How to tell your boyfriend or parents you are pregnant?

You’re standing by yourself, holding onto a pregnancy test that reads “positive.” As the reality of the test result takes over you begin to feel overwhelmed by emotions.

Fear, excitement, shock, sadness, shame, happiness.

In an instant your life has changed in a big way. Now, how do you share the news with those closest to you?

At First Care, we recommend taking time to process the pregnancy. It is such a huge change and can feel overwhelming. No matter what you are feeling, remember that you are not alone and there are so many resources to help support and encourage you. 

If your partner was not aware you could be pregnant, it is best to share the news with them as well. It can feel so daunting to tell your partner that you are pregnant, especially if you aren’t feeling ready to be a parent yourself. If you are worried about how they will respond know they are probably as nervous as you are. Remember to take the news one step at a time, and talk to your partner in person if possible. It is okay if you don’t have all your next steps mapped out, for now just focus on sharing the news. If you feel that your partner is not as supportive or understanding as you had hoped, you can reach out to one of our Client Advocates. Their role is to help encourage and support you in the ways most helpful for you.

Sometimes the people we are most afraid to share news with is our parents. Questions like, “What will they think or say? Will support me or throw me out? Are they going to be mad at me?” will run wild in your head. But if your parents are important people in your life, no matter their reaction, you will want to share the news with them. Talking with them in person is best, even if you feel like you won’t be supported.

A lot of times fear can keep us from having open and honest conversations. So even if you feel afraid of how others will respond to you sharing about your pregnancy, we encourage you to take that first step!