Announcing your pregnancy to family and friends
Telling siblings
Letting work colleagues and employers know
When the pregnancy test shows 'positive' you may want to shout your news from the highest mountain, or keep your special secret to yourself for a while. You may want to share your news with your partner (if you have one) or perhaps take time to think about what having a baby means for you (and all that goes with it) before letting other people know. Some women feel excited, and yet anxious or concerned about their new pregnancy, possibly being tentative in case something 'goes wrong'. This can be especially so if you have been trying to conceive for a while or have experienced a previous
miscarriage or
stillbirth.
Acknowledging the pregnancy to others usually means firstly coming to terms with the pregnancy yourself. This may involve a mixture of positive and negative feelings as you go through a rollercoaster of emotional adjustments. You can read more in
emotional considerations for the woman and her partner.
For some people the pregnancy can bring up a past grief or loss for a close family member or friend, if they are no longer with you. Not being able to tell them can be painful, as well as coming to terms with the fact that they will not be able to physically see and hold your child when he or she is born. Announcing your pregnancy to others may also bring heartache in not being able to announce it to everyone.
Announcing your pregnancy to family and friends
When to share the news of your pregnancy is a very individual decision and depending on your circumstances it can sometimes be difficult to know exactly when the right time is to let others know.