Pregnant and looking for work - what scenarios (either good or bad) have you seen in the workplace?

[Carelia]

Hi there,

I am 9 weeks pregnant and have been self-employed for many years. I now however face a challenge as the type of work I do are projects that lasts a minimum of 9-12 months and I am "just enough" pregnant that I am most likely not going to be able to finish a project before my due date. I am therefore wondering if it is a complete waste of time to look for a "regular role"? My working assumption is that it is....companies will just reject me at the point I say I am 9 weeks pregnant. Consequently, I am also wanting to "guard myself emotionally" from that rejection, and try to find a way to spend my time "wisely".

I would greatly appreciate to hear about your experiences: experiences that you have experienced first hand or those you have seen happen to people around you / people applying to your company in my situation? What industry was it at, what type of role?

....Indeed, is there a single employer that you have seen who has taken on a pregnant lady, or are your "seen experiences" all negative? Both examples I would like to hear. I want to be very practical about this.

I am highly qualified for my work but my work is consulting based and exists in a "man's world" environment/culture. it goes very much like "oh, you are pregnant...sorry, it won't work then". I am therefore trying to think creatively in how I proceed and possibly "pivot". I am thinking what sector would be pregnant lady friendly (, beside becoming a writer and a podcaster?....

[Seb9]

I switched jobs at around 12 weeks pregnant because I'd just taken a new job, it was a lot of commuting, I was not feeling it and I wouldn't have qualified for SMP.I applied for a role through an agency that provided temporary staff for roles in our local council. I ended up working for the housing team, scheduling repairs. It was simple work and not amazing pay, but they knew I was pregnant and were really lovely to me for the few months I was there. They're pretty used to agency staff coming and going, so me only being there a while didn't matter to them.

I even went back between lockdowns and another baby. Good luck , hope it all goes well for you.

[Hidden]

I used to work in a job centre so I have witnessed first hand it’s not very often you see pregnant ladies being successful in job roles. You are not obliged to report your pregnancy until you are around 5 months or so however for health and safety reasons sometimes it is best to do so. You could get some temp agency work maybe but you’d have to be very open to the work you are willing to do. Good luck x