Should You Tell Your Coworkers About Your Miscarriage?

53 Comments

1. I had this happen, too. I didn’t tell my boss, but it’s because he was VERY reserved and uptight, and telling him would have made him very uncomfortable. (It was more about that than about the fact that he’d worry about me becoming pregnant again.) I did tell a coworker who was on a project with me to explain why I’d be out and to ask if he could help me out. We were work friends, and I knew he’d do whatever he could. So, I think it depends on the situation, but if you can’t say anything, just get a vague doctor’s note and keep it to the fact that you have a medical situation. It is very rare that anyone would ask more, and then you just say you don’t want to talk about it.

2. Sorry for your loss.

   I went through something similar during exams in law school, and it was awful. I had to tell a professor because there was no way I could have finished my paper in time. I told him that I needed to have an emergency medical procedure and asked for a two-day extension, and he said absoutely. No questions asked. I would do the same at work–not share the details, but say you have a surgery or medical procedure.

3. I have had two miscarriages and I wrote my advice on how to handle personal issues like this at work in a Forbes article here:
   http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/08/30/navigating-a-personal-crisis-at-work/

   For me having a miscarriage is a death in the family which is why I needed at least a week off work to grieve and get back to normal. My first miscarriage I jumped right back into work and was depressed for the next 7 months. My second miscarriage I took more time off work and was able to deal with it much better. Both times I told my boss and co-workers and clients so I wasn’t expected to work and perform at my best. They TOTALLY understood and I am so glad I was honest. Other co-workers got pregnant around the same time as well so I was really happy that I was honest because they knew not to talk about many of the things that were happening with their pregnancy around me.

   My advice would be to tell your boss and co-workers so they know why you need to take time off so that you can deal with the emotions and sadness. If you don’t deal with it right away, a few months down the road it will be much harder to deal with.

   I am really sorry to hear about your miscarriage and praying for a healthy baby for you soon!

4. I agree with Kat that no one at work needs to know the details and all they DO need to know is that you have medical issues that may require attention during business hours. I’ve been dealing with fertility issues for over 1.5 years now and I spent a good amount of time going to doctors’ appointments last year. However, I continued to exceed expectations in terms of performance, and my manager didn’t even notice that I wasn’t in the office as much. In fact, I earned a promotion and a raise. I also agree that you need your strong network for friends and family, especially female friends. Not just to support you through the tough fertility struggle, but in life. It helps keep you sane and balanced. Although I kicked ass at work, the infertility made me feel like a failure. My wonderful network of girl friends and family really gave me perspective and that it’s ok not to excel in everything – including fertility!

5. I had two miscarriages while working with my previous practice group. The first time, I was early enough along that I just called in sick for a couple of days and kept my head down when I got back. The second time, unfortunately, I was far enough along had just announced to my boss (who I also consider a true friend rather than a “circumstantial” type) on the Friday that I was expecting only to find out at an appointment the Monday morning following that I’d lost the baby. I’ve also juggled early morning fertility treatments (what a shock, to see me in the office at 7:30!), and two successful pregnancies.

   The second time, I needed to take a week off of work. I chose to share very little with my colleagues and clients — the official word was that I’d had “emergency surgery” and while some of my closer work friends may have seen right through that, they were kind enough to let it rest.

   Getting back to the original question, I don’t know that I was “mommy tracked” for sharing that I’d had a miscarriage — I don’t believe I’ve had a promotion or work opportunity lost to me because of it, but I was close enough to my then-boss that he knew just what a devastating event it was for me, and he’s a mensch who never would use that information against someone.

6. I agree–keep it vague. If people press for more information, tell the truth or lie–your call. I wouldn’t say “it’s none of your business” because, while true, it’s rude. Most people will let it go if you just change the topic. When people press for information they don’t need, I do not hesitate to lie or obfuscate. Conditions that don’t affect work and are on-going include: sports injury, ulcers, carpal tunnel (pick up a cheap wrist brace if you are facing Sherlock Holmes), bunions/foot issues, dental problems, or insomnia/headaches.

   FWIW, I have worked with men whose respective wives had miscarriages. They kept it to “my wife is sick.” or “I need to leave early to take care of my wife.”

   1. My go-to for when I need to cover my ass for something I don’t want to have to explain is to say “minor surgery” — no one ever presses further because they think it’s probably something gross and they’d rather not know gross stuff about you.

7. So, I’ve never been pregnant and the books I’ve read about considering conception haven’t really talked about miscarriage. I know one person in real life who shared that she had a miscarriage but I felt it would be really insensitive to inquire about the details. So, what I’d really like to know if someone would care to share is – – – do you actually, pass something? If so, those of you who say you miscarried at work, do you mean like literally had something come out? What do you do with it? I’m so ashamed of my ignorance here but this is the only place I feel comfortable asking. My only other knowledge comes from the book “The Help” and that book described it pretty graphically as something that couldn’t be flushed. I’m so sorry if my question brings up bad memories for anyone but I think the answer to it will greatly impact the realty of trying to “work through” something like this – the literal and physical aspect, not just the grief.

   1. In my experience (my one single experience), I miscarried very early on (around 7 weeks, but the ultrasound was showing 5 weeks), I experienced something like a very heavy period and a large number of small[ish]-medium clots. I did not have cramps and I did not have to have any procedure done, but that may vary.
      There was no way emotionally that I could have worked through it.

   2. For many people, the first sign of a miscarriage is spotting. So, you see some spotting and call the doctor and then find out from the doctor what is going on. At that point, for me, I chose to a D&C, which is a sugical procedure where everything is removed from your uterus (I was further along than the first 8 weeks or so). So I didn’t have to worry about what was being passed.

      As for anecdata, I know some women choose to pass naturally and they had very heavy bleeding with some clots and most had significant cramping. Generally, not something that you could feasibly work through.

   3. I had a very early miscarriage (5 weeks) and like LLM, the experience was like a very heavy, painful period. When you are further along, you might pass tissue, but you would certainly know it was coming. There would be spotting / bleeding and very painful cramps. In that situation, you could certainly leave work saying you were suddenly very sick and go home (or the doctor’s office) and deal with it in private.

      A lot of cemetaries offer cremation/burial services for miscarried fetuses, so if you were to go through the pain of suffering a later loss, that is something you could look into.

   4. I had four miscarriages, all at around 12-13 weeks. In two of them it was like a VERY heavy and painful period with lots of big clots of blood (up to about the size of a quarter, so certainly flushable). There were likely “products of conception” (as they called it at the time) in those clots, but you couldn’t tell what was what. In one of them my doctor asked me to bring in anything that I thought might be tissue so that they could see if they could tell why I was miscarrying, but it turned out that the stuff that I thought might be tissue was just large blood clots. In the other two the fetus died but nothing happened spontaneously right away so I never saw anything and just had a D&C.

   5. I had an early miscarriage at 8.5 weeks, but the fetus had stopped growing around 4-5 weeks. For me, it was just like a heavy period. I was in the middle of a massive deadline rush at work and didn’t feel like I could take any time off without telling people why, so I did work through it and I was fine. For me, it wasn’t bad physically, but emotionally it took a huge toll. I think it took me much longer to recover emotionally because I didn’t take any time off and didn’t give myself a chance to grieve until deadlines had passed a couple weeks later. I was an emotional wreck for a while.

   6. I had a horrible miscarriage at 8 weeks, passed a VERY easily discernible fetus. Since part of the placenta remained attached, though, I started hemorrhaging severely and had to go to the hospital. My husband actually fished the fetus out of the toilet in a tupperware container to take to the hospital (and I’m glad he did, as the ER ObGyns made it pretty clear at first they thought I’d tried to get an illegal induced abortion and being able to show them the fetus made it obvious that this was a natural abortion).

      I had to stay out of work for a week. My husband called work while I was still in the hospital, told the office manager that I was in the hospital for “hemorrhaging,” and apparently that was enough for all my female co-workers to realize what had happened even though I hadn’t told anyone I was pregnant. Ugh. They were supportive, though.

8. [coming out of lurking]
   I had a miscarriage in 2011, after already having a child, so it was not a mystery that having children was in my mind.
   My boss (and we are friends out of work) asked me one day at lunch when I was having a second child. I had gotten a positive pregnancy test the day before. So, since we are friends, I told him. A week later after a disappointing ultrasound he brought my upcoming maternity leave at lunch with other colleagues, where I prompty busrt into tears. I cried in his office again later that day, while excusing myself from going to a meeting with clients.
   That night I started spotting, called my OB in the morning and was told to stay in bed. I called our HR department and said boss to let them know what was what. That night it was clear I was losing the pregnancy. Early the next morning (this was a Wednesday) I called the office and told them I’d be out the rest of the week. I explained why, and no one called me, asked for my input, or bothered me.
   That really helped me heal and move on.
   During my year-end review, that same boss mentioned that I had performed a little below my usual standard following the miscarriage, but it was to be expected and nobody was complaining.
   I got pregnant later that year and have a 7-month old.
   Just as a clarification, my local labor laws grant me 3-months paid maternity leave, and I can take an additional 6 months without pay where my employer is obligated to keep my work for me (I did not take the unpaid leave with either of my children).

9. I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t comment on the being pregnant/miscarrying point of view but I would definitely be quiet about what happened at work, especially with your superiors and if you’re at a smaller shop. I have the sense that partners at my firm are loathe to hire more female associates because they keep getting pregnant and taking maternity leave – it may not be a great career move to let your bosses know you’re thinking about babies and mat leave. (I’m being matter of fact about this but I genuinely think there are problems with this mentality)

10. Timely topic for me. I had a miscarriage in January, of what would have been my second child. I took the “chin up, buttercup” approach and plowed right through (took off the day of the procedure, back to work the next day for a half day but ended up on the phone that night for a client emergency so billed a full day) and right back to my regular routine afterwards. In hindsight it was not the best approach as I am still dealing with the somewhat unexpected emotional fall-out.

    When it happened, I told my boss and secretary that I had to take the day off to have an “emergency procedure to deal with a minor health issue” or something like that. I told them the truth about the nature of the health issue later on. I would not have wanted anyone else to know and I didn’t think there was any reason for anyone else to know anything beyond “She’s sick/under the weather/etc.” Should I have to go through this again, I will again keep it general for most people but tell my boss & secretary, with whom I have excellent relationships, what is happening.

11. Wow, how timely, unfortunately. I just heard this morning that a very close friend of mine had a miscarriage last night. I will send a card right away, but any suggestions on what else I could send or do so she knows I’m thinking of her? Flowers don’t seem appropriate, but I didn’t know what else to do.

    1. With my first pregnancy, I started telling people after 8 weeks. By the time I learned that I had had a missed miscarriage during a routine appointment at 12.5 weeks, pretty much all of my colleagues (including the judges I am in front of regularly) knew, so there was no hiding what had happened.

       Although I am sure things would have been different had I had a very early miscarriage, I can honestly say that it was a relief to have it so out in the open because I (obviously) had a lot of grief to work through and every single person in my professional life was extremely supportive and understanding during that time. I was very pleasantly surprised, in particular, by how many male attorneys and judges went out of their way to tell me that their wives had been through similar experiences and that they could sympathize.

       From a practical standpoint, I learned about the miscarriage on a Friday morning, so obviously I didn’t come back to work that day and was grateful to have the weekend before I had to face anyone. I had to have a D&C, which was scheduled for a Wednesday afternoon, so I worked Monday and Tuesday and then took the rest of the week off.

    2. I received a plant basket from a not-so-close relative when I miscarried and I thought it was very thoughtful. Everyone else was awkward or tried to avoid the subject, and I appreciated that someone recognized it as a real loss.

       I also sent flowers to my SIL when she miscarried. Just a simple bunch of white tulips. I definitely didn’t want a huge colorful mixed bouquet. I think a plant, simple bouquet or a meal is appropriate. But really, even just the card shows that you care.

12. I have not experienced a miscarriage, but my husband and I recently started fertility treatments, which have necessarily resulted in a lot of doctors’ appointments during work hours. I am an associate attorney at a relatively large law firm, and a lot of scheduling of client meetings, depositions, etc. is out of my hands.

    My husband and I have chosen to tell a few close friends about what we are going through and sought their advice on what we should do with respect to work. We have decided that everyone is on a “need to know” basis. As a result, I have only brought it up to one female partner (with whom I am friends out of work) when one of my doctor’s appointments was likely going to conflict with something she had asked me to attend. For most everyone else, if the need does arise, I simply plan to say that I have a doctor’s appointment or minor medical procedure scheduled then.

    Also, I think we tend to think that people pay a lot of attention to who is or is not in the office. Except for my secretary and the handful of people I work with, I really don’t think anyone cares or has really noticed when I’ve been out . Fortunately, my firm doesn’t require a lot of face time (at least for attorneys), so the fact that I’m not there really doesn’t raise many eyebrows.

    In short, I’d confide in a few close girlfriends, keep it on a “need to know” basis for everyone else, including co-workers and bosses, and use vague excuses when necessary.

    1. Same situation here – I’ve never had a miscarriage, but my husband and I have been working with a fertility specialist. It has required a ton of doctor’s visits (4 last week!). I’ve been able to schedule some for early mornings and weekends, but not all. And several of the appointments have been quite long. After I was out for a four-hour (!!) appointment, my boss asked me what was going on. Since we’re friendly and I felt like she would start to hold my absences against me if I didn’t come clean, I told her about the situation. She was very sweet about it and super supportive. Since then, though, she’s regularly asked for updates. I appreciate that she cares, but with such an emotional and stressful medical issue, I’m not thrilled about giving frequent updates. And I worry about what and when to tell her when I do manage to get pregnant (knock on wood).

       If I had had the choice, I wouldn’t have told her. But since questions were being asked and I anticipate this going on for some time, I felt like I didn’t have a choice. I did ask her not to share with anyone else and my husband and I have been extremely selective about who we have told. Only a few members of our immediate family and three friends know. Support is good, but people who haven’t suffered from infertility often say/ask insensitive things, even if they mean well.

13. I recently confided in my boss that I would be undergoing fertility treatments and would have a lot of doctor’s appointments coming up. I wrestled with telling her that or telling her I was having a medical issue. I’m glad I went with telling her the whole truth because, surprise!, she went through the same thing herself. This is a big relief to me because she’s completely supportive and knows what exactly I’m going through when I mention I’m going for this test or that test. We do, however, have a very friendly relationship and are friends outside of work as well.

14. I hope this is not out of line to post here, but my nephew died in utero at 40 weeks last summer. It was devastating to the whole family, especially the parents-to-be (my sister and brother-in-law). They are participating in a fundraiser for an organization that provides free counseling services to families who have lost their babies (either miscarry, stillborn, or SIDS). If you feel compelled to make a small contribution to the cause it would be most appreciated: http://angelbabieswalkrun.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1055939&lis=1&kntae1055939=5E6066ECC889417AB916F88A8669D5C6&supId=379474823

15. So sorry for your loss, K. It’s such a hard time, and I wish good things for you in upcoming months!

    I went through this in December— with a surprise (but happy!) pregnancy, and a relatively new job. I ended up telling people that I would be out of the office for health-related reasons, and I emailed my female supervisor to tell her more specifically that I was having women’s-health-related issues. She kindly stopped by my office and didn’t press for details, but let me know that she was available to talk, and that she had had her share of women’s health issues herself. I appreciated this so much, and I mentally filed away this approach to use if I am ever in a similar supervisory position and similar circumstances arise!

    Here’s some practical advice I’d pass on— DO NOT, when you are pregnant, and especially if you are scared that something might be going wrong (I had some weird ultrasounds before my miscarriage was confirmed) Google or chat-board ANYTHING pregnancy-related at work. There is nothing more depressing and distracting, and I’m pretty sure that’s not the best way to get information about your own health issues! Easier said than done, but try to keep your head down at work, and then research on your own time outside of the office— you’ll feel a lot better for having done so, even if (and I hope this is not the case for any of you) something negative ultimately happens with respect to your pregnancy.

16. I”ve gone through two cycles of IVF and a miscarriage while working. The IVF part was not hard because the appointments are early in the morning and I only had to take days off for the retrieval and transfer. For those, I told my office that I had a doctor’s appointment and would not be feeling well after it. I called in sick for one day when I miscarried because I was too much of a mess to go into the office. I could have taken more time off but wanted to stay busy. I did not tell anyone at work because I wanted to feel normal and felt it was easier for me to recover emotionally when I had a place where nobody knew. I did not get a D&C but chose the pills. They were horrible but I could do it on my schedule at home over the weekend.

17. I did several rounds of IVF and had several miscarriages. I let the senior partner in my department know after my fertility treatment became more involved, but he is very family friendly. I also confided in two other partners in my department. In retrospect, I’m not sure if I would have said anything. I suffered a miscarriage at the end of last year, and I had a few very minor deadline issues as a result. I was an hour late on something the morning that I found out I would likely lose the baby, and I was late on a brief after I took a few days off for the emotional problems I was having after the miscarriage (I had promised to get the brief to the partner during that time and I got it to her the day after I returned). I received a very negative evaluation from that partner as a result of these things, and she knew the reasons why I was late. Even though I had no other timeliness issues from any other partner and I explained what happened during my review, I now have to go to a seminar on time management to address my “timeliness” issue. This particular partner was present during my review, and she even argued with me on whether I was actually miscarrying when I was an hour late on her one project.

    I guess what I’ve learned from this experience is twofold: (1) Don’t expect anyone to be sympathetic to you due to your fertility and/or miscarriage problems. I think these issues are taken much less seriously than other health issues. Keep your specific issues to yourself. (2) There’s never a good enough excuse for turning something in late, so if you are pursuing fertility treatments, you have to get everything done way in advance whenever possible in case something comes up.

    I have discontinued treatments partially because of the way that I was treated about this. I can’t afford them without my job, and if my performance continues to be affected by my attempts to get pregnant, then I won’t have a job.

    1. So sorry for your losses. I hope you are able to try again soon!!!

    2. Sounds like a pretty awful boss..

18. I agree with Kat’s advice. Say what you need to say to the people who need to hear it when you have to take time off of work. In other words, just tell your boss and your assistant that you are ill and nothing else. It’s a mistake to share the same information with your co-workers that you share with your friends or think you can lean on your co-workers in the same way as you can with your friends. If one of my co-workers put out that she had a miscarriage, it would be way TMI.

    1. Just curious, would it be way TMI if she told you she had breast cancer?

       1. Yes. I think the same rules would apply- share what you need to share with whom you need to share it to explain your absences and your unavailability and to get your medical and disability benefits.

       2. It would probably be TMI but it’s not an apt analogy. Breast cancer is ongoing; miscarriage is a one off event. I honestly think most one off surgeries unless they have some rehabilitative public element are between you and your boss/assistant.

          Officewide disclosure (to me) is unprofessional.

          1. Miscarriage is often not a one-off event. Many people have repeated miscarriages, and sometimes a miscarriage is weeks in the making. On the otherhand, my sister recently had a mastectomy for her breast cancer, and as a result she required no other treatment. From diagnosis to being cancer-free, it was about a 1-2 month period.

             Pest wasn’t saying that she wouldn’t just make an office-wide disclosure. She said that she would consider even telling her boss or assistant because it’s TMI. I just wondered if she would think the same for something else, or miscarriages are considered particularly shameful. Maybe breast cancer isn’t the perfect analogy, but is it TMI to tell someone you have to get surgery for an ACL tear?

             1. No, in my opinion there is nothing shameful about a miscarriage, but really any discussion of medical procedures and conditions beyond what is necessary and to whom it is necessary to discuss it is TMI in an office. An ACL surgery is also not analogous, because your co-workers are likely to see you walking around in a brace afterward and may ask questions. If people ask, you can answer to the extent that you are comfortable, but again your work colleagues are not your friends and you should not treat them the same way. The note the original poster wrote to Kat suggests that she feels lonely in her situation where she says no one knows what she is going through. I agreed with Kat that she may be feeling isolated, but should lean on her friends and family, not her co-workers.

19. This is not at all the same but a few months ago, my sister had preterm labor and had to deliver her twins at 24 weeks. She went to the hospital on a Saturday night so Sunday I knew things weren’t looking good. I went to the office on Monday but it was nearly impossible for me to work – my family was gathering around her and I felt horrible that I wasn’t there. It was a busy time at the office and I kept looking up NICUs near my sister.

    I ended up buying a flight there for Tuesday morning and stayed for three days. The twins died before I got there but I’m kind of okay with that. I emailed my manager and director before going to the airport and said that my sister was in the hospital and we had a family emergency. No one gave me a problem.

    I ended up telling a work friend but I had told her that my sister was expecting and how excited I was. And it was nice just having someone else in the office who knew. I also ended up telling HR because they were going to take vacation days from me for leaving. I explained what happened and they let me use bereavement leave.

20. This is a timely topic for me, as I had a miscarriage around this time last spring (after one successful pregnancy). I found out about the loss before the 12-week mark, when I had already shared the news with my assistant and one close work friend. (We were in the midst of getting ready for trial, and I needed them to be able to cover for me as I dealt with morning sickness, etc.) I found out about the loss on a Monday, did not return to work for the rest of the day, and took that Friday off for a D&C. I told my assistant and friend what had really happened, and I told everyone else that I was having outpatient surgery on Friday and left it at that. I ended up telling the lead partner on the trial team the next week after she came into my office to find me working at my computer with sunglasses on (to unsuccessfully hide that I had been crying). She was incredibly supportive and told me to take as much time as I needed. I chose to keep working because (1) I wanted the distraction from my pain and (2) it would have been almost impossible for anyone else to take over the work I was doing. In retrospect, not taking more time to process the miscarriage when it happened prolonged the emotional distress I felt, but I still feel like I made the right choice. To my knowledge, my work wasn’t affected due to a combination of luck and the fact that my friend on the trial team helped me out a lot.

    Now that almost a year has passed, and I’m 28 weeks into a successful pregnancy, I am more open about my experience with close friends/colleagues, only because I want other women who may be going through the same issues to know that they’re not alone.

21. I think this depends on your office and your colleagues.

    I am currently undergoing fertility treatments, and have found it completely stressful, distracting, and emotionally draining. There is a female partner I have confided in at work, but only bc she saw me crying in the bathroom. When I told her, she confided that she had a horrible miscarriage at her previous firm. Since telling her, I’ve felt a lot less burdened at work. My family and friends are amazing, but it is so nice to have someone two doors down from me who can empathize when I’m having a bad day at the office.

    Because of my fertility treatments, I have missed a lot of work for “doctor’s appointments.” No one has pressed me on any details. However, I may begin IVF soon and am considering disclosing this to the partner I work for. My reasoning is based on the fact that I know my performance is somewhat subpar right now, and I would rather have my superiors know the underlying reason. Yes, it’s possible I will be mommy-tracked, but I’d rather be mommy-tracked than thought of having a declining performance for no reason.

    I will note that I work in a very family-friendly group at a mid-size firm. The main partner I work for left big law because he wanted more time with his kids. Another colleague’s wife recently went through IVF, and another colleague had his first baby at only 29 weeks. The aforementioned female attorney I work with is a mom to three. So even though my practice group is dominated by males, I am fortunate that they are all very understanding of issues like this. If your work environment would not be as receptive, then maybe you should leave it to “medical reasons.”

22. I had a miscarriage in November. I was 6 weeks along, had spotting and went to my doctor, who was concerned it was an ectopic pregnancy pending the results of a blood test. I had planned on going with the partner I work for to an out of state seminar the following day to present. My doctor told me that ectopic pregnancies are dangerous, and I should not travel. I called my male 50s partner on his cell, and told him everything. I think it would have come across very flaky to bail on him without telling him what was going on, and an unspecified medical issue would not have cut it. He was very understanding. I have not felt treated like I’m on the mommy track since them, and I’m sure as a married woman in my early 30s, the fact that I’m planning on starting a family cannot be a shock to him. I think he was happy I was able to confide in him. Just wanted to present the other side of the coin, since most are suggesting keeping it vague. It’s probably a “know your partner/boss” type thing though.

23. Question for associates who currently have families or are planning to have a family: How long should a female associate work at a firm before attempting to get pregnant? I’m 29 and my husband is in his late 30s, so we don’t want to wait too long, but I graduated from law school in 2012 and started at my firm in the Fall. We were planning to start trying early next year, which would mean going out on maternity leave after 2 years of working. Is that too soon?

    1. Technically it’s never “wrong” to go on maternity leave, though your benefits may vary based on tenure. However, from a professional standpoint I think anything over a year is fine.

    2. I had been at my firm for 16 months (approximately) when I went on leave, and had no pushback or problems. In an ideal world, it would be preferable to wait to go on leave until you are indispensable at your firm. But I really think that there’s no good time to do it, so let your personal circumstances guide you.

       One thing: don’t start trying unless you’re really ready. I got pregnant on the first round, much earlier than I had expected.

    3. There’s no right answer. I always thought I wanted to be at the firm at least a year before I got pregnant. Instead I started in October, got pregnant in March and went out on an earlier-than-expected leave in October … so I was at the firm just over a year when I went on leave. Everyone was really nice about it, I wasn’t the first person to get pregnant during their first year, and frankly, I love my baby and wouldn’t have it any other way. When you’re ready you’re ready and where you are in your career is only one of a variety of factors for making that decision.

    4. Start trying when you are ready. When I started at my most recent job, my boss actually told me not to get pregnant for at least 6 months. (I know – I hadn’t even brought it up.) I took that to heart (because who wants to start a new job with an irritated boss?) and we waited, even though I had already gone off birth control and done my preconception doctor’s visits before I received the job offer. We started trying after an amount of time I thought would be acceptable at my job. Once we started trying, we had a lot of trouble and I discovered that I have a medical condition which will make it much harder to get pregnant and which has required a lot of fertility assistance. I still wonder if that discovery would have been made much sooner if we hadn’t waited so much longer than we wanted to…

24. I went through three–yes three miscarriages in one year before getting pregnant with my second child. For one pregnancy, I was barely pregnant and it seemed like I had a heavy period. The other two required a D & C. I did not tell any coworkers because I did not want them to “mommy track” me. I just took the day off for each D & C. In a word, it sucked. The light at the end of the tunnel was finally having a pregnancy stick. I now have a 6 year old cute-as-a-button boy. I did not anounce either of my pregnancies until after I had passed the amnio, just to make sure I was okay.

25. Penelope Trunk has an interesting take on this issue: http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/09/24/miscarriage-is-a-workplace-event/

    Penelope writes: “We are not used to talking about the female experience, and especially not in the context of work. But so what? We can start now. The female experience is part of work. What we talk about when we talk about work defines how we integrate work into our lives. If work is going to support our lives, then we need to talk about how our lives interact with work. We need to be honest about the interaction if we hope to be honest about our work.”

26. I told my boss and a coworker about my first m/c that required D&C — partially b/c I needed time off at a really bad time, but not about my second which happened on its own. I haven’t told anyone at work about my 2 IUI’s, 4 IVF’s, and recent surgery to remove scarring from the D&C. I have obviously had to take a lot of days off for several of these procdures (typically in the form of a day here and there), but saying it’s for a “medical thing” has always been sufficient. I don’t think it’d be an issue to mention we were trying at my job, in fact it might prevent some questions about whether I want kids (nothing answers “yes” to that question like thousands of dollars in medical bills, countless AM blooddraws and transvaginal ultrasounds, and multiple rounds of nightly stomach shots). For logistical reasons, DH told his boss everything starting with our second IVF…but I swear it’s different for men to talk about their wives going through this. The medical treatments are so invasive and personal and about my body (though our IF is due to male factor which people rarely consider) that I just don’t want to discuss more than I need to.

    I’m torn about how much to share. Part of me thinks that if no one ever talks about their difficulties, it will propagate the myth that having babies is so easy to do and plan. But another part understands the world is real, not ideal. I guess I’m lucky to be in an environment/sector where I don’t think I would/could be “mommy-tracked”…but I chose an alternative career to the one most closely associated with my degree (STEM PhD) partially to have better flexibility….so I’m not sure I’m lucky so much as I actively sought my current situation. (And I don’t think this is an example of leaving before I leave…my current job is considered high stress/demanding, it’s just a more flexible career path than academia offers…and my workplace understands that continuing the human race demands that some people procreate.)

27. I’m so sorry for your loss. I struggled with this question myself. I had a miscarriage in December, when I was 12 weeks pregnant. I had started a new job (the DREAM job) and had a new boss and colleagues; my team of direct reports had worked with me for five years. I didn’t tell anyone at work. It was the most painful (physically and emotionally) time in my life, as we dealt with this loss. I’m sure that my work suffered. I suffered. However, I am lucky to have a great partner, and we had the privacy to deal with our loss and emotions surrounding the loss. I am asked weekly if we’re “planning to have a family.” As each week and month passes, it becomes easier to answer that question without becoming emotional. I have found that a simple, “yes” or “yes, I’ve had some health concerns” (depending on level of questioning) typically satiates curiosity.

28. I had a miscarriage in December at about 11 weeks that required a D&C. Because I am not married and had just been transferred to a new office of the firm, I thought it best to say absolutely nothing to colleagues as the situation would beg explanation that seemed too personal or, without explanation, give the appearance that I was lacking in good judgment. It was a busy time in the office, so I took the morning off for a “doctor’s appointment that could not be rescheduled” and, after the D&C, went to the office, arriving in time for scheduled meetings and attending a client dinner later that night. It was difficult, but this approach allowed me to get off to a good start at my new office. Losing the pregnancy was bad enough, I didn’t want to sabotage my reputation at work on top of it all.

29. Our baby was stillborn at full term, so there was no hiding the fact that something horrible happened or that I was planning to start a family. Although everyone at the office was extremely supportive and I’ve felt no negative repercussions from taking several months off and returning to work with less focus than I had before, my husband and I are now about to start IVF. I told one of my supervisors, who balked at the idea that I might have to be out of the office for my egg retrieval during an important time for one of my projects, even though I assured him that I would meet my deadlines. Now I’m not sure whether to say anything to anyone else. On one hand, starting a family is important enough that I need to prioritize my IVF schedule over my work schedule, and I (perhaps wrongly) thought that my coworkers would be more sympathetic. On the other hand, I wonder if I would have gotten the same response if I had said I was having “surgery” or a “medical procedure.” And the cat is kind of out of the bag now, so I’m wondering how to minimize any negative effects.

    1. So very sorry for your loss. There is a special place in heaven for your angel baby, though I know that is small consolation.
       I’m incredulous that after all that happened your supervisor would make you feel bad about needing time off for IVF, that just sounds heartless. Wishing you all the best, and a happy and healthy pregnancy soon.

       1. Thanks, Susie. I’ll definitely take all the kind thoughts and well wishes I can get!

30. I had 4 miscarriages (1st & 2nd trimesters) while at a law firm (each time the Dr’s were 90% sure I wouldn’t have another one).
    I’m not big on sharing in general and mentally had a pretty good handle on what a miscarriage meant to me as I got into multiple miscarriages. Having said all of that, my body did not always care to align with my mental state. There would be days where I got the feeling that I needed to leave the office w/in the hour, because I felt a crying jag coming on that couldn’t be controlled and like early pregancy, some days were unexpectedly physically exhausting. My “miscarriage plan” evolved overtime. I did end up sharing that I had some medical issues that were intermittent and the Dr.’s couldn’t always articulate what I could expect in the short term, however it was certain I was going to be a 100% within a bit. Like almost all things discussed here there isn’t a single plan that works for all of us. I had a colleague who’s boss’ wife had multiple miscarriages and they discussed her’s in more detail than I would be able to and it worked out well for them.

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