The wait becomes harder when every update asks people to begin expecting again.

Waiting is bearable at a low, steady level. What exhausts people is the repeated rise: a message saying news is close, hope assembling itself, then nothing, then the whole climb again next week. Each cycle costs more than the last, because the body does not distinguish between real news and the preparation for it. By the tenth time, the update itself has become the difficult part.

If you are the one giving news, say only what has actually changed, and say when the next real update will come. If you are the one waiting, you are allowed to set the thing down between messages.