Job hunting + pregnancy
June 22, 2017 8:10 AM   Subscribe

I made the decision to start job hunting a few weeks ago. I just got a positive pregnancy test. Should I stop searching? Has anyone job hunted while pregnant?

I'm still in a bit of shock. (I had no symptoms! I thought it'd take longer!)

I will acknowledge that I am super privileged in that I have a job that has flexible schedules, including teleworking, a solid salary, and a generally supportive atmosphere. I just don't like the work anymore and have been antsy to leave. I came to terms with this last month, and recently started reaching out to people and submitting applications. The jobs I'm going for may not be as flexible (ranging from consulting to university positions).

I'm under my partner's insurance and I don't get additional maternity leave at work, though I do qualify for FMLA there and have stored up about 2 months of leave.

How do you even time this? Should I try really hard to leave now? Should I wait until after I have a baby? (I know, miscarriages, etc.) I do want to eventually leave, I'm already not pulling the extra weight I need to in order to get further promoted.

What am I not thinking about?
posted by inevitability to Work & Money (13 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Don't try to time it. Job hunt, see what happens. You might get a great offer that will offer maternity leave. You might not, and you might make the decision that staying is better than an offer you get. It might be something in between. But don't take yourself out of the running for a year+ for pregnancy.

For #reasons, I started job hunting at ~5 months pregnant, interviewed with the company I ended up with at 8/9 months, negotiated for a start date 4+ months later, did the (minimal) leave at my previous company, then quit and started at the new one. I earned the leave from the time I spent there before, and they had not earned my loyalty after. My current company has, and after my now upcoming 2nd maternity leave, I will be returning to them.
posted by brainmouse at 8:20 AM on June 22, 2017 [7 favorites]


Apologies if you already know this, but the FMLA requires you work for your employer for 12 months/1250 hours before you are covered. Hence, if you switch employers, you may no longer qualify for FMLA leave.

(your state and/or employer may have protections above and beyond the FMLA)
posted by saeculorum at 8:28 AM on June 22, 2017 [7 favorites]


I think it can’t hurt to keep looking, but that the new job would now need to be a few degrees more amazing to outweigh the advantages you list at your old job. It would be really nice to have flexibility and stability in your professional life while you’re navigating pregnancy and new parenthood. Is the leave you’ve built up vacation leave where you’d get a payout when you give notice, or sick leave where you wouldn’t? If the latter, would taking unpaid leave be a hardship?

I did job hunt successfully twice while pregnant (due to being out of work, not voluntarily). One time I negotiated leave (unpaid) after I got an offer, and one time I waited to tell until I’d been there a few months. We were living in MA, which as saeculorum notes is one of the state that offers some protection beyond FMLA. There is a bit of risk that goes with leaving eligibility for FMLA, but worst case scenario is another job hunt after the baby is born.
posted by Kriesa at 8:36 AM on June 22, 2017 [2 favorites]


The flexible schedule / telecommuting option may become more valuable to you. Are there any working parents in the type of roles you are looking at you could talk with? I started to view work as more of a marathon after kids (sustainability and balance became more important).

A lot depends on your husband's job and it's flexibility because as a couple you need to find a balance.
posted by typecloud at 8:42 AM on June 22, 2017 [4 favorites]


1. Yes keep looking you never know what you might find. FMLA kicks in after a year yes but some places allow employees access to maternity benefits before then or you can negotiate if they are too small to need to comply with FMLA - though you won't get to that discussion until you get an offer.

2. I am a broken record - get this book

3. BUT if you DONT get a new job, it's ok, don't be discouraged and feel like you're totally giving up forever - don't underestimate how nice it can be to have a place that is good enough to hatch an egg, which it seems like your situation is. When you come back from leave you might be sleep deprived, hormonal, overwhelmed with figuring out how to work and commute and pump and co-parent, and a be little out of it sometimes, and it can be not the worst thing in the world to have a job you can do with your eyes closed and that gives you flexibility to work from home if you need to every once in awhile for the first 3-6 months. You can always keep networking and job hunting during mat leave and after you go back to work and make the switch a little bit afterwards. I know plenty of women who switched jobs and never came back after mat leave and others who switched once baby was about 1-2.

4. Come join the Facebook group of metafilter parents! We talk through navigating a lot of this stuff throughout and after pregnancy. Memail me (you and anyone else reading this who wants a kind thoughtful support group)
posted by sestaaak at 8:54 AM on June 22, 2017 [4 favorites]


Post-baby aside, what about all the medical stuff that you need while pregnant? Doctor appointments, especially? Will you be covered at a new employer? Prescriptions? Will you be a pre-existing condition, and qualify for zero coverage?

What if you get bad morning sickness and there are days you just cannot even? Agreeing with those who have Nthed the value of the flexible schedule. There is no guarantee a future job will have that cushion.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 9:54 AM on June 22, 2017 [4 favorites]


Your first year back after having a baby will be hard. You will really not be at your best - you will be sleep deprived and physically still recovering for a while and adjusting to a very new set of life priorities. Personally, I would really not want to be 'proving myself' and earning the trust of a new employer while also figuring out parenting for the first time. You have earned the ability to rest on your laurels a bit at your current job, I'd stay and pick up the search again after you know what life is like, for you, with work and a small baby.
posted by Ausamor at 10:40 AM on June 22, 2017 [7 favorites]


In a previous position, I hired a woman who was pregnant at the time of the interview. She didn't advise us about her pregnancy until well after she started work. Because of the timing, it meant that she started work, was trained, started to hit her stride with her new job, and then was promptly off for an extended period of time.

And she really got screwed on the PTO, she had little to no sick leave accrued, next to no vacation and ended up having to take the majority of her maternity leave as unpaid time. After she came back from her leave, she had to relearn all her previous training because the sleep deprivation and stress. She confided in me that she really wished she'd waited until after the baby to change jobs because would have been so much easier.
posted by teleri025 at 1:43 PM on June 22, 2017 [1 favorite]


As another currently pregnant lady, I personally would not want to be job hunting right now. Particularly because I have felt beyond crappy from about week 6 through the first trimester (started feeling bad about one week after my positive test) -- and I don't even have particularly bad morning sickness, from knowing what some friends have gone through. I can't even imagine trying to prove myself at a new job with the amount of fatigue -- I'm basically treading water at my current job and hoping the second trimester gets better. No way could I be doing a bunch of training and giving 110% like one generally needs to with a new position. Now, everyone's pregnancy is different! But the first trimester is difficult for a lot of people, and working full-time with a newborn is challenging for pretty much everyone. Obviously you have to weigh a lot of different factors, but given that there's a lot of flexibility at your current job and it doesn't sound like you HATE it, I would personally stick with the stability and the 2 months of paid leave.
posted by rainbowbrite at 3:20 PM on June 22, 2017 [1 favorite]


I made the choice to stay at an OK job that was starting to get boring because I figured that having a job where I already had an established reputation and could coast a little was a good idea as I dealt with pregnancy and then new, first-born baby. One of the big bonuses turned out to be that I was able to delegate part of my job during my maternity leave and then not take it back when I returned to work so I was able to return to a 75% schedule that really was less work (not just calling it less and being further and further behind). I really loved my less than full time schedule and I don't think it would have been possible if I wasn't already on the inside to know the details of the job, the company and the co-workers. So, staying worked well for me.
posted by metahawk at 4:25 PM on June 22, 2017


Response by poster: Thanks all for sharing your experiences- lots to think about.

(Yes, I recognized the eligibility of FMLA. Sigh, one of the reasons why it seems silly to job hunt right now.)
posted by inevitability at 6:06 AM on June 23, 2017


Another option it to look for a new position within your same company. I did that. My first day on the new job was the day my doctor ordered bedrest and then hospitalization. I didn't start that job for 3 months, but it was all covered since it was the same company paying for it.
posted by CathyG at 11:11 AM on June 23, 2017 [1 favorite]


I just left a flexible work at home job because it was ... time. But if I had a baby on the way (or even a desire for the next couple years) I would have stayed.
posted by getawaysticks at 4:47 PM on June 23, 2017


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