A very American tradition, baby showers are increasingly catching on in this part of the world. If you decide you want to have a baby shower, you probably won’t be the one doing the planning, but whoever is will be looking for your input as to when to have it. Finding the right balance between too soon and too late is essential.
Too Soon
You are not even supposed to be announcing your pregnancy during the first trimester because of the higher risk of miscarriage. Besides, you will most likely be experiencing nausea and discomfort as your body begins to adjust to the new addition. Another reason to not have the shower too early is because people have not had enough time to get excited yet. Seeing your baby bump and hearing how you are preparing for your new baby will help your friends and family get more excited about the arrival of your child.
Too Late
If you want too long to hold your shower you run into a couple of other problems. First, there is always the possibility of you going into labour preterm or early. This means your shower would have to be postponed until later on, once you have been settled in with your newborn and have healed (and you many miss out on the ‘shower gifts’ you would have received for your newborn will not happen!). The other problem with waiting until late in your pregnancy is that you are going to be uncomfortable, miserable, and anxious for your baby to arrive. This will not be as much fun.
The ideal time to have a shower is later in your second trimester. In your second trimester, you are beginning to show without the burden of morning sickness. You have more energy and you are working hard to get ready for parenthood before the burdens of the third trimester kick in.
