pregnancy testI've always felt weird about the super-intimate pregnancy details people share on Facebook. Maybe it's my inherent fear of jinxing a good thing, but every time I see another "here's how big my belly is this month" status update, all I can think of is how painful it would be for the mom to look back on those posts if something were to go wrong, god forbid. So the new trend of women announcing their pregnancies on YouTube, sometimes even before they tell their husbands or other family members, really makes me nervous.

Plus, there are a few other things that bug me about these videos that have nothing to do with my jinx-related paranoia. Like, why would anybody think that a close-up shot of a second pink line slooooooowly turning up on a pregnancy test would be compelling film making even for close friends and family? The '80s power ballad soundtrack is a nice touch, but still: 

And then there are the videos that get broadcast before dad gets the news. To me this sounds like an argument destined to be bitterly rehashed for years to come: "And then you went ahead and told the entire world you were pregnant with my baby before you even told me!!" I'd be offended if one of my close friends confessed big news -- from a pregnancy to a promotion to a new puppy -- on some social media network before she picked up the phone and called me. If I were a guy and a search engine picked up on the imminent arrival  of my child before I did, I think I'd feel just a little bit out of the loop, wouldn't you?

Of course there is something sort of sweet about watching a woman experience the excitement and shock and joy of discovering she's going to be a mom ... I just wonder if that's not something the people closest to her deserve to see first.

Would you announce your pregnancy on YouTube?


Image via YouTube