CircleBumpCheckedFilledMedicalBookmarkBookmarkTickBookmarkAddCheckBoxCheckBoxFilled

10 Sneaky Ways to Hide the Fact That You're Trying to Get Pregnant

If you're not ready to go public yet, here are some tried-and-true tips to keep your conception journey to yourself.
save article
profile picture of The Bump Editors
Updated March 2, 2017
Illustration of colored blocks each containing type of lock such as deadbolt or pad lock.

You’re not totally ready to tell friends and family that you and your partner are trying to get pregnant, so how do you hide all your babymaking behavior? We asked other women what worked for them—and here’s what they said:

“Tell your friends that you’re on a diet and the easiest thing to cut out for you is alcohol! (For me, chocolate is the last thing I’ll cut out. Alcohol is the first thing to go so my friends weren’t really surprised when I pulled this on them!)”  — damabo80*

“It’s always really hard around the holidays, especially because everyone is always offering you a drink, but use the season to your advantage too! You could say you’re on an antibiotics and aren’t allowed to mix alcohol with it.” — kristykay123

“My best friends and I love to go out on weekends and catch up with a few drinks, so it would have been really hard to cut that out entirely without them thinking that something was up. So, I decided to let my husband party when we went out without worry. And to make the excuse really stick, I’d tell all my girlfriends that I don’t want to start with even one drink because then I’d just want more.” — maya445

“I always go with: ‘I’m cutting my carbs and empty calories.’ (This works really well. I’m not considered overweight, but I have put on 15 pounds since I met my husband in 2003, so even though none of my friends would say that I gained weight, they don’t pressure me when I tell them I’m cutting back.)” — rachel665

“We found out we were four weeks pregnant and weren’t ready to tell anyone just yet, so when we went out with friends to dinner and drinks, I just told them all that I didn’t feel like drinking. I got a couple strange looks, but no one pressed me.” — happymama32

Related Video

"When me and my husband were trying for number two, I always felt like I needed as much sleep as I could get. I don’t know why, but I just always felt my best (and best for babymaking!) when I was well rested and could focus. During that time, my go-to excuse was ‘I can’t, I have to wake up early tomorrow.’” — slappalicious

“Hold a glass and have a sip or two here or there (won’t hurt anything, promise!) and when no one’s looking dump it, or have your husband drink it.” — Mrs.Slick

“When it comes to why my husband won’t get in a pool or hot tub: Mystery rash. Haha! Always go for the mystery rash. Just have him say that he’s just getting over a weird rash (arms/legs/or whatever) and doesn’t want to get in the hot/chlorinated water. Remember: Every sperm counts!” — VitaLuna

“Oh my gosh, my husband and I had a dinner party with friends the night that I was ovulating — so we staged a fight and then took off to go home and make a baby! It was hilarious — but really hard to keep a straight face. When we found out we were pregnant, we told everybody that we’d tricked them. It was pretty funny, but I’m sure it would never work again.” — MrsKBellsis65

“I tell most people when they ask… ‘We’re thinking about it’. It isn’t a yes, or a no, and I don’t have to feel the pressure to follow-up with them if it worked or it didn’t. And it usually satisfies them. Plus, I feel better because I don’t feel like I’m lying.” — smittie417

*Some names have been changed.

save article
ADVERTISEMENT

Next on Your Reading List

Why Women Who Are Struggling to Conceive Should Never Hide It
Why Women Who Are Struggling to Conceive Should Never Hide It
By Leslie Goldman
Amazing Conception Stories
Amazing Conception Stories
By The Bump Editors
couple smiling in bed together
Is There a Best Sex Position to Get Pregnant? Here Are 8 to Try
Medically Reviewed by Kendra Segura, MD
ADVERTISEMENT
happy couple embracing in bed
Baby-Making Sex: the 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions, Answered
Medically Reviewed by Kendra Segura, MD
African American couple embracing outside.
8 Ways to Keep the Sex Hot While You're Trying to Conceive
Fact Checked by G. O’Hara
woman sitting at home thinking while holding a coffee mug
Am I Ready for a Baby? 8 Questions to Ask Yourself
By Yelena Moroz Alpert
Reanna Murray and partner with baby
Overcoming Barriers and Bias on Our Path to Parenthood
By Reanna Murray
ADVERTISEMENT
celebrity Tiffany Haddish at an event
Tiffany Haddish Reveals Heartbreaking Reason She’s Afraid to Become a Mom
By Nehal Aggarwal
pizza pie with someone taking a slice
PSA to Men Who Are TTC: Put Down the Junk Food
By Stephanie Grassullo
https://www.instagram.com/annalucydecinque/
The 'World's Most Identical Twins' Want to Get Pregnant and Have Kids With the Same Man
By Stephanie Grassullo
ADVERTISEMENT
couple gazes into each other's eyes with body of water in the background
How One Couple Trying to Conceive Finds Hope After Miscarriage
By Stephanie Grassullo
family looking at pregnant mother's belly
Dad's Age Affects the Health of Mom and Baby, Study Says
By Stephanie Grassullo
back of woman with blue hair solemnly walking outside
All That Stress May Be Hurting Your Chance of Getting Pregnant, Study Finds
By Stephanie Grassullo
ADVERTISEMENT
Q&A: Effects of Lubricants on Getting Pregnant?
Q&A: Effects of Lubricants on Getting Pregnant?
By The Bump Editors
Talking About TTC
Talking About TTC
By Elena Donovan Mauer
4 Special Ways to Stay Close With Your Partner While Trying to Get Pregnant
4 Special Ways to Stay Close With Your Partner While Trying to Get Pregnant
By Andrea Wolloff
Secrets to Getting Through Trying to Conceive
Secrets to Getting Through Trying to Conceive
By Elena Donovan Mauer
ADVERTISEMENT
Q&A: Discussing Having a Baby With Partner?
Q&A: Discussing Having a Baby With Partner?
By The Bump Editors
What Is the Whelan Method?
What Is the Whelan Method?
By Wayne S. Maxson, MD, medical director, reproductive endocrinologist, and founder, IVF Florida Reproductive Associates
13 slides
The Worst Things to Say to Someone TTC
The Worst Things to Say to Someone TTC
By Caitlin Brody
ADVERTISEMENT
Article removed.
Article removed.
Name added. View Your List