Career Planning while Family Planning

Anonymous

February 13,2023 at 8:34PM UTC

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Career Planning while Family Planning

In the next 12 to 18 months, my husband and I are planning to try to have a baby. I have a lot of concerns about physically being able to do my job if I am pregnant because it involves carrying heavy materials, being on my feet most of the day, and traveling frequently. I also don't know that I want to stay in my role once we have a baby.

What should my career planning look like as I plan for the next 12-18 months? Should I talk to my employer (I do like where I work), if so, when? This would be our first child, so I don't know if we'll succeed or how quickly.

Has anyone struggled with this dilemma before? Does anyone have suggestions? Should I try to switch jobs in preparation? Do I wait until we actually get pregnant? Help!

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AnonymousFebruary 13,2023 at 9:19PM UTC
Is there anyway you can transition into a manager position or training position where you are not physically expected to be involved?
AnonymousFebruary 13,2023 at 9:49PM UTC
Not in my current department. Everyone currently is physically involved. Other departments have less physically demanding work (as in basically none), so I could try to transition to one of those. I'm just not sure when to start those conversations. Currently there are not any open roles that I know of.
Bonnie CoventryFebruary 13,2023 at 11:14PM UTC
I would say not to stress over this, just yet. Definitely have a talk with your leader in preparation, but enjoy this time growing your family! Look for opportunities in the company to transition to and start building those relationships. If you think you may not want to work as much you may want to look at what the cut in pay would need to stay at. Do your research, but don't stress. You can't always plan timing, so let things happen.
AnonymousFebruary 14,2023 at 4:57PM UTC
I would start keeping an eye open in other departments as well as looking elsewhere (since there are no guarantees of something opening). If, as you get closer, or you get pregnant before you’ve found something, I’d have a frank discussion with your manager and ask what accommodations have been made for pregnant people in the past, and start moving with that timeline.
AnonymousFebruary 14,2023 at 9:41PM UTC
Unless your company and even more specifically your direct supervisor are explicitly supportive of pregnant women and new moms, I would NOT recommend you talk to anyone at work about your plans at this point. That could impact potential promotions, new positions, etc. And realistically it could take months or years to get pregnant.
Definitely look around for other opportunities that would be a better option for pregnant and new moms (lots of travel, inconsistent schedules can make it difficult for childcare and pumping if you choose to breastfeed).
My daughter loved her (very physical and dangerous) job, but knew it wouldn't be compatible with pregnancy and parenting small children. She kept tabs on open positions in headquarters and was able to bring her field experience to an office role. Once she was in the new position for a few months, she stopped using birth control and was fortunate to get pregnant a few months later. By the time the baby came she had a little over a year in the new role and she's still there 4 years (and a 2nd baby) later. Her company did have a plan in place for temporary reassignment during pregnancy and nursing for women in her position, so if she would have stayed in her previous job, she could have made it work. Best of luck!
AnonymousFebruary 16,2023 at 4:44PM UTC
If you know you are going to do this then it's probably best to consider other roles internally that could be a shift for you. If not I would suggest that you consider whether your company in this current tough job market would support your sharing this information now. It could put you at risk as many companies sorry to say still don't truly support maternity leaves as we hope they would. I work in HR so I am definitely speaking from experience unfortunately. See if there is a possibility to stay in the current role without the physical piece and if not the company is if you get pregnant obligated by law to provide an accommodation for your inability to lift or have any physical exertion. Be sure to get doctors notes to support any needs if you decide to stay on in the role you are in now.
BeaBoss979975February 17,2023 at 5:33AM UTC
I don't see any reason to discuss your future family plans now, or when you try to transition to a less physically demanding job. But I agree that making that transition as soon as possible is an excellent idea.