How did you announce pregnancy news to your colleagues?

[anniz91]

Hi all

I am currently 18 weeks pregnant and told my boss at 16 weeks I'm pregnant. However, I have yet to disclose the at to my colleagues. I feel pretty awkward and wanted to wait as long as possible to disclose this as I'm still on probation and pretty much still a newbie. I'm starting to show a lot but hiding under baggie clothes, I planned on waiting till 20 week scan to tell my coworkers.

My main question is How did you tell your colleagues? Im such an introvert that this is quite private for me but I know people need to know and I feel a bit scared they are going to be pissed by me not disclosing it earlier due to planning.

I’m quite private so whilst I told my boss and in slower time told my line reports, I let the wider team by “forgetting” to remove my baby on board badge. I had a fairly small bump but Im sure some people had started to wonder as I was quite far gone so this affirmed it for them and made them comfortable to congratulate me and chat about it 1 on 1 without the need for an announcement.

“Oh, by the way, I’m 12 weeks pregnant”.

I told my team last week as I'm starting to show and they'd have guessed. As all of their boss, I wanted to them to hear it from me rather than working it out or rumours. My boss knew from about 8 weeks as was feeling quite rough.
In my senior management team meeting we were discussing future leavers/long term leave and when it got to the maternity section, I just said you might want to add me to the list. I wasn't sure how else to tell them. Anyone else will work it out themselves soon!

I wouldn’t tell colleagues at all. Just your line manager/HR/whoever needs to know.

Yep this is how it was for me too. I had only been with the company for two months before I got pregnant

When pregnant with DD I worked somewhere where news always travelled fast, I told the biggest gossip in the building and by lunchtime everyone knew (which was fine with me, it meant I didn't have to announce it to everyone)

This is a really terrible idea. Please don't do this.

I have friends who have had fertility problems or suffered late miscarriages or stillbirths who have had to stop using all social media because they find this kind of thing too upsetting. Especially scan photos.

To do it on Teams, where no one has the option to leave, is incredibly thoughtless and cruel.

I actually found this so awkward and I’m absolutely not what you would call an introvert! I personally mentioned it to my team leader and sort of said I’m happy for everyone to know but don’t want to look a dick announcing it but equally I don’t want to pick and choose my ‘favourite’ colleagues to tell and the others to hear on the grapevine… office politics!! So she suggested that she mention it at the end of a team meeting which worked well to be honest. Everyone knew at once, it got all the congrats etc over with at once and then we all got on with our day.

Told the one with the biggest gob to do my job for me.

I didn't get to tell them myself unfortunately. Told one person and it spread like wildfire.... 🙄

All mine have had announcements in department meetings

It means everyone knows at the same time and you can celebrate a little after too

Told my manager but just let everyone realise as I expanded, was a bit of a surprise to many as I hadn't told them I was married.

I didn't tell anyone until 24 weeks other than one colleague who was a very good friend, it was dc2 and I think anyone I'd seen in person had guessed by then anyway. The people who needed to know for planning I just dropped it in during a forward look meeting 'so this is what the next few months look like, I'll be starting maternity leave on x date so we can factor that in'.
One of those people was the company gossip so he told everyone else for me.

I'm very aware of the impact announcements can have on anyone with their own issues after my own fertility struggles so I would never post scan pics or make big cringeworthy announcements.

I received a scan photo announcement in a work group chat the other day and it nearly floored me. It really took me by surprise how much. I thought I was coping ok but maybe not.

I’d still much rather that way than face to face though; I wouldn’t want to take away from the moment for my colleague and I’m pretty sure my face momentarily and subconsciously would have.

some of them knew as I was sick constantly (until it happened in front of HR when I puked into a bin beside me and she told me that I was too ill to be working if I couldn’t make it to the loo to be sick).

but... the rest I came in joyfully asking everyone if they wanted to see my scan photo. We had been trying for years... so I got many hugs that day

@ClearButtons

Please tell me you are joking?

I agree with PP, this is crass & insensitive. I remember years ago a colleague emailing the entire office (several hundred employees) her scan photo. We were all 😳

I think scan photos are personal too, I don't think I showed ours to anyone.

I think your email idea is perfect. I'm a nurse so work in quite female dominated teams. I remember one shift a few months ago where 3 (including myself) of the 6 nurses on had had miscarriages in the previous 3 months. I only knew because I'd told my ward sister to share that I'd had miscarriages if someone else was telling her, so they had someone who understood how that might feel. Nobody else knew. A scan picture on teams would be devastating and face to face is really hard work. An email is how I will share any future pregnancies, it's how I would want one shared with me.

How is Teams Chat any different to text, email or Whatsapp?

@EarringsandLipstick you think emails are insensitive? My boss suggested I share the news via email (no scan photo).

I think that's the best option people can ignore or congratulate I don't really care. I wouldn't even say anything if I didn't have to 🙄

In my told its really hard as it’s in our terms and conditions that we disclose any pregnancy the very second we find out and have to come off front line. I love front line and want to stay as long as possible but my partner is one of the managers so we definitely couldn’t lie.

hard as we could tell them and then I could miscarry and have to return to frontline straight away with everyone knowing

I told the biggest gossip and everyone knew within hours 😂 Although I waited until 20 weeks for everyone except my (very discrete) manager so they probably all guessed anyway.

@YelloCar nooo! I am cringing inside. I could never sent a scan photo to my colleagues that's just beyond private.

But I am planning on just sending an email saying hey all I'm pregnant with the baby due in January.

Finished. I hope that's not too insensitive. I don't really care people can ignore the email or say congratulations. I'd rather keep it quiet and to myself.

@brightnesses l have only worked here 5 minutes as well! Awkward.

I am planning to tell my boss in a couple of weeks. Not sure how or when to tell everyone else. My dates mean that my expansion should co-incide with wearing winter jumpers etc so l intend to keep it on the down low for a while. If this pregnancy works out, then it will be after nearly 5 years after starting to try so lm rather paranoid

I think it's totally wrong to send scan pictures to colleagues via any of those.

Sorry if that was unclear.

I was distinguishing between work communications, which you can't remove yourself from, and social media like Facebook, Instagram, etc.

No, I meant the scan photo, not the email!

Tho I wouldn't email either - I'd just tell people as I saw them, it'll get around quickly when you tell one of two people so it's easily done.

I think emailing invites a response. I don't know anyone who did this.