How did you announce you were pregnant to colleagues?

[AriAliyah]

I'm only 4+3, and have only told my boss so far so I don't have to keep lying about why I keep running to the bathroom/am late in to work.

Out of curiosity, how did you announce to your co-workers when you felt you were ready? Did you make an announcement? Tell one person and let it spread? I'm intrigued to know!

I was running a training day for my team of 30. After talking for a while in my opening presentation I got really out of breath. I paused and said, "sorry I'm a bit breathless. Side effect of pregnancy, give me a second" then moved on.

When i passed the 12 week mark and had had my scan my boss announced it to the team after a team meeting. She had asked me beforehand if I was happy with that.

Me and DH work in the same office. I sent an email to everyone mid-morning to give space to anyone who found the news difficult to deal with. It was really nice having people around the office get the email and jumping up for hugs (they knew we struggled a lot to get pregnant).

To get the full benefit of legal maternity protection best to tell your boss as soon as you feel you need time off for sickness or adjustments to how you are working. The first trimester can be difficult and you want any sickness to be recorded as pregnancy related as this is separate to your normal sickness record. And they can do risk assessments etc for you if you need to adjust. This isn’t a faff for your boss it’s their job so take advantage! Other colleagues, tell them when you like, most people would wait until after 12 week scan, but it can seem obvious before then. However I thought I was blatantly pregnant as I was sick, barely ate, felt tired and miserable and never went for drinks etc in the first trimester but oddly hardly anyone guessed! People aren’t really paying that much attention sometimes!

My team found out on their own - We would all go and get lunch from a local farmers market that was on near our office once a week and i developed a crazily increased sensitivity to smell...one of the stalls sold smoked fish rolls and I started gagging from the smell when we were still half way down to road!! One of the girls just blurted out - God are you pregnant??? And becuase I was so unprepared (and had only found out myself the week before) to be asked like that I just sort of froze and couldnt think of anything to say except "errrrm..." and they then all started screaming and jumping up and down taking that to mean Yes!

I told the office gossip hoping she'd spread it. She didn't. Waited a couple of weeks then told someone else and she told most people for me. I personally hate announcing things!

Im 11+2 and my immediate team know due to the morning sickness, one other rather perceptive person guessed. Once I've had the scan I plan on just dropping it into conversation with a few then hoping it will spread, would hate an announcement.

4+3 does seem very early. I didn't even know I was pregnant at 4 weeks. But my sickness didn't start until about 8 weeks.

My colleague guessed but politely kept quiet. When i announced it to my close team with my scan photo in hand she declared "thank god i thought you were pregnant or dying".... apparently i didnt look so good in early pregnancy!

I told my boss at 14 weeks due to morning sickness. I began telling my colleagues as and when it seemed appropriate from 18 weeks to 21 weeks, as I started to show. I just told them casually in conversation - I think a big dramatic announcement would have been odd, they are pleased for me but obviously not over the moon excited, it is my pregnancy and not theirs!

Personally there is no way I would have told colleagues (or anyone else) at week 4. I hadn't even done the pregnancy test then! The miscarriage risk is estimated at 20-25% then, higher according to some sources, and I really wouldn't have wanted to have to "untell" my whole office.

I've never "announced" any pregnancy to anyone. I find the idea really odd.