To tell HR?

MLE_C2B

Soooo I've had mild PPD still lately and have a month till I return to work. My HR is really hard on women at work. Men can be a holes all day long but any perceived negative emotion from a woman she's all over it. Never mind her own crabby mood swings. Anyway I know when I'm away from LO, even just busy in the house while my mom holds him, I'll start to feel really sad or get short tempered then realize it's because I haven't held him in a few hours. So I'm debating whether or not to give work a heads up in hopes for patience during the transition. I kind of think megabitch HR might be understanding instead of jumping all over my ass. But also think it's dumb to bring my post partum mental health up at a mysogenostic work place where no one with functional ovaries gets promoted or paid fairly.

T/A?

anewadventure

man, that's tough. do you think it would help to wait a few more weeks to see how you're doing closer to your return? (i'm not familiar with how ppd progresses over time - sorry about that).

pshaortao

As someone who works in HR (in retail but still) a doctor note can help you out. Sometimes an employee cannot be accommodated without one. PPD is medical related and your health and well being comes first

paloma760

I'm sorry you're having PPD

aside from finding a new job, I think you should give them a heads up about what you're going thru. I also agree w/ what others have already suggested- seek out a doc's note to take to HR w/ you.

good luck & keep us posted!

❤️

purplestarz

What everyone else said...get a doctors note and bring it to HR. It's your best bet. The note should have specifics though on what kind of accommodations you may need if any (reduced scheduled, etc). HR won't be able to do anything with a generic note. They need and want direction from your healthcare provider. Even if you've exhausted your FMLA leave time you may be able to get other reasonable accommodations due to your condition.

For what it matters, I also worked in HR before becoming a SAHM.

MLE_C2B

I'll have been off 16 wks at that point. It is getting better. Dr put me on a low dose of sertraline and wrote me a good for work no restrictions as of jan 1. I think I can get through it I'm just worried about wiggling out over my stressful job/workload or the stomach cramping affecting my work. I'm thinking I'll stop by and feel out HR in a hypothetical type way. Then talk to my dr about adjusting my drs note accordingly.

MrsLaLaBug

Sorry you are dealing with PPD also. I had my dr write a letter for me last time stating I was under his care for severe PPD along with a therapist, and that there would be times when I would have weekly scheduled appointments and need to be excused from work. It basically advised what my diagnosis was, and to take it into consideration should it interfere with my work. I gave a copy of it to my director and also to HR. And yeah, there were times when it definitely interfered... Sometimes I would break out in tears and just need to leave my desk to step outside or go to the restroom for a few minutes to get my composure back. No one ever gave me shit for it and all were very understanding, thanks to the explanation from my dr.
It really can't hurt. At least if you have a bit of a hard time like I did when I first went back they can't say they weren't aware of your situation. PPD is a medical condition and I would think they should respect that. Good luck!