1

What noun can be used instead of the gerund expecting? Users below have suggested expectancy, but neither its definition nor expectation's, mentions pregnancy.

I ask not about synonyms/alternatives (eg pregnant and pregnancy don't apply for both parents).

Google offered this example: He was the first to break the news about your expecting a baby. There, you'll soon be a mother, and yet you keep on complaining that you can't get on with him

Improve this question
12
  • Possible duplicate:english.stackexchange.com/questions/95316/…
    – user66974
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 13:21
  • @Josh61 I want to use 'expecting' though, not pregnant?
    – user50720
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 13:22
  • OED has this noun definition B.1 for expectant - one who expects an arrival, occurrence, etc.; one who looks to receive something. I can't see any reason why the expectant couple can't be referred to as the expectants in contexts where it's obvious the "thing expected" is a baby. Nor can I see anything wrong with referring to the couple's state as expectancy (of having a baby).
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 13:32
  • Although there is still some confusion. First you state you are looking for "'expecting' couple", for which Colin Fine gave an answer. Then you give examples with "expecting a baby.child". These two are not interchangeable: He was the first to break the news about your expecting couple makes no sense. So which one do you want?
    – oerkelens
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 13:56
  • 1
    Sometimes, there just isn't another word which you can simply drop into a sentence. If that's the case (which it seems to be with expecting = pregnant) then to avoid the undesirable word it's necessary to recast the sentence entirely.
    – Andrew Leach ♦
    Commented Oct 31, 2014 at 8:11

5 Answers 5

Reset to default
3

The phrase that comes to mind is "parents-to-be".

Improve this answer
4
  • or 'future parents'
    – adj7388
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 13:43
  • It is a pity this one cannot be used in the example sentences as "expecting a baby"... unless you turn it into "I congratulate you on being parents-to-be", which sounds awkward. It is a good expression for the expecting couple though!
    – oerkelens
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 14:01
  • "Parents-to-be" sounds perfect for a couple's first child, but would it also work for parents expecting subsequent births?
    – Papa Poule
    Commented Oct 30, 2014 at 21:56
  • I think it would still work in that case.
    – Colin Fine
    Commented Oct 31, 2014 at 0:13
3

"Expectant" is a word that is commonly used and applied individually each parent or to the couple together as in:

  • Expectant mother
  • Expectant father
  • Expectant couple
Improve this answer
1
  • As a British English speaker, I would happily say "Congratulations to the expectant couple".
    – DaveP
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 18:10
1

Congratulations to the new couple on their pregnancy.

Improve this answer
2
  • That contradicts the (correct) observation from the OP: "'pregnant/pregnancy' can't be used for both parents"
    – oerkelens
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 13:51
  • 2
    "we're having a baby" "we're expecting" meh. They likely created the pregnancy together. I admit it's not perfect, but then it's rare that any SWA is going to be.
    – SrJoven
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 13:53
1

I don't offer the noun form for "expecting couple" or "expecting a baby" but two suitable alternatives which have been around a while.

Congratulations to the prospective parents!
and
Congratulations to the newly-parents!

Improve this answer
0

A little bit out-of-the box, but an expression that can be used is

Let me congratulate you guys on your good news!

You could even simply use news, which would make it truly a one-word expression.

Good news, or great news can mean many things for a couple (getting a job, getting a house, getting married) but when they have recently found out they are expecting a baby, it is not uncommon that nothing else is as good news as the news about that pregnancy.

So, yes, the applicability of good news, (or great or fantastic, or even just plain news) depend very much on context, but that is normally not a problem - unless you have a habit of going around congratulating random people on their going to have a baby. In the latter case, do not congratulate random people on occasion of the great news!

As an afterthought, there may even be a zero-word option:

Let me congratulate you guys!

Most expectant parents will immediately assume what it is you are congratulating them with - the same way you do not have to specify to newly-weds right after the ceremony that your congratulations relate to their new marital status!

Improve this answer
5
  • 1
    Downvoter, care to explain? An explanation may raise the quality of the answer, an anonymous downvote has no positive effects whatsoever :)
    – oerkelens
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 13:53
  • I didn't downvote, but this doesn't really answer the question, but rephrases it, which seems more comment-like.
    – SrJoven
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 16:39
  • @SrJoven This is a SWR. The OP gives an example sentence, in which I replace the phrase he wants rephrased by a different phrase, as asked. I propose a single-word option as well. How does that not answer the question, and how does rephrasing the example sentence with a different expression ever not answer a question of this kind?? You are basically proposing I'm gathering downvotes for answering an SWR... you may be right as some people seem to hate them :)
    – oerkelens
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 17:46
  • @SrJoven I feel dumb, but I really don't know where you are going with those 'raptors.
    – oerkelens
    Commented Oct 29, 2014 at 18:11
  • To clarify, I didn't downvote.
    – user50720
    Commented Mar 28, 2015 at 16:33