How did you tell your colleagues that you're pregnant?

[TileTileTile]

Hi, I've told my boss and his boss already, but not sure how I tell the rest of the team. I feel a bit weird sending an email out, but I also feel a bit weird going round telling people one by one to their faces. Lol. I'm just a bit shy with these things and hate to make a fuss!

How did you do it and did it work out well? Thanks!

Yeh it's so weird but I do feel awkward telling people. I know quite a few women in the 35-45 age range who are single and would really love to be mothers and so I think I feel like I'm rubbing it in their faces a little. Plus I don't want colleagues to treat me different, like I'm some sort of hormonal freak that needs special treatment. Then also don't want them thinking about me DTD, lol!

I'm sure it'll be fine! Cake, everyone loves cake..

Does anyone hear pregnancy news and then think of the person having sex? That sounds a pretty unlikely worry to me!

I waited until as late as poss, when I was showing at about 22 weeks and then told a couple of gossipy women from admin - job done!

I emailed my boss after my 12wk scan and added that he should feel free to make other staff aware, so he included it in an email to the rest of the dept, along with general announcements.

Like you, I have a colleague who is single, possibly in the "upper end" of childbearing age, and struggling with not being a mother, so I didn't want to make a big deal of it.

he included it in an email to the rest of the dept, along with general announcements. I mean there were other general announcements in the email (meeting dates, etc) not that I made general announcements about my pregnancy!

Does anyone hear pregnancy news and then think of the person having sex?

Definitely not, they think 'I hope your maternity cover is highly competent, collegial, and ideally, also good fun.'

I told my boss and a couple of close friends first and then at 15weeks in a team meeting I got my boss to tell the team (I'm shy with a quiet voice so didn't want people saying 'sorry, what did you say?').
It was embarassing in the 'everyone looking at you sort of way' but they mean well and once we left meeting room people were congratulating me, asking how many weeks etc. then it was business as usual.

In regards to people imagining you DTD - never heard of that worry. They'd be juvenile to think that and probably not 'getting any' themselves

I'm single and made the choice to have IVF so I knew it would be a big shock to people and raise some questions / gossip!!

I had terrible sickness so my boss and HR manager knew at 8 weeks via email whilst I was off sick, but were told it was confidential.

Then due to on/off sickness around 11 weeks I started telling people I'm close to and my own team, I needed the support really. Mostly it was if people asked if I was ok or it felt appropriate in conversation that I said it. One colleague I told by saying I couldn't go on a work trip, did he want to go instead. Then told him it was because I'm pregnant.

Pretty much it was just 'I'm pregnant' and then if people asked more questions or seemed confused I did then explain I'd had IVF (last thing I wanted was people to think I'd had a ONS on purpose or something!)

I didn't really have to tell that many, word kind of spreads and there are many colleagues that I rarely need to talk to so not bothered telling them and don't care if they know or not.

The hardest part is I speak to a lot of branch staff on the phone who I never meet! It never really comes up in conversation on the phone and they won't see me get bigger either! I think nearer ML I will just have to start saying 'When I'm on maternity leave etc...'

I went white as a sheet and then green and had to sit down.

They guessed and asked, I was 8 weeks and had been throwing up for 4 weeks several times at work every day. Surprised it took them that long.

I had already told my boss and his boss due to work reasons.

This makes me sick I am 20 weeks and haven't told my work and I really really have to as I am getting bigger and bigger.

My sister used overheard people bitching about her in the toilets, commenting on how much weight she'd put on. She stormed out of the toilet and shouted down the corridor "I'm not fat, I'm pregnant you ignorant cows" (that's a direct quote). And raft is how she told pretty much hr whole office at once.

I told the people I immediately work with and my bosses. Everyone else has just had to figure it out themselves from my expanding waistline. I'm sure they're not interested in hearing about someone having a baby, and I'm not really interested in talking about it, so it's worked out well so far.

Tile you are seriously overthinking this.

Your pregnancy is obviously a massive deal to you but mostly it's only of passing interest to your colleagues (sorry).

No one thinks of sex when they hear about pregnancy they either think "squee cute babies" or "sleepless nights and lots of puke" depending on their sensibilities/experience.

I announced at the end if a team meeting. They all smiled and said "of course you are, we've been waiting for you to announce it".

The easiest way to do it if you are shy though, is tell the biggest gossip in your office and sit back and let the grapevine do it's work.

Congratulations by the way!

I told my director very early on as I had a high risk pregnancy.

As for telling everyone else. I work term time so my 12 weeks scan fell just after term had finished. I went back in September with a massive bump! I didn't really need to tell anyone although I think people thought at first maybe I had enjoyed the holidays and food a bit too much.

There are no office gossips. I work mainly with 40-55 y o men.

The women I referred to in an earlier post are friends outside of work.

Work is mainly older men.

And Scarlett as I said already, the reason I feel weird telling people is because** telling them seems to be making a fuss. I don't like to make a fuss and hate the attention on me. It's not that I think it's a big deal to other people.

I've told the two people I work most closely with, and will stop wearing massive scarves from Monday! My massive for 11 weeks belly will tell everyone else. I probably will tell the two others in my team, but think word will just get around. I'm not a big fan of announcements, I'll say something to individuals as and when it feels necessary. To be honest I'm expecting most people to have already noticed as I have a big bump!

Mine was super awkward & I told my bosses before 12 weeks because I'd only just started to work there (started on the Monday, got te bfp the following Sunday!) and I wanted to give them a heads up. Plus my stomach was enormous. That was dc2.

With dc1, money actually exchanged hands when I announced it - again, I was huge from early on. Think I just mentioned that I wasn't going back to weight watchers because I was having a baby.

There are no gossips among the men? That's unusual.

Ok well then, don't tell anyone apart from your boss.

It will become obvious soon enough.

If a project/task comes up that you can't do because you are pregnant just casually say "I'm sorry I can't help, I'm pregnant and will be starting mat leave then/can't fly/can't lift or whatever.

Put your midwife appointments in your calendar they'll soon twig.

I still think you are worrying unnecessarily about this. If you largely work with men in that age group I'd imagine that lots of them will have children themselves. It won't be that big a deal to them, they'll just be pleased for you!

Not sure why you need to make a big announcement by sending an email or making cupcakes to be honest! after my boss, i told one person at the summer bbq and let her do the rest

My boss expects me to tell the rest of the team, he said in my own time, but he clearly expects me to tell everyone.

Otherwise I wouldn't bother, it's so cringe worthy. I'm quite a private person.

Since I've been there a couple of the guys have had kids and they tell everyone but it's a bit different, no one stares at their stomach or asks them personal questions about their body in the same way they might ask a woman.

It's not cringe worthy at all, it's a massive piece of news and makes sense to tell people. Stop over thinking and just hit "send"!

I left my scan photo on the desk until people enquiried

Tile in my experience men in that age group are unlikely to ask you any more than "when are you due" or "how are you keeping".

If your boss wants you to let everyone know the simplest way, given that you have said you are quite shy, is a very short email with all the relevant info.

If you have a midwife/doctors appointment anytime soon send it just before you leave for it and then all the gossiping will be done by the time you get back!

Why not something along the lines of:

Just a quick note to let you know that "John" and I are expecting a baby in September.

For planning purposes I wanted to let everyone know that I will be starting my maternity leave at the beginning of August (or whenever).

Kind Regards,

Tiles

You'll get a flood of one line emails saying "congratulations".

Honestly it won't be as bad as you think!

I told my immediate bosses early on as the first trimester is when a lot of understanding helps! The rest worked it out over 22 weeks when I was showing!

I never told anyone other than my line manager and the senior members of the team I looked after the second time. I just started wearing clothes where there would be no doubt. First time I popped into the end of a team meeting and said, I wanted to let you guys know that I'll be heading off on maternity leave in May. I'll be working hard to help find a mat cover and could they let me know if they had an special requirements for the job spec.