I feel a bit strange about telling colleagues I'm pregnant - I probably don't come across as very maternal

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I haven't seen my colleagues over the summer as I'm a teacher. At work, I keep things about work and while I like and get on with my colleagues (most of) there are only about 2 that I would count as friends.

Next week, I will be back at school and will be 17 weeks pregnant and I feel a bit strange about what to do. The last lady who was pregnant announced it at coffee break and everyone was getting very excited and asking lots of questions. This kind of attention would bother me a little.

Anyway, one TA randomly said to me in front of lots of other staff "Pink, I can't ever imagine you with a child" it made me feel a bit deflated and was left wondering why, what's wrong with me?

Would it be strange just to tell the people who need to know and let everyone else just notice when they do? Would this be perceived as me not being maternal/not happy to be pregnant?

Just tell the biggest gossip and it will spread like wildfire! Congratulations!

It doesn't matter what they think! You're clearly very caring or you'd not have chosen teaching as a career imo?

You don't have to make a big announcement (my idea of hell too), just confirm when people ask. And in the meantime enjoy making them uncomfortable as they wonder whether you're pregnant of just eaten too much cake over the summer hols

I will be 17 weeks pregnant when I go back to school too- I am also showing and not going to tell them straightaway as I am trying to get a mortgage application through. I am really nervous about what people will react like too as I think they will say I am not very maternal. eek

The 'maternal' thing is a total red herring. Some people have particularly dim-witted preconceptions about 'maternal' women being the type who've been chossing baby names since childhood and the type to squee over bootees and chuck strangers' babies' cheeks in prams. I'm not remotely like that - am not particularly interested in babies other than my own, did not plan to have a child at all until my late 30s. I'm still very career-minded, I just also have a five-month-old I adore.

You're going to have a baby, therefore by definition, you are about to be a mother, and you'll be the kind of mother you want to be - don;t let anyone else's ideas make you anxious. And don't make any announcements at all unless you want to. I also got pregnant in the early summer and only told my head of dept and my close work friends. The grapevine will do the rest!

I have a friend who people would not describe as maternal, and she says herself that she isn't maternal at all, but her son is the centre of her world. She doesn't ever want another one though .

Funny thing is she works in Early Years, despite the fact she says she finds playing with children boring, she obviously cares enough to do the job anyway.

I would tell those I felt comfortable talking to and let the rest do their own thing.

Hehe! I felt really awkward telling people at work, so I handed the office gossip a scan photo and said guess what, you were right (as he'd said he thought I was pregnant!) and he was so excited it kind of drew people's attention and it spread around like that!

Congrats on your pregnancy

Agree with other posters that you wouldn't be a teacher if you didn't like kids. That said, I've just gone into teaching and though I adore my own small kids and quite like some of their own, the thought of primary for 30 years is horrendous. I chose secondary.

I also agree this "maternal" label is bollox You will have a relationship with your baby not some random infant/child. Just because you don't go gooey over every pram doesn't mean you are mother material.

Just because you don't go gooey over every pram doesn't mean you are not mother material.

I don't like making announcements and getting attention. Last time I was pregnant I told one of my colleagues and as we were discussing it other people came into the room and got included in the conversation so a few people knew. Then I just let word get around.

I just told 1 person and said, "feel free to gossip, I don't like big announcements'. Did the trick.

Oh, incidentally, I'm not maternal either. I'm still pregnant though. Apparently you can get pregnant even if you don't go all misty-eyed over every infant you see!!

I didn't go gooey over other babies, wasn't interested when people brought them into school. But that wasn't an issue with DS, it turns out that he's way better than all other babies

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Personally, I would think a person who makes a pointed comment about children like the TA, is actually trying to get a bit of gossip!

Can you tip off someone nice and explain you feel nervous about the fuss, so they can shield you a bit?

I always thought of myself as not very maternal. Im also a teacher and I love the kids I teach (mostly!) and I love my friends' kids

Before I had my baby I'd prepared myself for finding it all slog but I've amazed mysf at how much im enjoying my baby.

Don't worry what people think and congratulations!

Thanks for these reassuring comments, it's nice to see lots of other teachers here too!!

Let the gossip begin, I've already picked who I'm going to 'tell'!

I am very maternal and I can't think of anything worse than making 'a big announcement'. Eeeek. Well done for hiding the morning sickness! I would perhaps tell the Head, depends on relationship with him/ her, but in terms of working out work professionally I think it's important they know before the rest of the world.