"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother" - Lyn Yutang You could be at the peak of your career and you just figured out that you are expecting. Beyond your happiness and excitement, somewhere lies fear and worry. You would be worried about, how are you going to manage work and pregnancy together. But ladies! All our mothers have done it, and you will do it too. But a greater question now seems to be that, how are you going to tell your boss that you are pregnant. This could seem to be a greater task than actually being pregnant. Just relax! It will all be figured out as you read on. Usually women prefer to announce the news of their pregnancy after the completion of their trimester. This is because after this the risk of a miscarriage reduces and pregnancy is more viable. However, if you are close to your boss you may tell him/her sooner too. A Boss is a Boss after all. Therefore before you go to your boss to tell him/her about your pregnancy, make sure you have done some of the following homework. Talk to Your Doctor The first step is to talk to your doctor. You can ask your doctor about your condition and accordingly discuss how is your current job going to affect your health. If your work is sedentary you could continue working for a longer period easily. However, if you are in a work profile which requires a lot of running around or exposure to harmful chemicals - for example you are someone like a journalist, photographer, aircraft pilot or a chemical test engineer, you might have to quit working soon. So discuss your work profile with your doctor and take the most appropriate step. Decide If You Want to Continue Working or No After your doctor has given you the green signal to work, another question you need to answer yourself is whether you want to continue working or no. You may want to give 100% to your child but working and parenting, together could be strenuous. On the other bay, you could also be a workaholic who cannot do without working and hence you want to give your baby and your work equal importance (which is fair enough). You can also consider switching to a job profile that suits pregnant women. If this is the case, start planning now. If you are still confused about what you want to do, it's alright! You'll make a decision, eventually. Company Policies and Services Now that you are prepared with a decision of continuing your work, go through your employer's health plan and parental leave policy. After this, you'll be able to plan your maternity leaves properly. According to the due date given to you, you can take your maternity leave 11 weeks before your delivery. Also check if your maternity leaves will be paid or unpaid. Many employer's policies are made to facilitate a comfortable pregnancy for women. They may provide you with 'work from home' facility, 'paid antenatal leaves' and also 'flexible work timings'. So before you approach your boss make sure that, you are thorough with the company norms. Anticipate Your Boss's Reaction Your boss could have a major say in the management. So, first try anticipating how he/she would react. Your boss can react positively or negatively, depending on the company and your job profile. Also, if you are in good terms with your boss then he/she might be more considerate about your pregnancy and prove to be a support. It's a fact, that if your boss is a lady, she will be more understanding than a male boss. But inform her about your pregnancy before she finds out from your bump. Also be the first one to tell your boss, as it will be a bad thing if your boss hears about your pregnancy from the company grapevine. So, when you are ready to make the announcement, make sure your boss already knows about it. Keep Up With Your Work It's common to face morning sickness and discomfort during pregnancy, but if you want to continue working after your delivery, make sure that your pregnancy is not affecting your work and you are fulfilling your employer's expectations at work front. This will keep your boss confident that you will pull off your pregnancy without hampering your work and your appraisals. Be Prepared with What You Want to Say You don't have to go with a mugged-up speech but just be clear about things you want to put forth. This will make you more confident, will help you get a positive response and you'll be able to answer their queries, as you would have already researched about it. With the above mentioned steps you can tell your boss that you are pregnant very confidently, happily and responsibly. A beautiful quote by Peter De Vries "A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after." I wish you a Happy Pregnancy & a Happy Motherhood in advance!