7 1/2 months pregnant and a new job offer

[tatummonika]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Delaware

I am 7 1/2 months pregnant and received a job offer to start training and I will be 8 months by that time. My expected delivery date is before the training is completed. Is it wrong for me to take the position? The company does not know that I am pregnant. I fear that when I leave to have the baby I will not be able to resume work at the company. I waited 5 months to receive this job offer. Please advise!

P.S. I plan to only take 1 month maternity leave being as though the position is work at home.

 

[Zigner]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Delaware

I am 7 1/2 months pregnant and received a job offer to start training and I will be 8 months by that time. My expected delivery date is before the training is completed. Is it wrong for me to take the position? The company does not know that I am pregnant. I fear that when I leave to have the baby I will not be able to resume work at the company. I waited 5 months to receive this job offer. Please advise!

P.S. I plan to only take 1 month maternity leave being as though the position is work at home.

Yours is not a legal question.

 

[ecmst12]

They're going to find out that you're pregnant when you start working so might as well be up front with them. They can't retract the offer because you are pregnant. It's true that they won't be required to let you come back after maternity leave since you won't be there long enough to qualify for FMLA, but that doesn't mean they won't hold the job for you anyway, only that doing so is voluntary. Another option would be to discuss starting your training after your maternity leave is over; since they have already apparently waited 5 months since interviewing you to make the offer, another 3 might not be a big deal for them.

PS if this is your first baby, you might want to avoid giving a firm return date of a month after your birth...if you end up with a c-section you might not even be medically cleared to return to work at that point, and even if you are, it's really not a good idea.

 

[commentator]

I once saw it happen. This job candidate formally received the offer, and formally accepted the job. Then she said, in the next breath, "And I know you will be as happy as I am to know that I am going to have a baby. It is due**************" and offer them a little bit of an idea of what your intentions are, as far as maternity leave, etc.
I would have no problem, if I were you, in accepting the job, and since they missed the fact that you were pregnant, it's true, they might have the option to let you go when you go on maternity leave, but if you have proven yourself to be a very good prospect while you worked there, that first little while, they might be willing to let you be off and come back. I'd risk it. I have certainly seen it happen.

As for how long you're going to need to be off, that's very dependent on what happens. I had a c section and was back to work in three weeks easily. But those were the olden days before FMLA when you didn't have to be fully released, etc. And of course if the child had problems of some kind, or you did, there . That way, if you accept the job and then quit in a month or two to stay off with your child, for health reasons, etc., you might be burning bridges. If they are this interested in you now, they might be interested in you later when you will be ready and able to keep the job.