Gisele Bündchen didn't want Tom Brady to find out she was pregnant with another man's baby by reading about it in the news ... so she told her ex-husband she was expecting before media caught wind.
Sources tell TMZ ... Gisele informed Tom and their two children that she was pregnant with Joaquim Valente's child before the news broke.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.
Unclear how long Tom and their two kids have known Gisele was pregnant ... but as we first reported Monday, she's at least over halfway through her pregnancy.
Gisele's about to be a mother again at 44 ... and she already shares a son and a daughter with Tom ... 14-year-old Benjamin and 11-year-old Vivian.
Ever since Gisele and Tom divorced back in 2022, she's gotten closer and closer with Joaquim ... even bringing him around her kids ... and now they're starting their own family together.
For his part, Tom's not dating anyone right now ... and he's keeping busy broadcasting NFL games on TV and finalizing a deal to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders franchise.
We reached out to reps for Gisele and Tom ... so far, no word back.