Changing jobs while pregnant?

cdub4292

Hi all. I have been REALLY struggling at work, I have been with my office for almost 4 yrs. Recently they have really been doing things that are unkind to the employees. One of the girls I work with just went out on maternity leave and they are putting her through the ringer while being out on leave. It’s just starting to become too much for me. However I feel stuck because I get my insurance through them & as I said I have been with them for a couple years now. So my question is, has anyone successfully changed careers while being pregnant? I keep looking at different job ads and they say benefits after first 90 days, which obviously won’t work for me. But I also worry about going out for maternity leave in the beginning of march... some of the people I have talked to say that you don’t need to tell them you’re pregnant and they can’t hold that against you, but I feel like I would be deceiving them if I didn’t tell them that I would be out. Plus at this point I wouldn’t be there for a year, so technically they wouldn’t have to honor FMLA. I’m just so stressed about this situation and I’m at my wits end here. Please help! Any and all suggestions welcomed! 

meggyme

cdub4292 said:

Hi all. I have been REALLY struggling at work, I have been with my office for almost 4 yrs. Recently they have really been doing things that are unkind to the employees. One of the girls I work with just went out on maternity leave and they are putting her through the ringer while being out on leave. It’s just starting to become too much for me. However I feel stuck because I get my insurance through them & as I said I have been with them for a couple years now. So my question is, has anyone successfully changed careers while being pregnant? I keep looking at different job ads and they say benefits after first 90 days, which obviously won’t work for me. But I also worry about going out for maternity leave in the beginning of march... some of the people I have talked to say that you don’t need to tell them you’re pregnant and they can’t hold that against you, but I feel like I would be deceiving them if I didn’t tell them that I would be out. Plus at this point I wouldn’t be there for a year, so technically they wouldn’t have to honor FMLA. I’m just so stressed about this situation and I’m at my wits end here. Please help! Any and all suggestions welcomed! 

@cdub4292 Could you maybe change the title of your post to say something like "Telling work you're pregnant" or "pregnancy in the work place" so this thread could apply to more people. This could start our discussion on all things job related while pregnant.

There are a couple ladies that have had to change jobs recently on our board. Could you be added to your SO's insurance so that you're covered while you look/change jobs? Otherwise you could talk to your OB and see what the out of pocket costs would be if you didn't have insurance for a couple months.

As for FMLA, it's in most company's best interest to retain new moms after they've trained them to do a job rather than find and train someone new. This is also something you could discuss with HR when you negotiate your pay and other benefits. I don't know if they can waive the 90 day waiting period on benefits, but they might be able to agree to hold your position. I would do this after they offer you a job, while/before you agree to your pay, that way they can't discriminate against your pregnancy, at least not without you having a pretty good case in court.

Check your company handboook, but most companies I've worked for say at least 30 days notice before you take leave. Now, it'd be pretty obvious well before we are 30 days from having our babies and I personally wouldn't wait THAT long, but it is your medical condition and you are not required to share that with work unless you want to, save for what your handbook says.

I'd probably suggest talking to your HR at your current job before making a decision. If they give you hell during your maternity leave, you can always leave then. Just make sure you know the particulars about whether you'd need to repay any benefits if you chose to do that. Sorry this turned into a novel.

valentynsi

@cdub4292 hey. I just dealt with this. I wasn't pregnant when I left my last job but I found out I was shortly after leaving. Let me tell you that job hunting while pregnant is very stressful! I left my last job for a lot of the same reasons you explained. It was a very toxic environment. However... Had I been pregnant, I wouldn't have left. I would have just sucked it up until after baby was born and then looked. It takes much longer to find a job than I thought it would. My last day at my last job was May 5th, I FINALLY have a new job and will start August 22nd. The longer I went without a job after finding out I was pregnant, the more stressed I became and the more I felt the pressure to find ANYTHING that would provide benefits. I left my last job saying I wouldn't go back in to that industry unless I had to... Well guess what... I had to. I needed a job. So I'm back in the same industry I was before. I know I won't be happy there, but right now making sure I have the health coverage and pay I need is much more important to me. I don't have the option of being on anyone else's insurance though. If you have that option, and you can afford to leave your job then it's definitely worth looking in to. However, if your in the same kind of situation I was... It might be best to just stick it out until after baby is here. The farther along we get, the harder it will be to find a job. They can't legally it hire us because we are pregnant, but it happens all the time. They find some other reason for not giving a pregnant woman a job. My new job doesn't know I'm pregnant and won't for at least a month after I start. But I feel like if I had waited much longer it would have been almost impossible for me to find a job.
As far as the benefits thing after 90 days, every company is different. My benefits at my new job will start September 1st so I got lucky there. Another option for that is pregnancy medicaid. From what I have been told, the income threshold is very high for that and if you are going to be without benefits for a while it's worth a shot for that.

Ultimately, my advice would be to weigh all of your options and look at everything with a microscope before leaving your job. You have to do what's best for you, but you also are going to have a lot of medical bills coming up. And that stuff isn't cheap. I already have two that have come in and I know there will be more. Blah...
I hope things work out for the best for you. 

chocolatelemons

I mentioned in the FMLA thread that I will be starting a new job in a few weeks. It may be a bit different for me because I’m a teacher so I accepted the job in April before I was pregnant. They don’t know that I’m pregnant right now and I’m really not looking forward to that conversation. For me, if I didn’t move, I definitely would not have switched jobs while pregnant or TTC. I’m already stressed and I haven’t started yet. I don’t have to worry about insurance because I’m on my husband’s but I’m not going to be getting more than 2 weeks paid leave and I may or may not have a job after my maternity leave is over. 

I agree with @meggyme regarding the title. This could be a great thread for pregnancy in the workplace.

keikilove

I’m in the same boat as you, @cdub4292. The work environment is so stressful & toxic that I know it just can’t be healthy for a growing baby. I am currently exploring my options & feeling the same stress as you. 

Like someone else posted, I am even considering pregnancy Medicaid as a last resort for insurance. That would be a better temporary fix than having a miserable pregnancy and an infant who cries all the time because of the constant stress they experienced in the womb thanks to my toxic job. (That’s just me predicting, by no means is that a fact that the baby would respond that way.) Good luck & send me a message if you need to talk more specifically. 

violetmarie61516

My situation is a little different too. I'm going to have to read through the FMLA thread as well. I'm actually returning to work after being a SAHM for the past two years. I will probably be starting my job next week and while I am returning to the same employer, because of the situation that occurredoccur I resigned, I lost all my seniority (8 yrs). I will basically be starting as a new employee like everyone else. 

That being said, I have not told them I'm pregnant and I don't plan to until I can't hide it anymore. I'm hoping and thinking they will be flexible since I have a great history of employment with them in the past.