Have You Ever Started a New Job While Pregnant?

I interviewed when I was 3-4 months showing and not showing. When I was offered three different jobs and I told them I was pregnant they told me they would not hire me because I was pregnant, EVEN though it is illegal that is what they told me, three different employers.

My situation is a bit different because I was not planning on starting until I was 6 months pregnant.

Well, with any job, and if you are or get pregnant.... you would have to be employed there for a certain amount of time (I think 1 year), in order to quality for FMLA.

I am currently 8m pregnant. I have been looking for a job the whole time. We are ok on just my husbands income but I need something for me. I have been home since my son(2) was about 4m old. Don't get me wrong, I love my son to pieces but it is a mental thing for me. I need to feel like I am contributing to our life style. I worked from the time I was 14 until 25 and to just get thrown into staying at home was a big deal for me. I have been very depressed since having to be home all the time. We had to cut back on the "better" things in order to save for #2. I feel like I have lost my identity as a person. I am home ALL day EVERY day by myself. I don't really know any one here. Good luck on finding a job!

I applied for my current job at around 22 weeks pregnant, I was showing a little bit, but thought I'd hid it well for the first couple interviews (later I was told that the women who interviewed me figured it out - ha ha). Anyway, I did not tell my employer during the phone interview or the first interview that I was expecting. When I was the only candidate chosen for the second in-person interview, I told him before I met the rest of the staff. He didn't hesitate a second to say it was no problem. The rest of the staff was fine with the pregnancy and were excited that I was pregnant, and I was offered the position practically the same day. I know many employers aren't as accepting of this, so I feel lucky. I do know that one of the reasons I was offered the position was because I was upfront and honest about the pregnancy, so if you end up applying and interviewing while pregnant, I would wait until the second interview, before you're offered the position and be sure to clue them in. I had much advice from people who said to wait to tell, and I didn't feel right about that. Ironically, 2 weeks after I started my job, I was placed on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy. Again, they were AMAZING with the situation, and I have been assured several times that my job will be waiting when I return from maternity leave. But if you decide that staying home for a while suits you, getting pregnant now might be a good decision so you can enjoy your first child, your pregnancy and as much maternity leave as you wish. Then head out to the workforce again. Good luck with your future plans!!

With my first child, I was job hunting and trying to get pregnant at the same time. I was still employed so I thought that if I got pregnant I would stop looking until after the baby was born. What ended up happening is that I got a new job and apparently got pregnant while I was working out my 2 weeks notice. I found out I was pregnant less than 2 weeks into my new job. I waited as long as I could before telling them. So by the time I told them I had been working there a couple of months and couldn't hide it any more.

I started a new job while pregnant. I was in my first trimester and not showing. I did NOT say a thing to my new employer. I ended up miscarrying that pregnancy. I was then later pregnant while at that same employer and waited to tell them until I was wearing maternity clothes, so at about 4 months.

It sounds like the more important question is are you and your husband in agreement as to the goals for your family? I would suggest more conversations between the two of you before taking any actions in either baby-making or job-searching.

If you do decide to look for a job while pregnant, be sure to ask about maternity leave. By law, employers do not have to provide FMLA to anyone who has not been employed with them for a year. I was hired for a new position in early July. Orientation for the job started at the end of August. Our daughter was born by c-section on July 30th. I was not given any maternity leave and went back to work when she was 3 weeks old. Thankfully it was just a part time position, but it was awful! I went off pain meds before I was ready, started driving before I was supposed to, introduced a bottle long before I wanted to, and my husband had to switch to all evening shifts at work because no daycare will take a baby before 6 weeks. I had some pretty serious post partum depression and I think my going back to work was one of the greatest contributing factors. Just be sure that a new position would come with maternity leave!!

The job I have now I interviewed and got while I was pregnant, but I didn't know it yet. A couple of weeks later I had to tell them I was pregnant. It's a part time job so there is a bit more flexibility in it than in other jobs.
I was not entitled to FMLA or disability and I had to pay for my own insurance while I was out (this pt job includes benefits). The higher ups didn't want to have me keep my job but my two managers went to bat for me and I had a job when I went back. They argued that by the time they would find a new candidate and have them trained I would be back (which is true). You may not be so lucky.

Great question, one I have "personnel" experience with! First of all it's great you can survive on one income! I so envy that.

Anyway, I went on job interviews in my first tri-mester. I was in an unstable industry where layoffs were evident.

I figured if an offer actually happened I'd deal with it then. I was very glad I didn't get an offer because my job at the time had flexible hours which came in handy. Plus, I got maternity and family leave.

It sounds to me that nature will take its course with you and if a job comes along in between, you're intution will lead the way. And yes, enjoy the time with your 17-month-old. I was laid off, too, recently and am savoring every minute with my 18-month-old because I have to go back to work..eventually.

I started a job while pregnant, however I had already accepted the job a couple of months before I got pregnant. I was about 4 weeks along when I started and didn't know for sure until a few weeks after I had been working there. I had originally planned on adoption, so I didn't tell anyone until I was about 8 months along. I was big anyways, so I hid it pretty well for a long time.

You don't have to tell them you are pregnant and they can't ask. The problem is you have to have worked for at least 12 months to qualify for FMLA, along with some other requirements. If you are pregnant when you start, that knocks you out of FMLA just on time worked, so you might not have a job when you get back from having your baby. If it's a job you really want, I'd be up front about the pregnancy (if you are pregnant) before you start. I would think they would be more willing to work with you if you are honest up front as opposed to telling them a couple of months in. I was lucky since I was in a large corporation and losing me for a few weeks was not that much of a hardship for them. My maternity leave was not FMLA protected. Good luck!

I got my nursing license the very beginning of Dec, found out I was 3 months pregnant the end of Dec - then started a nursing job end of Jan. NO, I did not tell my future employer since it wasn't their business. NO, I wasn't showing at the time and things turned out alright. I got REALLY big, sore and unwieldy around the 7 month and lowered my hours, then I asked to be in a certain wing which was MUCH easier... they told me they cannot give me 'special' or light duty' treatment just because I'm pregnant. That was discrimination but I left it and haven't returned yet. I've been not working for 4 months now and baby is almost 2 months.

If my family could afford it, I'd stay home, especially since I"m starting my next phase of Nursing college in January. Daycare for infants is SO expensive, almost makes it not worth working - even at a Nurse's pay.

I was hired at a place that was almost ALL female. There was FIVE men in the entire company. ONE would THINK they were fmily friendly but they were far from.

I started in August and found out I was pregnant in January. I was 5.5 MONTHS pregnant! I had NO IDEA yet a month later I was "downsized."

I found out later they thought I knew I was pregnant and didn't tell them. Ummm, no, I had NO pregnancy symptoms at all. The ONLY reason I found out was because I had a double ear infection and had been sick with a horrible cold for nearly two weeks. NOBODY was MORE surprised than ME when the doctor informed me in addition to being REALLY sick I was VEEEERY pregnant.

I was there long enought to get unemployment and collected for nearly two years due to extentions. We have figured out a way for me to stay at home for now but I'd LIKE to work again but this economy is going to be my biggest problem.

I was pregnant and found a job during that time. I did not tell them as I did not want to be crossed off the list of potential applicants. Thankfully I proved my capabilities and they later saw I was pregnant and had no issues with it. You do what you are comfortable with. I was in maternity clothing at that point and was showing. I was about 5 months at the time. Thankfully they embraced my pregnancy.

I was an assistant moving into a higher position at my employer. When they found out I was pregnant (I had been there a year), they let me go b/c they didn't want to deal with two maternity leaves... apparently their head employee was also pregnant, she got seniority over me.

I interviewed for two jobs while 4 months pregnant, and (I think) still able to hide it. I was offered one job, but held them off (waiting to finish the interview process with another) for almost 2 months and started at 6 months pregnant! I must say, though, that this employer was incredibly family friendly, and almost everyone in a management position was a woman of childbearing age (most of whom who had recently had babies or currently pregnant), so the director, who was actually male, was not fazed by it. Obviously, it is discriminatory for a company to refuse hire because you are pregnant, but there is very little way to prove discrimination if you are not hired (@ Momma L, you could sue your company if you can prove that was the reason for dismissal). So, long story short, it can be done, but the timing should be right for your family. In my case, we had decided to delay until I had been working a couple of years, but #2 had other plans. I left the job, which I absolutely loved more than any job I had ever had, when my son was 8 months old because I couldn't handle someone else raising my babies 40 hours/week.

No but I was downsized when pregnant. I wound up deciding to stay home but as part of severance package was given free career counseling. The counseling center reccomended mentioning pregnancy after you passed first interview. Then after second interview or during job offer negotiation you could mention pregnancy & expected time off. That way you & they could plan ahead, and be open about everything, and if they became hostile it was a red flag you probably don't want to work there anyway.

I think a lot of this depends on the employer. I've worked at jobs where the boss would've gone bananas over this, claiming some kind of fraud (not legally, but more of a lack of integrity). Then, I've worked at jobs where the boss would just wish you happy and make sure everything worked out.

It sounds to me like you enjoy being a SAHM and you're fine on one income. That being the case, why not put off the job hunt until you want to go back to work? Perhaps an at home job would be a good compromise?

Good luck!