when should i tell my manager i'm pregnant?

[smiley28]

Hi everyone,

I just found out last week that I am 12 weeks pregnant. The issue is, I just transferred last October to a new department within the same hospital that I have been working for the last two years, so my probation period will not be over until April (by then I will be about 21 weeks pregnant). Expected due date will be at the end of August.

I am debating whether I should tell my manager now or if I should wait until my probation period is over?

Many people have been telling me to wait, however I do not want my manager to feel like I was hiding something all this time, yet I do not want this pregnancy to affect my evaluation in any way at the end of my probation period.

I have received positive feedback from coworkers regarding my performance, but nothing in writing.

Thanks

[Sour Lemon]

I would go ahead and tell ...especially if you have a rough plan of how you intend to handle things (come back full time, how long you'll be off, etc.). I've never seen pregnancy be this sort of issue in nursing, but maybe I've been lucky. If you were applying for a new job, then I'd advise holding off for a while. You're already in, though.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

It's against the law to consider pregnancy in any personnel decisions. But that doesn't mean it doesn't happen all the time.

I don't see why you should have to tell anyone if you don't want to.

[Emergent, RN]

It will be perfectly self-evident before too long

[BarrelOfMonkeys, BSN, RN]

I don’t have a clear answer for you but it reminded me of a hiring campaign a facility I worked for years ago had. I don’t recall the name but it was specific to expectant mothers and mothers to be. We were short staffed and this campaign came out. The first month we had 6 new nurse employees. The next month several more. All full time. Things were great in our small facility! They were all pregnant. Several months later we were so very short staffed. Every one of them either quit or went PRN after they gave birth. That campaign abruptly ended. I know, I was shocked too. ?

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Why would you ever feel obligated to tell your manager... about your personal business?

[Davey Do]

16 hours ago, Emergent said:

It will be perfectly self-evident before too long

That's what I was thinking, Emergent.

But just to be on the safe side, be sure to tell your manager you're pregnant before your water breaks.

[Trixie13, BSN, RN]

It depends on where you work. I worked in oncology, so I needed to notify management as soon as I knew so I would not be given inappropriate assignments (none with radiation seeds, etc). Folks at my job knew before half of my friends and family, lol.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

If you have told others at work, I would be telling my manager ASAP. If not, I would let it ride - its up to you.

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

There's no downside in telling her but there are downsides in waiting. You do not want her to be the last to know, or hear it from others, like @traumaRUs said.

You'll feel better knowing you don't have to conceal anything.

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

You are under no obligation to inform anyone and there are many people that don't disclose for a variety of reasons.

At 12 weeks and still in your probationary period? No, I would not say anything. Pregnancy discrimination is still alive and well. I've seen it happen more times than I can count.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I didn't show with my second child until about 27-28 weeks.

I see down sides to informing too early. I'd give myself plenty of time to make myself indispensable to the unit before I said anything.