Salam - Need Advice: How to Handle Fasting While Pregnant and Keeping It Private
Salam sisters, I'm a revert and I live with my husband and my in-laws. I just found out about a week ago that I'm pregnant with our first child (about 5w4d). We're planning to keep it to ourselves until after the first trimester because I'm really anxious about the evil eye and jinxing things. Normally I fast in Ramadan every year. If I openly don't fast this year my mother‑in‑law will almost certainly suspect something. I do plan to fast if I can, but lately I've been hungry all the time and get nauseous if I don't eat small snacks throughout the day. My husband's sister's birthday is during Ramadan near the end, and that's when we want to tell the family, so I need to get through most of the month without raising questions. I was thinking about pretending to fast when we're in shared spaces and keeping snacks in our room's mini fridge to eat quietly when needed. I work 1–9 so I'm away most days except weekends, so that helps a bit. Still, pretending to fast feels uneasy to me - like it's not honest. I don't want to cause fitna or disrespect, but I also want to protect this news until we're ready. Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you handle it respectfully and without hurting family trust? Any practical tips for discreetly managing hunger and nausea during the day while living with others, or gentle ways to explain reduced fasting if asked? JazakAllah khair for any advice.