It's working for Anonymous
Gainesville, Florida
2 children
"In my case I wasn't even concerned about paid leave, I just wanted leave. And to not worry about losing my job past 34 weeks pregnant or before my baby was 6 months old, those times are supposed to be protected."
What is one piece of advice you wish you could offer your former expectant self?
Work for a company that has a detailed family leave plan and/or over 50 employees. I have decided to start my own business, but if I ever go back to work for someone else it will be a larger company. In my case I wasn’t even concerned about paid leave, I just wanted leave. And to not worry about losing my job past 34 weeks pregnant or before my baby was 6 months old, those times are supposed to be protected.
What was your primary motivation for deciding to return (or not) to work? How early did you tell your employer?
Working for a private company under 50 employees, there are no rules and they can do whatever they want. This was my 2nd child while working at the same company. I thought it would be a similar experience the 2nd time around but this time I was the only one in my dept. and the only one who could do my job. I also had my first child at 34 weeks so I had more appointments with the 2nd (I made the appointments during lunch or before work so they didn’t conflict). I ended up with a doctor’s note to work from home at 35 weeks because of the stress of work. They kept pushing for more the further I got. My son had to have surgery when he was a month old so I ended up taking 6 weeks off (still answering some emails and work from home before 6 weeks). When I came back they were pushing for more immediately again. With no place to pump I asked to work half days, they agreed but only for a few months. Then told me they were hiring someone new for the director position and they would keep me on as graphic designer but the new person could decide if I worked there any longer. And all this before my baby was 3 months old. Fast forward my baby is 6 months old and I am losing my job. There need to be more laws for companies under 50 employees.
FOR MOMS: If you breastfed, was there a place for you to pump that met your needs and was conducive to your success? If you breastfed, how did you decide to continue? FOR DADS: What, if any, adjustments did you (or your workplace) make to your schedule after having a baby? Was it specific to your manager or larger, whole work culture?
Yes only a few times a week.
How much leave did you take, and how comfortable were you taking it?
Originally only 1 month. I ended up doing 6 weeks.
What was your biggest challenge going back to work?
To find the balance of work and family.