Creative Pregnancy Announcements

Whether it's planned or a surprise, finding out that you're pregnant is one of the most special moments of a woman's life.

Once the shock and awe has settled in, it's time to share the happy news with your friends and family. We love the idea of incorporating humor and creativity into such an epic event, so we rounded up our favorite ways to announce to the world that you're going to become a proud mama (or papa!).

1. Say it Visually

As we know, a photo is worth a thousand words. We love the photo above (even though yes, it features a handful of choice words) because it's modern, original and forces the viewer to earn that "Aha!" moment.

And with today's technology, you can recreate something like this in 15 minutes or less (you can even do the whole project on your phone with a free app like LabelBox). Best of all, you can easily mail it to everyone in your address book and share it via Facebook and Twitter.

2. Pregnancy Announcement Cards

If you're a little more traditional and enjoy the visceral experience of opening a card, we suggest you send custom pregnancy announcements. There's a ton of resources on the Web, including CardsEtcetera from Etsy (designs featured above) that make it a low fuss project with a high class presentation.

If you're on a budget, consider sending card announcements to a select group, like close family and grandparents and email announcements to everyone else. You can also save some cha-ching by creating a simple design on Photoshop and printing one-sided cards at your local FedEx Kinko's.

3. Throw an awesome shindig

We don't care what TheStir thinks about gender reveal parties or pregnancy announcements -- we say you've got the right to celebrate your pregnancy! That's why we love the idea of creating an event around your pregnancy announcement. What could be more fun than having your closest friends and family around to surprise them all at once? The affair can be a simple brunch or dinner event, with its creativity and extravagance only limited to your mind! Tap into your inner Martha Stewart to craft up some cute favors (like the ones seen above), treats and decorations. For some great party ideas, check out our Pinterest board "Announcements, Showers & More." One of our favorite ideas comes from Corie Konant from PregnancyandBaby.com

“At a dinner party with all my girlfriends…I bought miniature plastic babies from a party store, froze them in ice trays and dropped them into their…martinis. In a few minutes I heard, ‘Wait...why is there a baby in my drink!’”

4. Announcement Shirts