In the age of TikTok, pregnancy announcements have taken on new life. Carefully crafted, playful reveals allow thousands to enjoy the moment vicariously.
Such is the case for Hailey Poehls’, @haileypoehls, viral video showing the pregnancy reveal to her husband via a Starbucks coffee cup. Her husband’s shocked reaction has garnered over 920,000 views and 103,000 likes.
“[I] went to Starbucks and asked them to put ‘I’m pregnant’ on the sticker instead of my name,” Poehls wrote over the video. “[I] went home and handed it to my husband.”
Zinkevych/Getty Images
Poehls’ husband’s eyes widened immediately upon reading the announcement, and his smile transformed into a gaping mouth.
Viewers of the video were amused by his shock.
“The complete change of emotions in .018636 seconds,” @bswizzle_000 wrote.
“The way you made his brain lock up,” @andrea09130214 said. “Priceless.”
Poehls revealed a bit of background context to her order, writing in response to a comment that she had made the Starbucks barista nervous when instructing him to write the message on the cup.
“I want to see the Starbuck’s worker yelling out ‘I’m pregnant!'” @phishtahkoh wrote.
Poehls replied: “The poor guy who took my order was like 19 and was so uncomfortable … he asked me to double check how he spelled pregnant.”
Pregnancy Announcements: When and How?
Poehls’ video exists within a large canon of hilarious pregnancy announcements online—even the coffee cup reveal is not new.
Some videos go viral for their clever methods of dropping the news, while others go viral for the reaction of the partner. Some even go viral for making the whole thing up.
Last month, a father of six’s shocked response to his wife pranking him with a seventh pregnancy received 38.4 million views on TikTok.
Jokes aside, though, when and how should people reveal their pregnancies to loved ones?
Many couples decide to wait until after the 12-week scan to celebrate more safely beyond the risk of miscarriage, baby care product brand Huggies shared on its website. Others, however, share the news imminently, trusting that friends and family will be by their side no matter the outcome.
Huggies suggests making a list of priority loved ones and professionals to tell, emphasizing parental support as a potential priority and resource.
“Face-to-face, over dinner, on the phone, via text or FaceTime, both sets of parents together—you know them best,” the website said. “Whatever you decide, parents-in-the know can be a huge support during your pregnancy.”
The brand also suggests how to break the news to loved ones who might be more sensitive to pregnancy announcements due to infertility or experiences of baby loss. Sharing the news early, confidentially and with compassion is key.
In general, however, pregnancy announcements necessarily take on their own character depending on the couple—and the Poehls are no exception. The video has left some wondering if Hailey has set a precedent within the relationship.
“He’s never gonna trust getting a Starbucks from you again,” @fionaaeb93 wrote. “He’ll always be nervously looking at the name on the cup.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.