5 ways to hide that you’re pregnant in the office.
So many of us have been there. You find out your pregnant it’s super early days and you don’t want to tell anyone just yet- especially not work.
When I was pregnant with the twins I found out at 4 weeks and immediately stopped fitting in most of my clothes (the joy of twins) I was super bloated and super sick yet we still have to try and suck it up and drag our sorry selves to work.
At around 6 weeks I decided enough was enough of trying to squeeze myself into my normal wardrobe and I dusted off my maternity clothes. My first day of wearing said maternity clothes I had a lovely tight fitted skirt on with a nice stretch waist and an oversized white shirt (to cover my already growing belly)
Our desks at work were like back-to-back pods so there were about 8 of us in our Aisle that could see and hear everything you are doing. I had become particularly close with one of the girls (and still am) and we would chat all day, have lunch, nights out, dinners etc. She loves fashion and homewares as do I, so clothing was frequently a topic of conversation.
On this particular day, we had gone all day and for some reason she decided to wait until I got up to go home to ask about my “new” skirt. As everyone else was trying to wind up their day/ had probably had enough, I could tell everyone was listening and watching.
“I love your skirt, haven’t seen that one before, I meant to say earlier”
“Oh yeh it’s new”
“Cute, where’s it from”
… shit… it’s from “bae the label” a very clear maternity brand… think Sarah THINK
“Errmm… I can’t remember”
“You said you JUST got it”
“haha… yeeehhhh” (awkward silence)
“I’ll look at the label, actually I really want to see the waist band is it still that same fabric”
“No you can’t”
Double shit… if she looks at the label, I have to lift up my shirt and everyone will see I am clearly pregnant.
It got verrryyy awkward. I had become really good friends with this girl and these types of conversations were totally normal for us. I completely froze and ended up nervously saying I’ve really got to go and ran the hell out of there!
I ran out in uncomfortable laughter, cringing at how strange everyone must think I am. I got to the train and had a message from my friend asking if I was ok. I was totally busted. I couldn’t think of a worthwhile justification for the way I had acted so it was time to confess. I wrote back “OMG, So sorry for being SO weird… but I am PREGNANT!!” Obviously, she was thrilled for me and lucky I told her that day because the next week the sickness hit hard and she was my absolute saviour.
So what can we do to hide pregnancy in those early days in the office?
- Wear loose clothing to try and disguise any signs of a bump. Any tight tops, dresses or pants could highlight your growing belly before you are ready. Flowy, loose fit clothing are going to be much better at hiding your bump and can be elegant too.
- If you can, up your working from home days so you can avoid any suspicion. The more you are away from people the less you have to hide it and you can still get everything you need done at home.
- Tell everyone you’re doing a weird new diet AND Dry (Whatever the month is) that’ll hopefully minimise confusion when you are sat at your desk with a loaf of bread and a large box of plain crackers. (always carry crackers, you never know when hunger may strike)
- The diet also recommends you give up caffeine so say you’re going to also try that for a few days and see how long you manage to last- bluffing your way though can work with most things.
- If you have someone close at work confide in them! It’s so hard trying to do it all alone, feeling like you’re about to vomit and you can’t tell anyone for any sympathy. I am SO grateful there was someone at work that knew what was going on so she could cover for me, support my bluffing stories and give me the support I needed on those very tough days.
It’s hard to hide being pregnant, especially when you are someone that loves sushi and after work drinks, but there’s plenty of ways to disguise it as best as you can. Stay positive and keep your head in the game. 12 weeks can feel like a lifetime when you’re in it but it flies by really, and once the cat is out the bag you may find everyone already knows and you realise you’re a terrible liar, or everyone is shocked and you think wow If I can get away with all of that what else can I sneakily get away with- ha. Either way Pregnancy can be rough and trying to hide how you really feel is even rougher. Hang in there and follow the tips- you’ve got this mama.
