Keeping a Pregnancy Under Wraps? These Hacks Will Help!

We strongly believe that no one should ever feel she has to keep her pregnancy a secret until she's out of the 'danger zone' of the trimester — but we also understand the desire to keep things on the down low. Whether it's because you simply don't feel comfortable with the whole world knowing you're expecting or because you'd like to personally tell a select few people in your life before the news spreads, sometimes you just want to keep a pregnancy to yourself. And that's totally your right!

Of course, it isn't always easy to hide such a huge secret (even if you're not showing at all!). Between figuring out how to stay sober at a party without raising eyebrows to explaining away your symptoms...it can get tricky. But that doesn't mean you need to hide out at home until you're ready to share your news.

Need help figuring out how to do it? We asked an anonymous group of new and expectant moms to share their top hacks to keeping a pregnancy a secret. Here's what they shared:

The good old 'cleanse' excuse

'I first went on a 'month-long cleanse' that stood for the reason I couldn't drink at social gatherings. And then in the second half of my first trimester, I'd go out 'drinking' but order seltzers with limes and pass them off as vodka sodas. No one was the wiser!'

Conceal a bump in baggy clothes

'To hide my pregnancy, I wore baggier clothes, and as I grew, I started buying clothes a size larger than my regular size. The clothes hung on me a little bit, but not enough for anyone to notice anything amiss with the sizing or with my growing belly.'

Work with the calendar

'My early weeks were aligned perfectly with Lent. So I said I 'gave up alcohol for Lent'. My friends bought it – and I’m not even Catholic!'

Get the bartender in on your secret

'One hack for keeping pregnancy a secret: Get to the bar or restaurant before your friends do. Make a pact with the server or bar tender that they will keep dolling out soda water and lime in a short glass each time you order a vodka soda in exchange for an extra tip and being in on the secret. Also, soda water helps with the nausea. This one worked for me!'

Hold the wine (literally and figuratively!)

'At work events, I just got a glass of real wine but never drank it. No one noticed!'

Get a fun mocktail

'I had a few events I had to go too early on. I learned that a good ol' Shirley temple with a lime wedge looks pretty similar to a cranberry vodka. I would just ask the bartenders to put it in the same size glass as an alcoholic drink. Then I’d drink the one say I was driving and no questions asked.'

Don't push yourself

' pretended to hurt my knee so that I could take it easy in my workout classes with friends acted extra busy so I could avoid most events where drinking was involved. It also helped me get more rest when I was feeling super nauseous.'

Grab a beer (but don't drink it!)

'If the party is at your house (or someone else's), when escaping to the bathroom, fill your beer bottle with water! And never drink too much of it so people won’t ask you if you need another one. I'd keep switching beers with my husband and just never drink mine (or acted like I did, but didn’t). Either way, I had a drink in my hand and no one asked.'

Tell 'em you're trying

'My friends knew I had been trying to get pregnant for a while. When it finally happened, I wasn't ready to share the news — so I told them I'd decided to be extra cautious by avoiding alcohol, sushi, etc. in case I actually was expecting. It's not for everyone, but people definitely seemed to accept this explanation!'