newspapers – no doubt – having the
“news” already drafted up weeks in
advance. When Kate toasted with
water instead of wine in Singapore,
the world’s media went into a frenzy.
In December, their secret was cut
short before the 12-week mark when
Kate was rushed to hospital suffering
from acute morning sickness.
Shelia Dawson has a similar story.
“It was impossible for me to keep it
a secret as I felt so horrendous. I was
nauseous and all my usual favourite
foods, such as juicy salads and fruit
shakes, made me retch. I got the
most ridiculous craving for cheese
sandwiches on cheap white bread. For
all my friends who knew me, it was so
obvious what was going on.”
Working it out
Beyond family and friends, work and
employment considerations play a
huge factor in when a mum may reveal
she is pregnant.
Hong Kong has a strong
pregnancy discrimination act. Under
the Equal Opportunities Commission
(EOC), the Sex Discrimination
Ordinance (SDO) was passed in 1995,
which means “Discrimination on
the basis of sex, marital status and
pregnancy, and sexual harassment
are made unlawful under this law.”
Quite simply, it is unlawful for an
employer to treat a pregnant woman
less favourably on the grounds of her
pregnancy or after giving birth.
A landmark judgement was passed
in 2001 – Hong Kong’s first case of
pregnancy discrimination – when
it was ruled that a pharmaceutical
company had discriminated against
a former manager because of her
pregnancy. The mum-to-be lodged
a complaint with the EOC stating
she was unlawfully victimised and
she won. Since then, a number of
discrimination cases have similarly
been won.
Yet, even with solid
discrimination laws in place,
expectant mums still worry for their
work and employment. Fears that
an employer may overlook them for
a certain promotion, or sensing a
change in attitude from colleagues
are not always as easy to prove. And,
besides, not all mums will want the
worry of a legal case while they are
pregnant.
One such mum (who asked to
stay anonymous), is a teacher at an
international school. “I’d only just
secured a contract with the school
and was due to start at the next
academic year when I found out we
were pregnant. It was bad timing and
I worried that all the other teachers
would think I knew all along.”
Sharing the news
But when it is time to share the
news, many new parents like to get
creative. Social media outlets have
become normal venues for making the
announcement, and many expectant
parents have uploaded surprise “We’re
having a baby!” pictures of the first
ultrasound, Mum’s bump, a bun in the
oven, a pair of cute little baby shoes in
the middle of Mum and Dad’s, or even
an older sibling wearing a big sister-to-
be t-shirt.
Hulda kept her third pregnancy
secret for six months. “For the whole
time, I was exercising with my sister
and two friends. Every week they kept
commenting on how I must get my diet
together. My sister and friends even
took showers with me and thought I was
getting fatter – which I was. And when
I finally told the trainers, at seven-and-
a-half months, they nearly dropped
dead. It was the funniest moment.”
When it was time to share their
news – and so that they could stop
swapping drinks at the pub – Emily and
Richard had their own good idea: they
gave each of their friends a children’s
book and told them to get ready for
babysitting duties.
November 2013
55
