Anxiety about telling work!

[LuckyFlash]

Hi all. Looking for some advice or positive stories.

I am 7w pregnant and will need to tell my work in the next few weeks. I have been employed there for 10 months but have been on furlough for the last 5 so am really worried that this looks really bad and that I won’t have got my feet under the table enough to justify mat leave.

To make it worse we’ve just gone through a round of redundancies thanks to COVID. I managed to keep my job and was given a lot of reassurance about how valued I am which was great but I’m worried that if they need to make more redundancies I would be first in line (I realise that’s illegal but given the current situation it would be very difficult to prove I had been targeted unfairly)

No one else at the company has children (it’s a Very small, young start up) so I’ve no idea how the news will be received.

Anyone been in a similar situation or had to let work know they’re pregnant having not worked there long?

I’ve been employed since May and I’m pregnant already. It’s a huge public sector organisation so I’m not worried.

You really don’t have to justify maternity leave, it’s your legal right to take it!

I was very anxious about telling work as we're a small place and there was already someone pregnant (small childcare setting) .. I ended up having to tell them before my dating scan as they were asking me to come back early of furlough. They were lovely about it! I'd only been there just over a year before being furloughed too.. Good luck!

I was worried about this too, while I'd worked for the company for a few years - I had only been with this department for six months when I became pregnant (before I was based in another city so had no pre-existing relationship with them).

I've been wfh since lockdown and so was able to hide it for quite a while but in the build-up to telling them I was really nervous for similar reasons to you. it's a small team and there's a recruitment freeze so they aren't able to get cover for my maternity leave.
When I told them they were shocked but incredibly supportive. They have continued to be and regularly ask me how I'm feeling etc.

The fact they have told you how valued you are is a good thing. They trust you to do a good job and in my experience means they will want the best for you and be happy for you.

At my work I'm sure there have been conversations behind the scenes along the lines of 'what are we going to do??!!!') But they have been careful not to out that onto me and hopefully that will be the case for you too!

Good luck and try not to worry, once you tell them it'll be weight-off!