Excitement, fear, anxiety, and happiness.

These are all of the emotions a new mother experiences when she first finds out she is expecting.

Announcing your pregnancy is an intimate action. While telling your friends and family about your expected bundle of joy may be easy, many women stress about breaking the news to their employers and coworkers.

If you’re planning how to announce your pregnancy at the office, keep reading. We’ve listed our top three tips for letting everyone at work know you’re expecting.

  1. Choose Your Timing Wisely

While you may be bursting with excitement, choose the timing of when to reveal a pregnancy wisely. 

Most women wait until the end of their first trimester to announce their pregnancy. The first trimester is exciting, but it is also the time where problems are most likely to occur. An estimated 80% of miscarriages occur during the first trimester.

As your pregnancy moves further along, the risk of complications decreases.

Some women put off announcing their pregnancy until they start to show, which occurs between 12 and 16 weeks. They do this to give themselves time to adjust to the idea of being pregnant.

If you are experiencing pregnancy symptoms, such as morning sickness, fatigue, or medical issues that affect your work performance, you may need to tell your employer sooner.

  1. Start With Your Boss

When it comes time to tell work your big news, talk to your boss first. Your direct supervisor(s) should be the first in the office to know.

Announcing you’re pregnant to your peers before your managers is unprofessional. Your boss needs to hear the news from you, not at the water cooler.

If you can schedule a face-to-face meeting with your supervisors, do so. If not, a phone call should be sufficient. Avoid announcing the news to your boss via email or text.

Tell your boss you’re happy about the announcement, and you want to discuss preliminary thoughts on a maternity plan. There will be plenty of time to iron out the details, but it’s good to get a brief overview as soon as possible.

Be prepared if your supervisor asks about your future plans.

The company will need to know if you will return to work right away, or if you plan on transitioning into full-time motherhood. This is something you should decide before announcing your pregnancy.

  1. Keep Announcing Your Pregnancy Short & Sweet

Next, tell your team about your pregnancy. Talking to your coworkers is different than announcing a pregnancy to family and friends. However, there are a variety of pregnancy announcement ideas that allow you to professionally let everyone know what’s going on.

Do not call a special meeting solely to announce your pregnancy. You can fit it into an already-scheduled time when the team gathers, preferably at the end of the session.

You can also send the news out in a simple email. Create professional pregnancy announcements specifically for your coworkers and team members.

Keep the announcement light. Tell the team you’re currently expecting and when you’re due. Inform your colleagues you will have more information on your maternity leave and coverage in the coming weeks.

More Mommy Tips

Announcing your pregnancy is exciting, but do it at your own pace.

Have conversations with the people who need to know, and work with your team to develop an effective coverage plan. By following these tips, your pregnancy announcement should go over without a hitch.

If you’re looking for more mom-related tips, explore our blog. We supply future and present mothers with a variety of helpful and informational articles.