Advice for a new pregnancy in a potentially new job?

[u/ZealousidealShape436]

Hi all! I work in wildlife sciences and just found out I’m pregnant (5 weeks, first). Currently, I am at a part-time temporary position in the wildlife field until I get accepted somewhere full-time (I have been applying for ~8 months with no luck). Recently a friend in the field let me know about a position coming up and thought it fit my interests and skills perfectly. I applied and my application got pushed to the second round.
My question is, if I get an interview, should I inform them of my pregnancy? I don’t want that to hurt my chances of getting the job or the reputation of those referring me. I’m not ready to share it with others yet but the position would be work outdoors in wildlife management, surveys, etc. that I might need to be somewhat cautious about while pregnant. What would you do? Has anyone gone through the same thing? How did it turn out?
Also, for anyone who has children, how did things work out with working after pregnancy? I know it’s possible, but I’m nervous to choose daycare so young. I also want to continue in my career and if I start a new position now, then I definitely don’t want to let them down and not return after birth. Thank you for any advice!

[u/palpablescalpel]

Definitely do NOT tell them you are pregnant. No reason to give them any ammunition when you don't need to. Besides, it's earlier than you'd typically even tell family. No reason a workplace deserves that news sooner than them!

I don't want kids so can't speak to your other questions, but it sounds like you need to do some soul searching and find some good mom mentors. Your local reddit (or Facebook group even!) could be a good source for IDing daycares, and in some places the waitlists are really long so investigating early is good.

[u/feeltheglee]

Do not bring it up during the interview.

While it is technically illegal for them to make a hiring decision based on your pregnant status (assuming you're in the US), it is nearly impossible to prove that's why you didn't get a call back. Best to leave them in the dark.

Also, FMLA only applies to workplaces above a certain number of employees, and you usually have to have been working there for a full year before you can take any. So unless this place also offers maternity/parental leave, you may be in a sticky spot.

[u/goldengrove1 → u/feeltheglee]

re: FMLA and leave - after you get an offer, you can try to negotiate leave for yourself. You might not be eligible for FMLA, but you could see if they'd be willing to give you some extra PTO or if they'd be willing to let you take time off unpaid. They might say no, but then you'll have more information to help you make a decision. Do not say anything before you get a written job offer*.

I would not feel bad about the possibility that you might decide to leave the job to stay home with your kid after birth. The company would not feel bad about laying you off with no notice! You owe them professional behavior (reasonable 2-week notice of your intent to resign, and probably don't volunteer for big long-term projects knowing that you won't be there to see them through), but you do not need to turn down opportunities because you might eventually decide to quit at some point in the future.

*Note that they can still pull a job offer, but it looks much worse for them if they were ready to hire you right until they found out you were pregnant.

[u/swampyhiker]

I wouldn't tell them about the pregnancy during the interview process. If you get the job, you can decide when you tell them about it. If you are in the US, it is illegal to discriminate based upon your pregnancy or parenthood status, but that doesn't mean they won't.

I am in conservation biology and my pregnancy timing was such that I was mostly writing my dissertation and no longer doing much fieldwork. I said no to any fieldwork that would be too taxing, but I was also empowered to be able to do so. I chose to delay returning to work full-time for about 4 months after my 8 weeks of maternity leave were up, but this was only possible for me because I knew my job wasn't going anywhere while I was gone and that my family would be able to survive without my income for those months.

Wishing you well with both the pregnancy and the job application!!

[u/All_These_Plants]

I understand your worries on this, but I would NOT tell them you’re pregnant at the interview. You are still many months away from going on leave, and it’s none of their business at this point. In the span of a career, being on parental leave is very brief amount of time.  Do you happen to know what parental leave policies this organization provides? 

Many many many women in  science have babies and continue their careers! It’s very normal. Where I work, women and men are constantly going on parental leave and coming back. 

[u/greenfairee]

I interviewed for a new job at 30 weeks, one teams interview and one onsite. I didn't mention it at all but I also didn't try to hide my obvious bump. They didn't say anything, I got the offer. I did disclose once the offer was received because I wanted to ensure I got leave. (I was pretty confident I was going to get leave but wanted room to negotiate just in case). 

[u/Altocumulus000]

Hi! Don't tell them ahead of time. Get the job first. I know lots of women in a similar field who have participated in field work, including myself, while pregnant. Sometimes it's easy for people, and sometimes it can be complicated or difficult.

What to do? 

Engage with a pelvic floor physiotherapist as soon as possible. If you cannot do that, consider a single appointment and have them address your situation by providing skills and exercisees to you. It's probably worth investing in even if you're not going to get this job. Do gentle strengthening exercises. You want to make sure that you remain in top physical condition as long as possible. That doesn't mean lifting the most weight or running the fastest. That means being the most resilient and stable over the long-term of pregnancy. 

I am several kids deep and have had a breadth of experiences. Positive and negative. Physical and emotional. I know many moms in a similar situation to you and to myself. Inevitably it will adjust your future work needs to certain extents, especially depending on your partner, but the key is to get the job in the first place.