Should I tell Boss

[SharonB312]

Hi,
I'm new to this board and I am so glad I found you guys. I had HG with my daughter requiring some hosptilization and zofran throughout my whole pregnancy. I was very sick and pretty much bed ridden the first few months of my pregnancy. My husband and I recently decided to try in the next few months for a second baby. I currently work part time as a admin assistant and my schedule is extremely flexible, I pretty much make my own hours. I am pondering if I should give my boss a heads up of what may happpen if I become pregnant. I am kind of nervous to mention it but if my second pregnancy is a repeat of my first then I may not be able to work the first few months of my pregnancy. I also have a 50 minute commute time which may be impossible to do with HG. I would love any suggestions on how to handle this dilemma.
Thanks!
Sharon

[Proudmama]

Hi and welcome to the board. I am so glad that you found us. My personal opinion would be to wait until you are actually pregnant. I decided to tell my boss when I started to get sick. I actually made a copy of what HG was and sat in his office and explained my situation. He was very understanding and supportive. I also asked him to keep my pregnancy a secret from my co-workers until I was far enough alone to feel like it was ok to share. I ended up being much sicker than I was with DS and was in and out of the hospital then entire pregnancy. Just try to think of the pros and cons of telling now verses waiting until you are pregnant.

[nataliesmom]

I agree with Jamie - wait until you are actually pg to talk to your boss. There's no guarantee you'll be as sick as you were the first time around with pre-emptive treatments, etc. Although I was sick this time around, too, I haven't been nearly as bad as I was with DD. Good luck with your decision.

[JennyK]

I took a gamble and told my boss before I got pregnant. I wanted to work out a plan for time off when I was sick. My boss was receptive and agreed to my request of taking leave without pay, but the employer still paying my health insurance premium.

My second pregnancy was worse than my first and I hardly worked at all. I had told them my expectation was to be out during the first trimester and to be able to work part time, or possibly full time, during the second and third trimesters. They were not thrilled when I essentially didn't come back until the baby was born, but they stuck to our deal.

By sharing my plans I risked giving my employer an opportunity to find a pretext to fire me. I was confident they would not do that, and I was right. It is a real risk, though.

What is your plan for time off when you are sick? What are your employer's policies? Are you covered by FMLA?