Can you Hide an Entire Pregnancy Bump at Work Till Birth?
You can hide your pregnancy at work and keep it a secret from everyone at work for as long as you want. You can even manage to hide your baby bump till the very last day of your pregnancy. It is very possible to not let your pregnancy bump show the entire time for 9 months.
Many moms have managed to hide the fact that they are expecting a child from co-workers. It is not hard at all to go to work while pregnant and deliver without your colleagues or anyone else noticing.
What you need to make it possible that your co-workers can’t see your pregnancy is the right clothing, posture, and behavior. Some clothes are better at concealing pregnancies than others. Also, smaller bumps in the first or second trimester are easier to conceal at work than advanced late pregnancies in the late second or third trimesters.
Is it Wrong/Unprofessional to Hide Pregnancy from Employers/Co-Workers?
Choosing to disclose or not tell about your pregnancy is a personal decision and not lying. It is not selfish, wrong, or unprofessional to choose not to disclose your pregnancy to your employer or co-workers. For these reasons, it is not wrong or unprofessional for you to hide your bump to keep your job.
Read: How and Why to Disclose Pregnancy to Employer
Should you Tell Co-Workers that you are Pregnant?
Many expecting moms find it unnecessary to disclose their pregnancy to their employers or colleagues. Going to work while pregnant without disclosing it is possible because you do not have to disclose it unless you want to.
It is not a requirement that you let your co-workers or employer knows that you are expecting unless when your contract dictates so.
Women have increasingly felt the need to keep the news of their pregnancies from current employers and colleagues as it puts them at a disadvantage. There are fears that you will be discriminated against or lose your job if you are visibly pregnant.
In consideration of this, you should not disclose your pregnancy if you fear there are implications for you at work that may lead to you getting fired.
Read: How to Address Pregnancy Discrimination at Work
Proven Tricks & Secrets for Hide Pregnancy Bump & Signs from Colleagues
1. Do Not Disclose to Co-Workers that you are Pregnant till Birth
One way to keep your pregnancy a secret for 9 months at work is ensure that no one knows. The first rule to conceal your pregnancy is to not tell. It is not unethical or unprofessional to keep this information private from your co-workers.
You are not required to disclose your pregnancy and therefore you should not bring it up. They cannot legally ask you about it and you don’t need to disclose it. Your pregnancy status is like your age; it’s non-relevant and should not be part of any work discussion unless necessary.
You should therefore refrain from talking about your pregnancy at all with your colleagues at work. By doing so, it would not be noticed if you do not mention it and you may keep your job.
Read: How to Quit a Job when Pregnant
2. Avoid Flattering Clothes to Word to Hide Pregnancy
Outfits are an effective way of hiding your pregnancy at work to keep your job or avoid getting fired. Choose your outfits carefully to ensure that they are not flattering and leave your bump exposed. Doing so, you can manage to keep the news of your pregnancy a secret at work from your colleagues.
While you have to look official and professional at work, there are some great outfits that will allow you to hide your pregnancy bump all the way till you deliver and you do not have to tell your employer or co-workers about it if you do not want to.
Some clothing options to hide your bump the entire time for 9 months at work include;
- Wear an appropriate and official loose-fitting dress that is free on the belly area. It will adequately hide your bump during the entire pregnancy. Loose fitting clothes are great at concealing or hiding your pregnancy for even 9 months.
- Choose a high-waist dress or skirt. It will make you look like you just have some weight and are not actually pregnant. High waist dresses are some of the best clothes to hide pregnancies at work.
- If it is weather appropriate, take advantage and wear coats and sweaters that have enough room to hide your pregnancy. You can easily hide pregnancies for 9 months by dressing in a coat. They are amazing to use in keeping your pregnancy a secret from work.
- Layering will help conceal visible signs of your pregnancy till you give birth and you can avoid getting fired without disclosing your pregnancy status. Put on layers over layers of clothing on the upper body, which will effectively hide your bump.
- Put on a scarf that makes you look professional enough. It will take the attention away from the belly and subsequently hide your pregnancy bump. The more layers you add, the less noticeable the pregnancy is and you can easily hide the entire pregnancy period.
- Go for button-down and open blazers. They do not come tight on your belly hence don’t show your bump. Such a cloth is good at hiding pregnancy for all 9 months.
- If your office is casual enough you can wear loose hoodies. They can let you hide your pregnancy for a very long time, even till you deliver.
- Also wear attractive pieces to draw attention away from your bump to other areas. For instance, a necklace will bring attention to your neck and not to your belly hence easy to hide a pregnancy. Fun, bold jewelry might seem strange, but is a great hide-your-pregnancy accessory and will distract your co-workers at work. It is a clever way to hide your pregnancy at work and keep it a secret from colleagues.
Read: Job Hunting, Applying and Getting a Job when Pregnant
3. Request for Virtual Work to Hide Entire Pregnancy
If you are working in a job that allows for a remote or hybrid job, you can request to work remotely or from home. Working virtually will allow you to completely conceal your pregnancy from your colleagues for 9 months till giving birth.
If you have to do meetings, do them virtually. Only the top part of the body will be on view and therefore your employer or colleagues at work can’t tell whether or not you are pregnant and you can avoid getting fired.
As such working remotely is one way you can keep working without having to disclose news about your pregnancy to the employer or colleagues.
Some apps such as zoom, Skype, or Google meet have effective virtual features that are ideal for conducting meetings and collaborating with co-workers. During the entire 9 months of your pregnancy, you can manage to keep it a secret from your co-workers.
4. Wade off Nausea with Crackers & Candy at Work
Nausea can strike at any moment at work, revealing that you are possibly pregnant. It can happen and your co-worker will start suspecting. To avoid making your colleagues suspicious about your condition, try to tame your nausea using crackers or candy.
Keep in your bag crackers and ginger candies to munch if you feel nauseous while at work. If you do feel the need to vomit, try going into the bathroom or finding another secluded spot from the view of other employers. You can cleverly hide pregnancy for 9 months this way.
These are some of the things you can do to conceal your pregnancy and make the signs less obvious the entire pregnancy period. As such you can keep your job without disclosing that you are pregnant for 9 months.
5. Assume a Posture & Behaviour that Hides the Bump
Avoid walking in a way that exaggerates your bump while at work. However, do not walk or sit in a way that shows that you are trying to hide your pregnancy.
Also, avoid the temptation to keep your hands on your belly. It is a giveaway sign that you are pregnant when you keep holding or massaging your belly. While this reaction may come instinctively and unconsciously, you must restrain yourself from holding your belly while at work. This way you can hide the fact you are pregnant the entire period of your pregnancy.
Get to meetings first, and leave later so that you do not have to draw attention to yourself. If you can carry things in front of your belly like a notebook or file when moving within the office.
6. Make Excuses for Symptoms to Hide Pregnancy from Colleagues
To hide an entire 9 month pregnancy from your colleagues, you need to be clever, tactical and crafty. You need to make excuses for your pregnancy signs to distract your colleagues from becoming suspicious.
Some excuses are clever ways to help you conceal your pregnancy from your co-workers for 9 months include;
- Complain to your workers about gaining weight. They will not notice nor suspect it is about your pregnancy.
- Consider picking an ailment to blame things on – a new medication, a neck problem causing you headaches, a recently diagnosed allergy, a noisy neighbor keeping you up at night, etc.
- Claim to have a new craving for healthy drinks. It will excuse you when you go out with your colleagues and you can’t drink alcohol. You can use this clever trip for 9 months when you are pregnant.
- Invent a stomach bug that needs frequent bath breaks. It will excuse you when you need to go to the bathroom without making your colleagues suspicious of your pregnancy.
- Explain any sick days you take. If you will be away from work a lot, have a good excuse while you are talking to avoid the suspicion that you may be pregnant.
- To fight off fatigue, stand and walk around and make it less noticeable to your co-workers.
- Find an excuse to cover up for the changes in your behavior. By doing so your colleagues don’t become suspicious of your pregnancy when you have mood swings.
- If you have a private office, throw up in the trash can instead of the bathroom where it is more noticeable and suspicious. Also, puke in silence to hide that pregnancy symptom.
