off a user who isn't really dead
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