How Do I Tell My Parents I am Pregnant?

Telling your parents you’re facing an unplanned pregnancy will never feel like an easy task. Whether you think your parents will be angry, sad, or just totally shocked, it’s important to remember your parents ultimately want what’s best for you. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to prepare for this conversation!

Here are a few steps to take before you tell your parents you’re pregnant:

1. Confirm Your Pregnancy

Before you tell your parents you’re pregnant, we recommend you first confirm your pregnancy at your local pregnancy center. 

Pregnancy clinics, like First Coast Women’s Services, provide free lab-quality pregnancy testing and ultrasound scans so that you can be sure you’re pregnant with a viable pregnancy, meaning your pregnancy would survive outside of the womb.

After you confirm your pregnancy, a trained professional can sit down with you to go over your options and give you advice on what to do and how to tell your parents.

2. Gather Evidence-based Education on Each of Your Pregnancy Options

Your parents will likely have initial thoughts about what you should do regarding your pregnancy. As you decide what option is best for you and prepare to discuss the topic further with your parents, we recommend coming prepared with information about each option. Some questions to ask yourself:

“What resources and help would I need if I parented the child?” 

“What risks and side effects are associated with abortion?”

“What options related to adoption do I have?”

Not sure where to start as you gather information on your options? First Coast Women’s Services is here to help educate you on each of your options, provide options counseling, and give you referrals for the services and resources you need to make an informed decision!

3. Decide How You Feel About Being Pregnant

Unexpected pregnancies can often send women into panic mode, only focusing on the thoughts and feelings of those around them.
Before you tell your parents, we recommend sitting down and thinking about your feelings related to your pregnancy. What option are you leaning towards — pregnancy, abortion, or adoption? Are you sad, embarrassed, happy, or confused? What do you need during this time? 

You’re likely feeling a wide range of emotions and it’s important that you can express those feelings to your parents in this important conversation.

4. Choose Your Words and Give Them Time to Process

Finding the right words to tell your parents you’re pregnant might be a difficult challenge. While this conversation will likely be long and emotional, we recommend keeping the initial news brief.

Give your parents time to process and ask questions and try to keep your responses neutral. While they might be upset, try not to match their tone, instead using positive language to keep the conversation productive.

5. Pick a Conducive Time and Place

If you’re thinking of telling your parents you’re pregnant over dinner at a restaurant or while they’re driving you to soccer practice, you might want to reconsider.

Considering this is pretty big news, you may want to schedule a time and pick a location that will allow you all to speak openly, express your feelings, and focus on the discussion at hand.

If you’re nervous that your parents will react in an extreme manner, consider bringing a friend or mentor for support.

6. Get Advice from a Professional

If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the thought of telling your parents you’re pregnant, it’s okay!

Our team at First Coast Women’s Services is here to help guide you in what to say, prepare you for your parents’ potential responses, and give you the information you need to walk into this conversation feeling confident and empowered!

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