Hiding pregnancy at work - it's a race against time!

[MrsD28]

Anyone else struggling to hide their pregnancy at work and want to join me in a rant / sigh? I am currently 15+3 with DC2 and trying to hold off from telling work... but I feel as if I am showing much earlier than last time (though only really noticeable in tight-fitting clothes). I would usually be happy to tell work at this point, but we have been told that we will be having our appraisals "before the end of March" and all the appraisal forms etc have started to be sent round. Last year I was in talks about possibly being promoted - that was put on hold when the company went through a round of redundancies, but now that all of the redundancies are over there is a possibility that the promotion might be back on the table. Unless, of course, they know that I am pregnant...

By the end of March I will be over 18 weeks, and, at this rate, will be bloody huge! How can I hide it until then? I don't want to miss out on a possible promotion / pay rise... otherwise I will have to wait at least two years (pregnancy + maternity leave + "settling back in time") before I have the opportunity again. Argh!!

You’re under no obligation to tell them until 25 weeks pregnant.

Can you casually throw in some ‘been overindulging lately’ going to the gym, starting slimming world cos putnon weight lately type comments to put people off the scent?

The likelihood is that no one has really noticed.

A few weekends where you throw in talking about trying a really good wine?

Layers!

Keep going ! I am 16 weeks with twins and in the same boat . I don’t take my coat off until I sit down then walk with my bag in front of my tummy !!! Getting big though , hope it does not get too warm early this year ! Xxx

Similar situation currently. Only 10 weeks but normal jeans are tight right now. Didn't show until 20 with my first so I'm really hoping this is bloat and I don't continue to grow at this rate for the next few weeks.
Bonus/promotions/new salaries are being debated currently so I'm holding out as long as I can to get that locked down. Do not want to risk any discrimination that drops my bonus by anyone who has a say knowing (or thinking) I'm pregnant.
Awful that we live in a world like this really. My fingers are crossed for you.

Layers @MrsD28

A long chiffony scarf
Waterfall cardi
Tunicy top and some stretchy trousers

And

Wear a bright lipstick.

I say this as a contractor in a corporate environment who had to “hide it” until they approached me about extending my contract. Only when that new end date was signed off did I then get out my maternity dresses which make me look like a tank dressed in florals.

The only thing with not telling them is that you miss out on paid antenatal appointments

I didn't tell work until 22 weeks with DS because I was going for a big promotion and didn't want it to affect my chances when I knew I'd be good at the job.
Layers, cardigans and long floaty scarves hide a growing bump very nicely I found!

I'm 10 weeks and feel massive. I won't be able to hold on long and will end up saying after my 12 week scan I'm 2 weeks. I don't finish my 6 month probation for another 4 weeks but I've had positive feedback so far and if I don't tell them until after probation, if they wanted rid, they'd find a way to do it regardless. Almost if they know I'm pregnant they'd have to be doubly sure it couldn't be linked.

Yup MrsD I’m with you - I’m already feeling big and only 9 weeks although I have been constantly eating so not that surprising. I don’t want to tell work til 20 weeks really but not sure if I’ll last that long!!

Just keep hiding it as best you can, it would be unlikely that someone would have the nerve to come up and ask you if you are pregnant until it was really obvious.
I'm on my second now and started to get a bump at 7 weeks this time, I hid it until 16 weeks until I was ready to tell. I work in an open plan office and even the people sitting beside me all day every day hadn't realised!
And then as soon as I told them out came the maternity clothes and no body could believe where this big bump had came from overnight

By law if due a promotion they can't just not give it to u because u are pregnant

Layers...long cardigans, chiffon scarfs, heavy jumpers. Just swamp your frame so you look fat basically and mention you've gained weight, people will leave you alone.

Also comment on how you had a lovely bottle of wine the other day, few g and t's in the evening.

People will honestly just think you've gotten fatter. I managed to hide mine till 24 weeks.

Good luck!

By law if due a promotion they can't just not give it to u because u are pregnant

^

Theoretically

By law if due a promotion they can't just not give it to u because u are pregnant Yeh that's in a world of rainbows and fairy tales. Reality is the company would most likely not promote her..

@Helsvamp

The law and reality have very little crossover in situations such as this. Read “Pregnant then Screwed” for evidence of just how truly common place it is.

Hid until 22 weeks and then thought I'd best start telling people or it would get embarrassing.

Don't wear pregnancy clothes, they make you look huge. Boxy tops, long cardigans - I had a massive thick jumper that really helped!

Good to hear I am not alone! I have been moaning about over-indulging since Christmas so hopefully anyone who has noticed my expanding waist just thinks I am gaining weight. Plus I started a bit of a biscuit table tradition on our department. So far I have been wearing my usual work trousers in one size up (left over from when I was trying to shed my baby weight when I returned to work after DC1) and ever-looser (but not maternity) tops.

Regarding them not being legally allowed to deny me a promotion... in my industry, the transitions between different job titles / seniority levels are pretty vague and subjective (indeed, I am currently actually performing the role that I would be "promoted" to, just without the job title and salary!) so it would be hard for me to prove that I would have had the promotion if I had not been pregnant.

Selfishly, I would just like to be able to stop hiding my pregnancy. For my antenatal appointments at the moment I am just pretending that DC1 has medical appointments or that I have some sort of domestic emergency (my boiler seems to be breaking down a lot these days). But I just want to be able to be honest about where I am. Plus I have a friend at work who is currently 22 weeks with her second and I would love to be able to tell her. And selfishly... I am exhausted on my commute and want to be able to wear my Baby on Board badge so I can sit down! (can't at the moment, as about 5 other people from work take the same tube at the same sort of time, so the chances of running into someone are too high). Moan, moan, moan... obviously I am ecstatic about expecting DC2 though.

Don't really drink so can't use the "lovely bottle of wine stories" unfortunately... on the plus side, I don't have to make excuses for why I am not drinking!

Similar situation here! Although I'm only 8 weeks but am showing quickly as this is my 4th baby and I have no stomach muscles left.

Waiting for a long time for this promotion that I bloody well deserve in a very male dominated environment.
Hoping it'll come through soon.

Am currently wearing layers, cardigans and lots of those huge pretty scarves draped over my stomach (pretty as they look like more of a fashion thing than a heat thing)

Wishing you (and everyone else on this thread) the very best of luck

Update: appraisal meetings haven't even gone in the diary yet, despite all of us being told that they would happen before the end of March. In the mean time, I am getting bloody HUGE. I feel as if my bump has really popped in the last few days (17 weeks today)... not sure how much longer I can hold out. Hoping for a few more very cold days so that I can hide in massive jumpers!

Oh good luck OP! Is there any way you can rush them without looking suspicious?