Return to site

Common First Reactions to Pregnancy by a Significant Other

Real Alternatives

broken image

A leading nonprofit organization in the United States, Real Alternatives provides pregnancy and parenting support to women through counseling, mentoring, life skills training, and material assistance. In its online resources, Real Alternatives cites three examples of how a significant other may react to news about pregnancy. This includes an expression of support, silence, and doubt.

In some situations, a significant other may express his full support and acceptance of responsibility after hearing about the news. This is a good sign and can help alleviate some of the stress a woman feels around her pregnancy. However, an unexpected pregnancy can also be met with silence. It is important not to jump to conclusions and let the unexpectedness of the news wear off first before reacting.
A significant other may also express doubt and uncertainty after hearing of the pregnancy for the first time. Some men may be unwilling to accept responsibility without the certainty of knowing that they are the father of the child. This is an unfortunate situation, but it happens more often than people might think.
Counselors at Real Alternatives are available to help women prepare for these types of reactions and help them to make the right decisions for themselves.