It’s interesting to see the two camps that people fall into now I’ve given birth to my daughter.
Some of them aren’t surprised by the fact that I was tweeting up until about 20 minutes before Olivia was born, and some are absolutely horrified.
“But it’s a precious time” they say “How could you be tweeting and putting messages on Facebook?”
And I can understand their point of view, but to me there was nothing else to do!
Let’s be honest here, I took the easy way out of labour and opted for an epidural (thank you French health system!). There was no screaming, puffing and panting – it was a pretty chilled experience, and didn’t last long, so there was plenty of time for keeping people up to date.
When my waters broke at 2.30am, I posted on Facebook and on Twitter, as well as sending emails to many of my family, and posting in a couple of forums I’m a member of. By 5am I was at the hospital. There was no panic, no running about, no worries, and not a lot to do! So out came the trusty iPhone to update peeople.
By 8am there were responses to my messages, so it seemed natural to reply to them, and let them know what was going on.
And by 9am I was posting ‘Olivia should be here in an hour!’ – of course, like her mum, she was running late, but at 10.45 I posted that she had been born, and I think by 11am there was a picture of her circulating to my friends and family. The power of the internet!
It amazes me that people can see something wrong with this situation – I have friends and family all over the place, I live in a different country to most of them, and the easiest way for me to keep them updated was via the usual channels I keep in touch – social media.
Imagine – within 15 minutes of Olivia being born, her picture was being seen by my Mum & Dad in the UK, my friends in Australia and America, Shaun’s friends and ex colleagues in Belgium, and more! How cool is that?
When I had my first daughter, Leigh, almost 18 years ago, I didn’t even own a mobile phone – and if I had, it wouldn’t have had a camera on it! I had to take pictures the old fashioned way and wait for the film to develop. part from close family, the only way others could meet her was if I could get to visit them, they could get to visit me, or if I posted them pictures.
Nowadays I can talk to my mum via Skype, send videos with my Flip, text or email pictures instantly with my iPhone, and keep everyone updated easily. If you’d have told me that 18 years ago I would have thought you were mad!
The point of this blog? It’s easy to get tied up in promoting your business via social media, but let’s not forget that the word ‘social’ is a big part of this – through sharing part of myself, my personal life and my thoughts I’ve gained new friends, new contacts and yes, new business.
So no, tweeting while in labour wasn’t a gimmick (and @ev got there before me anyway when his wife had their baby!), and I’m glad I did it – I can’t wait to tell Olivia about it when she’s older, and show her the hundreds of messages it generated!
Nikki
NikkiPilkington
Latest posts by NikkiPilkington (see all)
- People are looking for YOU on Twitter right NOW! - September 7, 2011
- 11 things I have learned from writing ebooks - August 24, 2011
- Disenchanted? Let down by society? Don't make me laugh #londonriots - August 10, 2011
So we send a weekly digest to our email subscribers.
(We also send exclusive subscriber only content...)
So what are you waiting for!!
I wonder what they’ll have invented to ease birthing by then?
She’ll probably say (in any one of the languages Shaun will doubtless have taught her): “An epidural? Mum, that’s SO yesterday…
We’ll probably all lay eggs by then
I wonder what they’ll have invented to ease birthing by then?
She’ll probably say (in any one of the languages Shaun will doubtless have taught her): “An epidural? Mum, that’s SO yesterday…
We’ll probably all lay eggs by then
Good for you, Nikki – and congratulations
Debs x
Thanks Debs – much appreciated!
Good for you, Nikki – and congratulations
Debs x
Thanks Debs – much appreciated!
can we categorise this under multitasking?? my worry was that you didnt relax, instead of focusing on being calm and on the baby you were engaged in sharing it with the world. i thought that is very intimate and private but i can totally understand and respect your point. but if you were fine with it, so why not, why not make the most of what we have?? . it was an experience, yes the power of the internet…. and it is some how selfless, as you wanted to update your family and friends rather than take time off the world… so hope Olivia will find it interesting and appreciates the experience when she get to understand it…
Thanks Suhad – I was so calm and relaxed that I slept through 3 hours of contractions
The powers of an epidural 
can we categorise this under multitasking?? my worry was that you didnt relax, instead of focusing on being calm and on the baby you were engaged in sharing it with the world. i thought that is very intimate and private but i can totally understand and respect your point. but if you were fine with it, so why not, why not make the most of what we have?? . it was an experience, yes the power of the internet…. and it is some how selfless, as you wanted to update your family and friends rather than take time off the world… so hope Olivia will find it interesting and appreciates the experience when she get to understand it…
Thanks Suhad – I was so calm and relaxed that I slept through 3 hours of contractions
The powers of an epidural 
I spent a good couple of years trying to avoid accepting being added as friends by networking colleagues or clients as I hadn’t wanted people to know the “real me”, only the “work me”. This meant I kept facebook for old school friends, close friends etc. How wrong I was!
I have now realised (thanks to Nikki’s example) that the two are totally intertwined. I now happily chat/tweet about work amongst uploading pictures of my new baby daughter, talking about my hangover last weekend
and generally I have realised if you show people the “real you” they respect you SO much more for it.
So thank you Nikki!
It’s a thin line I think Claire
But if walked properly then it can be good for both social and business
I spent a good couple of years trying to avoid accepting being added as friends by networking colleagues or clients as I hadn’t wanted people to know the “real me”, only the “work me”. This meant I kept facebook for old school friends, close friends etc. How wrong I was!
I have now realised (thanks to Nikki’s example) that the two are totally intertwined. I now happily chat/tweet about work amongst uploading pictures of my new baby daughter, talking about my hangover last weekend
and generally I have realised if you show people the “real you” they respect you SO much more for it.
So thank you Nikki!
It’s a thin line I think Claire
But if walked properly then it can be good for both social and business
You know what, I missed all of this when you tweeted, my daughter noticed and texted me to say “Nikki’s having her baby”
I was talking to someone earlier today and they stated they they had a business twitter and a personal twitter and the personal twitter has more followers – they had yet to grasp that being human and a person is what makes them interesting.
Am glad you tweeted and facebooked, it was lovely to see the pics and know you were ok
You mean you weren’t checking out my tweets at 3, 4 and 5am Sarah? Pah!
You know what, I missed all of this when you tweeted, my daughter noticed and texted me to say “Nikki’s having her baby”
I was talking to someone earlier today and they stated they they had a business twitter and a personal twitter and the personal twitter has more followers – they had yet to grasp that being human and a person is what makes them interesting.
Am glad you tweeted and facebooked, it was lovely to see the pics and know you were ok
You mean you weren’t checking out my tweets at 3, 4 and 5am Sarah? Pah!
Being the wrong side of 50 I still feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer, all-engulfing power of the internet, and sometimes wonder if it isn’t all too much. But there speaks a boring old f*rt.
Like all Nikki’s many, many friends I too was watching FB to get the latest news on Olivia’s progress and was thrilled to think I shared in the news of her birth so soon afterwards. As Nikki says, it was a wonderful way for them to involve friends and family all over the world – something that would have been impossible even ten years ago.
Recently, too another highly emotional use of FB was made by a couple who went through the terrible agony of a stillborn baby. Once again being an old-fashioned f*rt I was a little shocked to see that they put up a photograph of themselves holding their dead little daughter who was dressed in a tiny babygro … but that was me projecting my own views on them (I would have wanted to keep it private.)
After listening to numerous people’s comments about it I realised that in fact the internet here had become a valuable vehicle for this poor couple to use to outpour their grief and somehow try to set about dealing with their awful tragedy. Whether it is helping them now or not I don’t know, but certainly it would not have been an option for them ten years ago – exactly as in the case of Nikki’s happily positive event.
There truly is no end to the possibilities of social media. What next, I wonder?
Being the wrong side of 50 I still feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer, all-engulfing power of the internet, and sometimes wonder if it isn’t all too much. But there speaks a boring old f*rt.
Like all Nikki’s many, many friends I too was watching FB to get the latest news on Olivia’s progress and was thrilled to think I shared in the news of her birth so soon afterwards. As Nikki says, it was a wonderful way for them to involve friends and family all over the world – something that would have been impossible even ten years ago.
Recently, too another highly emotional use of FB was made by a couple who went through the terrible agony of a stillborn baby. Once again being an old-fashioned f*rt I was a little shocked to see that they put up a photograph of themselves holding their dead little daughter who was dressed in a tiny babygro … but that was me projecting my own views on them (I would have wanted to keep it private.)
After listening to numerous people’s comments about it I realised that in fact the internet here had become a valuable vehicle for this poor couple to use to outpour their grief and somehow try to set about dealing with their awful tragedy. Whether it is helping them now or not I don’t know, but certainly it would not have been an option for them ten years ago – exactly as in the case of Nikki’s happily positive event.
There truly is no end to the possibilities of social media. What next, I wonder?
I must say I too was looking forward to the news of the new arrival as well as pics, so I am glad you posted them. if the whole experience was painless and with time on your hands then why not. Must say it is better to read about a real person’s experience than Angelina and such like!
I must say I too was looking forward to the news of the new arrival as well as pics, so I am glad you posted them. if the whole experience was painless and with time on your hands then why not. Must say it is better to read about a real person’s experience than Angelina and such like!
I like your explanation. Social media is about sharing yourself and its realism that makes it an activity we enjoy. It cracks me up what people choose to get 'on it' about over other people's tweets and updates. I think it's clear when someone is genuinely sharing versus self promotion – especially if you have taken the time to follow that person and therefore kind of know them.
I was wondering what your birth experience was like. A) my wife spent 2.5hours in a birthing pool i.e. water and B) what was coming out of her mouth wasn't for sharing! Our baby boy Jago was though and the true joy of todays internet is that we can share our lives with the people who love us instantly.
It’s a shame your wife was apparently unable to give birth in the water, Jonnie. I did so, at home, and it was a wonderful and calming experience – though I would have fought to the death anyone who tried to take my gas and air cylinder away from me when I went to the toilet! There really is a massive difference between a waterbirth and a landbased birth (unless you’re in France, where pain is not the done thing!).
It's been suggested I get a business twitter but I don't like the idea of being impersonal…but then I don't want to bore my followers with talk trying to drum up business either!