I am pregnant and afraid to tell my investors

Dear Delyara, I founded a small technology company four years ago. We finally raised enough funding to survive another eighteen months. I am also eleven weeks pregnant. My husband is thrilled. I am terrified to tell the board. Nobody has said pregnancy is a problem. Nobody needs to. During fundraising, investors repeatedly praised my “total commitment” and asked whether anything outside the company might distract me over the next two years. I answered confidently. At the time, I did not know. Now I spend meetings hiding nausea and calculating how many weeks I can conceal my body beneath jackets. I hate myself for thinking this way about a baby we wanted. I also hate the business world for teaching me that motherhood may be interpreted as a reduction in seriousness. My cofounder is a man with two children. Nobody asked whether fatherhood would distract him. Tomorrow, I have an ultrasound. The next morning, I present quarterly projections to investors. My calendar contains both appointments. Only one of them currently knows my future exists.