As a young woman just learning how to navigate her twenties, I thought my paths towards a career and a serious relationship were pretty solid. Then, one chilly winter day on a drive to my partner's place of employment, a wave of sickness ran through me with such urgency we had to pull the car over. A few hours later, I discovered I was pregnant and though we faced many challenges, there were so many reasons why I refused to hide my pregnancy.
That afternoon when my partner came home from work, we had "the talk." I still remember the look on his face because, well, that pregnancy was a huge surprise to us both. I was on oral contraceptives, which statistically has an effectiveness of 99.9 percent, so obviously neither of us saw this coming. Scared, financially free-falling, and still learning how to be responsible for myself, there were probably a lot of reasons why I would've wanted to keep my pregnancy a secret but, in the end, I just couldn't do it.
There are some who choose to hide their pregnancies and I have no doubt that's the best decision for them. However, this wouldn't have felt right for me, no matter how brief the period I'd have hidden my pregnancy and, truthfully, the moment I saw the positive pregnancy test, I knew I always wanted to be a mother. I was ready for the responsibility. So, with that in mind, here are a few reasons why I refused to hide my pregnancy. In the end, you have to do what's right for you.