Parent and Baby

It has been confirmed that you are expecting. What to do next? Before you decide on anything else for you and your baby’s needs, you have to decide how and when to tell your boss that you will soon need some time off from work and know your rights and privileges.

First thing to do is to prepare yourself. Know about the laws that protect pregnant working mothers. Know your workplace, your employer’s policies on pregnant employees, past practices and experiences of pregnant employees and management attitudes. Decide if you can still maintain your job’s responsibilities while managing your morning sickness, lack of sleep and other pregnancy related matters.

Next is to decide what you want to do. How much time does your doctor want you to take off from work after delivery. How much time can you afford to take off to be with your newborn? Do you want to resume your full-time duties or you want to switch to part-time?

Last but not the least is to tell your boss that you are expecting. Do it in person but prepare a written one for proper documentation. Tell your employer what have you decide to do and your intentions. Choose a good time to tell your employer the good news. Be sensitive to the moods of the office. Your good news will be better received if there are fewer stresses in the picture.