To want to cover up pregnancy at work! Suitable clothing suggestions appreciated !

[Soundbathfan]

Hi all
I'm 16.5 weeks and on the cusp of popping. Don't want work to know til I'm 20/24 weeks...
I'm size 20 and tall so at the mo I just look like I've been on an all inclusive and eaten like a horse.
just wondering where I should be looking for suitable clothes so I don't look like I'm popping!
Also is it unreasonable not to tell work til this late on?

I wore a floaty scarf, I think it really distracts the eye from your tummy. (also highly recommend it for after baby born)

Don't suddenly start wearing a long scarf draped over your belly or you might as well have a neon sign over your head saying I'm pregnant.

I would tell work though just so that they can do any risk assessments needed and work out how to cover you for maternity leave.

I thought you had to tell them by 20 weeks?

Twice I've told managers but not wanted my team to know. I've just worn baggier stuff and tried to hold myself in as best I could when getting up to go to the toilet etc, trying to have a strategically placed laptop etc for going to meetings!

Bigger sizes work better than actual maternity stuff which accentuates the stomach.

I read somewhere else to avoid scarves as there's a few online things that recommend these so they now make people suspicious!

You'll have replies that it can't be done but I had genuinely really shocked reactions both times.

Hah this is obviously a thing then.

25

Is there a reason you want to leave it so late? My work were grateful to have time to arrange cover and handover etc

I'm 25 weeks and on the larger side.

I've been wearing gathered dresses from Duns of Sweden (and none of my colleagues have twigged so far. used the excuse of the heatwave for why I've switched from trousers but the dresses are similar to my tops anyway)

I managed to get to week 25 and when I told work people were genuinely surprised.

I wore loose fitting floaty maternity closures and floaty scarves and always carried a clipboard or folder when I had to walk around.

Try Yours Clothing. Lovely clothes for size 20 and live maternity wear.

Don't suddenly wear very different style clothing. Go for bigger sizes of what you normally wear

Thanks for the recommendations! I am keen to hear any more too!
I defo want to wait til 20 week scan because I have a number of complicating factors. I would like to tell them then but I'm waiting for a promotion to be confirmed and although I'd love to believe discrimination doesn't happen in the NHS I know it does 😂

I'm same size as you 6ft and size 20. With both my pregnancies I wore baggy clothes, I didn't really show until I was well gone 30 weeks and no one said anything. With my first pregnancy I flew at 36 weeks and the ground hostess didn't even ask for my fit to fly note so clearly just looked fat 🤣

Patterned dresses. They'll never know 🤣

If you wear jackets at work, a blazer worn open can also help because from the side you can't tell there's a bump 😊

I kept my pregnancy secret from work as I was on a fixed term contract. I told them when I was 20 something weeks (I work in HR so the latest I had to tell them :-D).

I only had to go in every now and then, I am also curvy (second baby so even more so!), I wore a baggy blouse type top which helped!

I would look for boho style tops, They tend to flowy vs just baggy.

Crud posted before I added the pic

I was interviewing when pregnant and wanted to get past the initial stages before letting them know I was pg. I wore black dresses with a coloured blazer over the top. It stops anyone seeing the side silhouette and disguises the bump pretty well.

I was waiting for a fixed term contract to be renewed before letting my manager know I was pregnant, so similar situation.

I got charity shop outfits in bigger sizes, and often left waist fastenings undone (not visible obviously)

However, I wouldn’t leave it too much longer, as you need risk assessment etc. This reminded me of a colleague who got a promotion in your situation, and some of our colleagues were total misogynistic arseholes about it, saying it was discustin she had got the promotion when she would be going on maternity leave.

I hope that doesn’t happen to you OP, but brace yourself!!

Eugh it's terrible isn't it!! I am a total career woman and no one including me expected or will be expecting this to happen! I'm gonna wait til 20 weeks but I feel terrible about doing it!
Thing is with my role there's no way there will be mat cover for me anyway!! I'll just come back to it all😂🙈

In this weather I'd get some lovely floaty linen tunics (White Stuff are great for this) and wear with leggings/fitted trousers. Don't go for gathered under the bust though as this will just draw eyes straight to your tummy.

at the mo I just look like I've been on an all inclusive and eaten like a horse.

Tell them when you like but if there's any change at all then people might be quietly suspecting anyway. I didn't think my tiny bump was noticable at all in my work outfits based on me examining myself in the mirror but when I started telling people recently a few told me they had wondered. I'm 20 weeks now and there's definitely no hiding it but it's my second pregnancy so I'm showing earlier and I'm usually size 8.

Thank you all!!! Loads of ideas to check out here