So you’ve just gotten a positive pregnancy test and you're considering telling your parents and close friends. What else should you do?
Sign up for childcare, of course!
You're likely staring at the screen saying: "What? I just took a pregnancy test. I haven't even been to my doctor/midwife yet. You want me to think about childcare?"
In response, I offer this passage a woman posted on a listserve I subscribe to:
"So, after three years on the waitlist (literally since I was six weeks pregnant) for the daycare at my office, our two and a half year old finally got a spot! Woohoo!"
And that is far from the first time I've heard of that happening. Several years on a waitlist for childcare. I wish I were joking.
When I was pregnant with our first child, we started looking into daycares and found the same thing: years long waitlists.
It’s likely more common in more urban areas, but even if you don’t have years long waitlist, you still have to sort out the different options for childcare. Obviously this requires some planning.
Looking for childcare assumes you are returning to work. We'll talk about that in another blog. But - assuming you are returning to work, you'll need someone to look after your baby.
Read More“We’ve all heard it before: By not negotiating, women sacrifice thousands of dollars by the end of their professional lives. Recent research has revealed, however, that the number is closer to half a million.”[1]
This quote comes from an article on the Glass Hammer which cites that 52% of male MBA graduates surveyed negotiate their salaries, compared with 12% of female MBA graduates. And when the researcher had people evaluate those negotiations (on video) the women were perceived as demanding, while the men were not.
Should you still negotiate your salary and risk being perceived as demanding? How? And what do you leave on the table if you don’t negotiate?
Read MoreCongratulations! You’re pregnant!
For some people, it’s an easy road to get here. For some people, it’s a very complicated, hard road. However you’ve gotten here – congratulations!!
If you aren't self-employed, at some point you will have to tell your boss.
When you do this is dependent on how your pregnancy is going and what type of job situation you are in. How you do this is a reflection of your professionalism.
Read MoreI’m beginning a Working-Mom Series for "new moms." It would seem there's no better way to start it off than with a post about What To Do Before You Get Pregnant.
November is an important month. Not only is it Movember, it also kicks off open-enrollment season at most companies/organizations. This is the one time each year that you can elect to change your benefits (without another life-event happening). One of the most important things you can do as a working-mom, even before you get pregnant, is to sign up for short-term disability insurance.*
Everyone will tell you that having a baby changes your life. You have no way of knowing how true that is until you are on the other side of it. Each family is different, so the baby will change your life in different ways, but one undeniable way that a baby will change your life is that it will require time. Lots and lots of time.
It is really hard to do anything else, particularly during the first few days/weeks/months. If you work outside the home, you’ll see there’s a conflict – you need time to work (because you like your job, you have a commitment, and your job pays the bills), and you need time to spend with your baby (because they need so much care). How do you figure that out?
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