Following up on this reply to the OP, it is a shame that the timing of your job loss happened to occur at your eight month of your pregnancy, but since you, the OP, mention nothing about your employment type of job and length of employment, assuming that you were let go ( laid off) as a discrimination act, should not be your first consideration, because that sounds more like a revenge move to gain more compensation than you are entitled to receive.
Start with looking at the paperwork received when you were laid off—consult with a lawyer if you find the wording too ambiguous—what you are looking for is wording that defines this layoff as a temporary, making you eligible for rehire while the company undergoes reorganization , or a permanent layoff from that specific job position but you are eligible to be considered for another position, or you were fired because your position has been totally eliminated. If you were offered a severance package, you should be looking at that too. What you don’t want in the wording is that you were fired/laid off because of certain circumstances defined as non-negotiable incidents that are immediate termination as listed in your employment agreement. Now depending on your geographic location which determines the labor laws of employment and eligibility for unemployment benefits and maternity leave benefits, you should be able to apply for both types of benefits and the amount received will be determined by your employment record if you were being paid via a paycheck that had payroll taxes that are reported to both federal and your local state government. Again what is available for you depends on your geographic location, so don’t apply assumptions that may not be available.
As far as future work, I am assuming that you need to work ( have a reliable source of income) to support yourself, your present physical condition may limit your job opportunities to short term employment and then after giving birth , unless you have a good support system, you will need to arrange and include in your budget childcare costs, plus you don’t know yet how you may change your lifestyle to accommodate raising a child who is not an accessory but one for whom you have a responsibility and your lifestyle is going to change. So you may be changing your career path plans to accommodate your needs. Start with getting the benefits you are entitled to—unemployment and maternity and once you have given birth, start looking for employment opportunities that will better fit your lifestyle then . Congrats on the new baby
Share your insight
Join an authentic community that helps women support each other at work. Share your professional experience or ask for advice — you can even post anonymously.
34 Comments
Join the conversation