Pregnancy: When Is The Right Time To Tell Others You're Pregnant?

When you find out you are pregnant, should you tell others right away or wait a while?

As you stare at the pregnancy stick, you pick up the directions with panicky hands and reread the directions you have already read ten times. The pink line will begin to emerge if you are indeed pregnant. You are sure you're not, but you thought you might as well take the pregnancy test anyway, just to be positive. After all, you have taken several pregnancy tests in the past few months, all with negative results. You look back at the test and notice something that wasn't there just a minute ago: a pink line. You have just confirmed you are pregnant. Half of the women in this world will have the urge to pick up the phone and begin calling everybody in their phone book, including friends they have not spoken to since high school. The other half will guard their pregnancy like a precious secret until they feel ready to spread the news.

There are essentially two schools of thought when it comes to alerting others of your pregnancy. One school simply states, you have good news, so spread it around to anybody who will listen. The other school is a little more guarded and cautious, warning pregnant women to keep their pregnancy to themselves at least until the end of the first trimester, in the event something like a miscarriage occurs during those first delicate months. The fact of the matter is that there is no strict rule that dictates when a woman can tell others she is pregnant. If you choose to tell others you are pregnant while still sitting on the toilet, then go ahead! If you choose to wait a few months, that is also up to you.

One reason to tell close friends and family members when you find out you are pregnant is that you will want to get any kind of support you can, especially if this is your first baby. Trust me, when others find out you are pregnant, they are full of great advice and funny stories about their own pregnancies. For example, maybe you are feeling overwhelmed with morning sickness. Your mother's story about how she literally hugged the toilet each morning when she was pregnant with you may put you at east and let you know that you are not the only one who has had to struggle with nausea. Friends and family members will come out of the woodwork carting old boxes of baby clothes from their own children and pregnancy books galore. Also, telling people early will keep the rumor mill at bay. After all, you don't want your colleagues to start speculating why you sprint to the restroom every morning at 9 o'clock after having your breakfast smoothie.

Sometimes choosing to keep your pregnancy a secret for a few months is also beneficial. If you do happen to miscarry in those first few weeks or months, you will not have to put out a family and friend-wide retraction alerting everybody of the bad news. If you are normally a private person, you may want to deal with a tragedy like this alone or with only the comfort of a spouse. Also, you may not be exactly the type of person who loves getting advice from others about breastfeeding, natural delivery and colicky babies. Sure, you will have people offering their advice when you do tell them you are pregnant, but at least you can postpone the huge response from friends and family for a few months by keeping your pregnancy a secret for a short while. One thing to keep in mind, however, is when you should tell your employer. You may want to alert your employer to your situation at the three or four month mark, since you will both need to make plans for your maternity leave and find a way to finalize or redistribute your project or account responsibilities.

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