Finding out you are pregnant

Telling other people

Am I pregnant?
Pre-conceptual care
Early symptoms
Home tests
Visiting your doctor's practice
Your feelings
Telling other people
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This is how some women told the news.

To partners

"We had been trying for four years so I just couldn't wait to tell my partner. I asked to borrow the doctor's phone and called him up from his office!"

"I sent a text message to my boyfriend's mobile: 'I'm pregnant!'"

"I got a positive result on Christmas Eve. I wrapped the stick in pretty paper and put it under the tree with his name on."

To family

"My baby was due to arrive some time around my father's birthday, so I called him up and said, 'What do you want, a girl or a boy?' He seemed a bit disappointed at first. I think he was expecting water-ski lessons."

Some may find your news difficult - a friend who has recently had a miscarriage, for example, or a sister who has been trying to conceive without any luck.

Although she may be very happy for you, it will still hurt a lot, so don't expect immediate congratulations. She'll need time to get used to the idea of your pregnancy and you'll need to give her the time and space to come to terms with it.

Telling your employer

If this is your first baby, think carefully before telling your work colleagues straight away. It might be wise to keep quiet for the first three months, which is when the risk of miscarriage is at its highest. If you find yourself in this sad situation, not only will you have to inform colleagues, but you may also jeopardise your career prospects by making it known that you are planning a family.

To make sure that you get your maternity pay and your right to return to work, you must write to your employers to tell them of the pregnancy at least 21 days before you plan to go on maternity leave, enclosing form MATB1. (For more information, see The rest of your life/your maternity rights.)