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First of all, congratulations!!!

I think you should wait - even waiting until the second trimester gives your boss plenty of time to figure something out. And I definitely wouldn't tell him you're planning on staying home until AFTER you have the baby. He would normally have to find someone to replace you while you are out on leave anyway, so presumably that person can continue long-term once he knows you're not coming back. Plus, you just never know - you might change your mind and want to be able to come back to your job! If you tell him now that you're not coming back, you're limiting your options.

If you tell your boss in your second trimester, it would give them plenty of time to get a replacement and train them. Leaving your boss high and dry may not make it easy for you to come back later, if you want to. Companies appreciate consideration. Especially in engineering--it's a tough field to come back into.

Congratulations!

Just wanted to give you a different perspective. I have a friend that told her company she was going to be a SAHM after her baby came. And then her husband got laid off and she wanted her job back, but they already hired somebody else.

A lot can change between now and the time you have the baby and even more could change while you're on maternity leave. Keep your options open just in case you need to go back to work or you decide you'd rather work than stay home.

I really would wait until at least 12-13 weeks before you tell them you are pregnant. Even then, I would wait to tell them until 20+ weeks that you don't plan on returning.

I think it depends on your relationship with your boss. If you know telling him now will not negatively affect your work until baby comes, then I say do it now. If you feel the relationship isn't solid enough that it will negatively affect how you are utilized, then wait. I had a very favorable relationship with my boss so I told him as soon as we knew.

I had a similar situation- I was the only full time instructor in my department at a career college, and knew that I would only want to return part-time after the baby was born. I had to let my boss know early since I have work hazards that I shouldn't be exposed to during pregnancy and we have limited qualified people in our area. I told them at 8 weeks, and they didn't get my replacement until I was 34 weeks.

I had been at my work position much longer though, so in your situation I would wait until late fall/early winter since they will still have plenty of time to make alternate plans before the summer.