How/when are you planning to tell work? (Or how did they react?) I just accepted a new position and start when I will be 9 weeks. I am going to hold off as long as possible. I already feel like I am lying by omitting this information, but it's also not really anyone's business at this point. I'm hopeful to be doing well and they will be happy/want to ensure I come back.
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home?In an ideal world, I'd take 12 weeks and then part-time for a few before returning to work. I guess I will see how the new gig works out. I may be job hunting towards the end of maternity leave which wouldn't be ideal, but I couldn't say no to this opportunity.
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? I'm just tired at this point. I've been lucky with minimal nausea and general feelings of yuck.
How/when are you planning to tell work? (Or how did they react?) I told my bosses the day after I found out. Only because my first appt was later that week and I wanted to give them ample notice. They were extremely supportive and have been since.
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? I plan on taking the full 12 FMLA weeks, 6 paid and 6 unpaid. Plan to go back FT for sure.
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? It's been a struggle but I munch on snacks all day long, which seems to curb the nausea a bit. My office is across the hallway from the bathroom so I can run there real quick without anyone noticing. 😅
I somehow missed this thread, too! It's been great reading everyone's plans, excellent addition to the threads. How/when are you planning to tell work? (Or how did they react?) I told my CEO (my boss) really early (six weeks!) I told him because I had literally just filled him in on our IF journey (we were getting ready to transition from IUI to IVF which I knew would require more schedule flexibility and less travel, then our last IUI worked.) He was absolutely thrilled and great about it. I'll tell my own organization (I have about 30 people that report into me, small company) next week after our 12 week appointment. I'll let the rest of the company find out through the rumor mill or by seeing my bump when I make an office visit mid-year and stand up to speak in our monthly all hands meeting.
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? Still negotiating the leave situation. We have unlimited PTO and no clear maternity policy for how much paid time you get - as one of only two female executives in the company I've decided to use my pregnancy as an excuse to push for a clear and employee-friendly policy. We'll see how that goes. Regardless, I'm taking at least 12 weeks FMLA, perhaps more regular leave too (I'm not worried about job protection as they'd have to pay out my stock options which would cost them a pretty penny!) I'm the primary earner in our household so we'll have to dip into savings for anything I can't get paid, but it's our first (and probably only) and I really want at least three months at home. I'll return full time after, but I work remotely so will probably work with my CEO on a plan to ease back in over a period of a couple of weeks, and to put off any work travel for the rest of baby's first year if I can get away with it.
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? I kind of haven't. For the first time in my career I can say that I've been slacking off for about a month now, when I've felt sickest. Still getting what needs done, done, but nothing beyond the minimum. Luckily I've only had a couple of times where I had to travel, so it's been easy to fit in pockets of rest around my scheduled meetings.
@jenferlee82 I’m so grateful when women like you use your position to make things like parental leave easier/better for all of your employees, even if it doesn’t help me directly. If you’re looking for ideas for policies you could help put in place, The Fifth Trimester by Lauren Smith Brody is a good book. I’ve also heard good things about Back to Work After Baby by Lori Mihalich-Levin, but I haven’t read it.
@greenbean-2 Thank you for the suggestions, I will definitely check out both of those books! I'm actually kind of ashamed of myself for not digging into this before I needed it; I was quite shocked to learn that we didn't have a policy (somehow haven't had a pregnancy in my org in three years.) I feel like I should have been advocating for this long ago, but better late than never I guess!
How/when are you planning to tell work? (Or how did they react?) I've told a few coworkers. I'm pretty nervous to tell my boss, since it feels like I just got back from maternity leave (last July). Also, since I came back, I started working more of a flex schedule, which was already a company policy, but my boss is more rigid and I didn't have kids, so I didn't take advantage of it before. She doesn't have kids of her own and is a workaholic, so I'm sure its hard for her to relate. She doesn't say anything, but I know it bothers her. So, now I'm extra nervous about telling her I'm about to leave AGAIN. I will tell her right before we announce it publicly so she won't find out via Facebook, haha.
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? Taking the full FMLA 12 weeks. STD covers me from weeks 2-6 at 100% and our company pays the first week at 100%. After that, I'll be using my PTO, then the rest unpaid.
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? Trying not to be lazy, but its hard. Due to the above concerns with my boss, I feel like I need to give a little extra effort right now so that she's not fed up with this whole baby bit.
Those of you that are teachers- Are you planning to tell your students? I’m pretty sure I will be able to hide it since I will only be about 19 weeks by the time school lets out. I wear pretty baggy clothes and didn’t start snowing till around 20 something weeks last time. I think it would be kind of funny to go back in August noticeably pregnant.
I already told one student because I dropped a cup of tea and it splashed all over her; I used it by way of explaining why I had such awful butterfingers.
@geminigirl16 You get 12-18 MONTHS off? That is incredible.
How/when are you planning to tell work? (Or how did they react?) I am trying to hide it until 16-ish weeks. I am expecting a promotion and I realllllly hope it comes before I am forced to tell. This is my third though, so I feel like I will pop earlier than in the past.
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? I get 12 weeks paid, which is a combo of STD, parental leave offered by my company, and my vacation/sick leave. Both times before I only took the 12 weeks and was very ready to go back. But I think this time I will take an extra few weeks unpaid as I know this is the last time I'll ever have maternity leave, plus our daycare situation will change after the baby comes since I have two bigger kids. I will definitely go back full time after 4 months.
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? I keep snacks with me at all times.
I'm currently interviewing for new jobs. I have a second interview on Monday with a locality three hours from here. I'm nervous about the drive because I've been so sick, and nervous about keeping my nausea in check during the interview. But it would be a great opportunity - better pay, more opportunities for my husband (we're in a very rural area now), and on the coast, so we could take advantage of being near the beach during the nice weather.
The logistics are complicated. We'd probably rent a house out there and try to rent our house here for a couple years prior to selling/buying. I'm really nervous about the idea of starting a new job without any accumulated leave time. I checked their employee handbook, and the organization offers three weeks paid maternity leave, but I don't know if I would qualify for that without having been there a year. If I get an offer, it's something I'd have to ask about upfront before accepting just so we could factor that in.
There are a lot of reasons I don't want to stay at my current job. I don't find the environment particularly supportive and it's incredibly stressful. But the insurance is really good, and my accrued leave/STD would allow me to take at least 10 weeks off paid.
@surprisedftm Sounds like a great opportunity! Remember, if you get an offer, it means they want you and you should definitely try to negotiate a good mat leave as part of your package.
Another coworker announced yesterday at 16 weeks and it made me so antsy to share mine too.. I’m only 10w but I’ve been dying to share with as many people as I can. I work in a pretty young environment so people were asking her a bunch of questions about pregnancy and I wanted to shout out answers so I ran away lol.
I think I may have to at least tell my boss soon because I’ve been late almost every day this week and slacking off like crazy which is not like me I’m just so tired / unmotivated..
Hi -- sorry -- I haven't been around but I'm going to try to jump back in here. I just started a brand new job about a month ago after staying home with my daughter for the past 2.5 years, so I've been thinking about this stuff non stop.
How/when are you planning to tell work? (Or how did they react?) - I'm still not entirely sure. I think I'm going to wait until after my genetic testing next week, but not too much longer because it's getting REALLY hard to hide this time around. I think the only thing helping me is that no one there knows me so they prob just think I'm always a little chubby.
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? I plan on (hopefully) taking a 12 week leave, then returning part time. I say hopefully because I won't be eligible for FMLA since I won't have been there a year yet...
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? I've been sucking on hard candies constantly, and sneaking away every couple hours for snacks. It's been rough.
I scheduled a meeting with my boss next Friday to let him know! I’m not sure how to go about it! Anyone have any advice? He is relatively new and I don’t know much about his stance on children. Not that this will affect the quality of my work, but I imagine I’ll be a bit more strict on when I leave for the day. I would be the first one in our unit to have a child, so I’m a bit unsure of how to even bring it up!
I scheduled a meeting with my boss next Friday to let him know! I’m not sure how to go about it! Anyone have any advice? He is relatively new and I don’t know much about his stance on children. Not that this will affect the quality of my work, but I imagine I’ll be a bit more strict on when I leave for the day. I would be the first one in our unit to have a child, so I’m a bit unsure of how to even bring it up!
Argh stuck in quote box. Anyway - two things helped me: 1. I said it right away in the meeting, got it out quickly which felt less awkward. 2. I had a little outline of my initial ideas for coverage during my leave. It wasn’t complete but was enough to show him I was already thinking about all of that.
Good of luck with yours, I’m sure it will go just fine!!
@sammygirl18 If you haven't already, I would recommend talking with your HR dept before talking to your boss. When you talk to him, you'll want to know your return to work plan and talking with HR will make sure you have solid information on their leave policies, which can vary by company/city/state. Depending on your role, it can also be helpful to come with some ideas for how you think it would be best to backfill/accommodate during your absence. Ultimately it's your boss's problem to solve, but it can be helpful to have some ideas to contribute. Good luck!
I have my yearly review on Friday and have been counseled against telling my boss then. As my co-team leader has her review in April we're thinking of me going in with her 5 minutes before her review, telling boss about pregnancy but also our plans of how to manage during mat leave. Then she has her review.
I'm waiting on an offer from the coastal community I interviewed with. They called yesterday to verify that it was okay to check with my references, so assuming none of the people that I know and trust would backstab me, it's safe to say that they're moving forward.
HOWEVER, I just got contacted for a second interview with a local organization. It would be amazing to not have to move, I know the staff there already and they're all really wonderful people, and it's a lot closer to our families. However, in every other aspect, I think the position where we'd have to relocate would be better overall for our family. Higher pay, a lot more opportunities for my husband, work I'm more comfortable/confident with, etc.
How/when are you planning to tell work? (Or how did they react?) I've told my fellow senior staff (I'm one on a team of five), and they were all ecstatic! Telling the broader staff (24) next week when we go public (at 12 weeks.)
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? I have allllll intentions of coming back to work! I love my job (in the nonprofit sector.) I'm due 10/15, so probably going to be out on leave (short term disability for first six weeks, then using sick/vacation days that I've been hoarding) until after the New Year. I just did my PTO plan yesterday, and looks like I can come back to a 3-day week, then two 4-day weeks, before getting back in the "regular" schedule, so I can ease in!
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work?
Not well! I'm really thankful and fortunate that my employer of 8 years knows me, my work, and is flexible on timing. If I don't have meetings to attend, I don't need to arrive or leave at any particular time. My productivity is down, but I expect it to pick back up in the second trimester, so I'm just trying to be gentle on myself right now and let myself work at lessened capacity.
~*~*~*~*FTM!*~*~*~*~* Married 10/17/09 TTC since 2/16 BFP 2/4/19 EDD 10/15/19
@mrsinterweb@jenferlee82 thanks for the advice! Today’s the day, and I’ve got a tentative plan! I’m sure it will be fine, but I can’t help but be nervous!
@mrsinterweb@jenferlee82 thanks for the advice! Today’s the day, and I’ve got a tentative plan! I’m sure it will be fine, but I can’t help but be nervous!
@jenferlee82 It was pretty uneventful! I was in and out in less than 10 min! It was a congratulations and the only thing I’m concerned about is one of the projects your working on getting finished before I leave.
I think it’s totally doable to get done or at least to a point where others won’t have any issues seeing it to the end.
Made it through another week ladies! @grapeskittles4lyfe Good luck with your review today!
eeeep! Thank you! It went relatively well. Got a lot of new leadership and project mentor training sessions out of it so I'm going to take that as a win. I was pushing for a nod to make my current role permanent but she couldn't commit to it. She said she wanted to see me be more front and center with the board when I presented my project updates and that visibility would make me a shoo-in for the supervisor role later on. As this project will not be done before Nov 2021, I can absolutely do that even with mat leave in the mix.
So I ended up telling my boss last Monday and then I told my coworkers the next day -- I didn't do anything cute or creative since I'm so new and I was nervous to tell them. Overall it went well, but it's unclear at this point if I'll be able to get more than 8 weeks of leave, which is really stressing/ bumming me out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get 12, even if some of it is totally unpaid.
I told my boss today! He was very supportive and excited for me. He was also totally on the same page as me for backup plans for while I’m on leave. I’m debating whether to tell my teams (peers and directs) tomorrow or to hold off until next week. It’s a much more awkward announcement in a group setting and my pgal brain still worries, so I might hold off just a bit.
How/when are you planning to tell work? (Or how did they react?) Well my job knows, I work factory and 3 12 hr days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 6a to 6p. So I went to HR and was asking about out new maternity plan cause it changed at the begining of this year actually. She laughed thinking I was coming to discuss it already and told me to come back in August. 😂 I just wanted to know how the new plan worked😂
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? So our new plan states that we use our short term disability first. That's considered the mothers "healing time" so the bare minimum is 6 weeks, max is 8. Just will depend on what I need at the time. Then we get 4 weeks Parental leave paid through our company. And we can use that 4 weeks any time in the first year of the baby's life, it's considered our "bonding time". I think I'm just gonna take it all together and depending on my STD, I can get about 12 weeks off. since I'm due in October, it would put me coming back after the 1st if the year cause we get 2 weeks off for Christmas and I don't think that break counts into my leave(not totally sure on that I have to ask how that works cause thats a full paid break) and I'd be going back full time cause that's what I work. I get 4 days off through the week so I'm excited to see how this will go this time. (I worked way different shifts for my DS and DD)
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? I can honestly say (knock on wood!!!!) I haven't had too much morning sickness or issue! I get nauseous and just drink some water but so far it hasn't been bad thank goodness. We have a bathroom right by my department and my crew knows I'm pregnant so they all know if I have to run, why😂😂
I just told my boss. She was very happy for me. We didn’t have the conversation about maternity leave yet, which is good because I wasn’t quite ready to hash out the details. It’s a relief to have that over with. I’ll probably tell the rest of my group at the team meeting next week.
So I start a new job on May 1st. I haven't told them I'm pregnant yet. I don't have any reason to think they won't be supportive, but after negotiating salary and all of that, I didn't want to say, "Oh, and by the way, I'm going to be leaving at the end of October for a few weeks..." Obviously, I'll have to, but I'll wait until I've been there a week or two to break the news.
I have a short-term disability policy through AFLAC that I can keep when I leave, so I'll have some pay-out from that, and I think I'll have about 2.5 weeks accrued if I can save all my vacation and sick time for maternity leave. I tried to negotiate more, but they weren't happy with that and offered me more money instead. Haha. And then I'll get paid out for my unused vacation time at my current position, which ends up being the equivalent of about three weeks. So I think between all of that, I should be able to swing about six weeks off total. But we'll just have to see how the discussion goes.
Re: March working moms check-in
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? In an ideal world, I'd take 12 weeks and then part-time for a few before returning to work. I guess I will see how the new gig works out. I may be job hunting towards the end of maternity leave which wouldn't be ideal, but I couldn't say no to this opportunity.
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? I'm just tired at this point. I've been lucky with minimal nausea and general feelings of yuck.
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? I plan on taking the full 12 FMLA weeks, 6 paid and 6 unpaid. Plan to go back FT for sure.
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? It's been a struggle but I munch on snacks all day long, which seems to curb the nausea a bit. My office is across the hallway from the bathroom so I can run there real quick without anyone noticing. 😅
How/when are you planning to tell work? (Or how did they react?) I told my CEO (my boss) really early (six weeks!) I told him because I had literally just filled him in on our IF journey (we were getting ready to transition from IUI to IVF which I knew would require more schedule flexibility and less travel, then our last IUI worked.) He was absolutely thrilled and great about it. I'll tell my own organization (I have about 30 people that report into me, small company) next week after our 12 week appointment. I'll let the rest of the company find out through the rumor mill or by seeing my bump when I make an office visit mid-year and stand up to speak in our monthly all hands meeting.
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? Still negotiating the leave situation. We have unlimited PTO and no clear maternity policy for how much paid time you get - as one of only two female executives in the company I've decided to use my pregnancy as an excuse to push for a clear and employee-friendly policy. We'll see how that goes.
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? I kind of haven't. For the first time in my career I can say that I've been slacking off for about a month now, when I've felt sickest. Still getting what needs done, done, but nothing beyond the minimum. Luckily I've only had a couple of times where I had to travel, so it's been easy to fit in pockets of rest around my scheduled meetings.
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? Taking the full FMLA 12 weeks. STD covers me from weeks 2-6 at 100% and our company pays the first week at 100%. After that, I'll be using my PTO, then the rest unpaid.
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? Trying not to be lazy, but its hard. Due to the above concerns with my boss, I feel like I need to give a little extra effort right now so that she's not fed up with this whole baby bit.
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? I get 12 weeks paid, which is a combo of STD, parental leave offered by my company, and my vacation/sick leave. Both times before I only took the 12 weeks and was very ready to go back. But I think this time I will take an extra few weeks unpaid as I know this is the last time I'll ever have maternity leave, plus our daycare situation will change after the baby comes since I have two bigger kids. I will definitely go back full time after 4 months.
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? I keep snacks with me at all times.
The logistics are complicated. We'd probably rent a house out there and try to rent our house here for a couple years prior to selling/buying. I'm really nervous about the idea of starting a new job without any accumulated leave time. I checked their employee handbook, and the organization offers three weeks paid maternity leave, but I don't know if I would qualify for that without having been there a year. If I get an offer, it's something I'd have to ask about upfront before accepting just so we could factor that in.
There are a lot of reasons I don't want to stay at my current job. I don't find the environment particularly supportive and it's incredibly stressful. But the insurance is really good, and my accrued leave/STD would allow me to take at least 10 weeks off paid.
I’d love to take the full 18 months but started a new job in the last year and feel like I should take the 12 instead.
I think I may have to at least tell my boss soon because I’ve been late almost every day this week and slacking off like crazy which is not like me
How/when are you planning to tell work? (Or how did they react?) - I'm still not entirely sure. I think I'm going to wait until after my genetic testing next week, but not too much longer because it's getting REALLY hard to hide this time around. I think the only thing helping me is that no one there knows me so they prob just think I'm always a little chubby.
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home?
I plan on (hopefully) taking a 12 week leave, then returning part time. I say hopefully because I won't be eligible for FMLA since I won't have been there a year yet...
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work?
I've been sucking on hard candies constantly, and sneaking away every couple hours for snacks. It's been rough.
Me 39 - DH 41
Married 8/26/07
TTGP #1 Jan '15 -
BFP 9/11/15 - DS born 5/31/16
TTGP #2 July '17 -
CP July '17
Blighted Ovum MC Dec '17
CP June '18
BFP 1/30/19 - EDD 10/13/19
HOWEVER, I just got contacted for a second interview with a local organization. It would be amazing to not have to move, I know the staff there already and they're all really wonderful people, and it's a lot closer to our families. However, in every other aspect, I think the position where we'd have to relocate would be better overall for our family. Higher pay, a lot more opportunities for my husband, work I'm more comfortable/confident with, etc.
I've told my fellow senior staff (I'm one on a team of five), and they were all ecstatic! Telling the broader staff (24) next week when we go public (at 12 weeks.)
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home?
I have allllll intentions of coming back to work! I love my job (in the nonprofit sector.) I'm due 10/15, so probably going to be out on leave (short term disability for first six weeks, then using sick/vacation days that I've been hoarding) until after the New Year. I just did my PTO plan yesterday, and looks like I can come back to a 3-day week, then two 4-day weeks, before getting back in the "regular" schedule, so I can ease in!
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work?
Married 10/17/09
TTC since 2/16
BFP 2/4/19
EDD 10/15/19
I think it’s totally doable to get done or at least to a point where others won’t have any issues seeing it to the end.
Me 39 - DH 41
Married 8/26/07
TTGP #1 Jan '15 -
BFP 9/11/15 - DS born 5/31/16
TTGP #2 July '17 -
CP July '17
Blighted Ovum MC Dec '17
CP June '18
BFP 1/30/19 - EDD 10/13/19
What are your plans after baby - how much leave, going back full time or part time or staying home? So our new plan states that we use our short term disability first. That's considered the mothers "healing time" so the bare minimum is 6 weeks, max is 8. Just will depend on what I need at the time. Then we get 4 weeks Parental leave paid through our company. And we can use that 4 weeks any time in the first year of the baby's life, it's considered our "bonding time". I think I'm just gonna take it all together and depending on my STD, I can get about 12 weeks off. since I'm due in October, it would put me coming back after the 1st if the year cause we get 2 weeks off for Christmas and I don't think that break counts into my leave(not totally sure on that I have to ask how that works cause thats a full paid break) and I'd be going back full time cause that's what I work. I get 4 days off through the week so I'm excited to see how this will go this time. (I worked way different shifts for my DS and DD)
How are you dealing with first trimester yuckiness at work? I can honestly say (knock on wood!!!!) I haven't had too much morning sickness or issue! I get nauseous and just drink some water but so far it hasn't been bad thank goodness. We have a bathroom right by my department and my crew knows I'm pregnant so they all know if I have to run, why😂😂
I have a short-term disability policy through AFLAC that I can keep when I leave, so I'll have some pay-out from that, and I think I'll have about 2.5 weeks accrued if I can save all my vacation and sick time for maternity leave. I tried to negotiate more, but they weren't happy with that and offered me more money instead. Haha. And then I'll get paid out for my unused vacation time at my current position, which ends up being the equivalent of about three weeks. So I think between all of that, I should be able to swing about six weeks off total. But we'll just have to see how the discussion goes.