The 30 pregnancy trends taking the world by storm and why ‘wetting the baby’s head’ is no longer the thing to do

EVERY parent wants the best start for their little one, with months of planning and preparing before their newborn arrives.

Rather than having a small baby shower with family and friends, parents are using more elaborate ways to welcome their little ones into the world.

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If you are currently expecting, you’ll probably take part in at least one of these trends -according to a study by supplement brand Vitabiotics Pregnacare.

Surveying around 2,000 expectant parents, the health company found that expectant parents taking part in increasingly elaborate trends before the due date.

Gone are the days of putting an announcement in the paper, with mums-to-be jetting off on 'babymoons', planning grand celeb-inspired gender reveals and now managing social media pages for their babies - before they are even born.

It might be a sign of the times, but parents are particularly loving trends that are Instagramable and sharing them on social media.

Even if you aren’t expecting, don’t be surprised if you end up on camera as parents filming loved ones’ reactions to their pregnancy announcement is becoming increasingly common – rising by 600 per cent since 2020.  

Just like celebs, many expectant mums are opting for elaborate gender and name-reveal parties with their popularity increasing by 500 per cent.

Alternatively, they could just post about their bubba as elaborate pregnancy announcements on social media have become increasingly popular – with 15 per cent of parents taking part in the trend.

However, it’s not all about life online.

In fact, 52 per cent of parents stated that they wanted to take part in trends that made them feel prepared for the birth – compared to just 16 per cent who wanted to make the pregnancy as ‘fun’ as possible.

This includes mums-to-be seeking boujee private antenatal classes, with groups like the National Childbirth Trust seeing a 128 per cent increase over the NHS alternative.

Another fast-rising trend has been hypnobirthing which is combines self-hypnosis, deep relaxation, breathing techniques and visualisation to help make the birth calmer.  

Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the trend has grown by 500 per cent with 12 per cent of mums now taking part.

Parents are also opting for 4D scans (up by 225 per cent) and painting their bumps (up by 300 per cent).

It is bad news for more traditional forms of welcoming your little one though, as just one in 10 new fathers still indulge in wetting the baby’s head – a tradition where dads head to the pub to toast the birth.

Speaking about the new stats, a spokesperson for Vitabiotics Pregnacare said: "Some trends come and go in life, and the same seems to be true for pregnancy.

“Social media and celebrity trends mean there are things which are now becoming a staple part of pregnancy that weren’t in the past.

“Whatever the latest trends, the most important thing is to do what’s right for you, never feel pressured by social media and enjoy every moment you can.”

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