I started a new job on July 1st. I’m officially on my 6th day now. They don’t know I’m pregnant yet. It’s been a little tough due to my extreme fatigue. Typically, around 2pm all I can think of is going home, eating some chips (I know, it’s bad) and taking a nap. I’ve been going to the restroom often, but that hasn’t disrupted my work or my life at all. What is increasingly hard in the position though is that my company holds Friday Mimosa’s every week at 10:30am. Last week, I said I would just drink water. This week, I’ll stick to a virgin Mimosa (ie, orange juice). But how long can I go without joining my colleagues for some alcohol? I see only two possibilities: 1) I tell them I’m an AA 2) I tell them I don’t drink at all. The second option is probably best, although the first option would probably shut them up forever. Hahaha.
Last night, we had our first company event. It was at one of my colleague’s house. A simple affair: barbecue, drinks, food, badminton in his backyard. There were cheese and crackers. Of course, the first thing that comes to my mind is: is this cheese pasteurized? Luckily I was able to look at the ingredients without anyone noticing. Later in the evening, the host decided to do a bonfire. I sneakily looked at the package that he used as a fire started and it had a scary warning:
“California Proposition 65 Warning The burning of natural firewood, natural gas,
manufactured fireplace logs and fire starters can result in the emissions of carbon monoxide,
soot and other combustion by products. The State of California recognizes that these by-products
may cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm.”
So, everyone was sitting around the fire and I had to find somewhere else to hang out at….so I sat inside the house and watched cartoons with the kids. I probably came off as very anti-social – not good for my first company outing – but I tried to explain to people that the smoke is not good for my asthma (not entirely a lie). Seriously, it’s becoming a challenge for me. Always looking out for things that can harm baby and having to come up with original and believable excuses….
Last weekend, my husband and I joined 3 other friends on a little trip to a nearby Washington island. It was great…but again, I had to look out for a lot of things. We all went for smoothies, but I couldn’t have any as the menu said the fruits and veggies were not pasteurized. Then, we went out to eat and I had to quietly ask the girl at the counter if the cheese was raw or pasteurized. Everyone wanted to go on a bike ride, which is fine, I wanted it too…but after 22 miles, I was having a real hard time keeping up. I don’t know if it’s just my physical shape (which I think it’s pretty good) or the pregnancy thing, but I was slow and I felt bad for holding everyone back. At the end of our stay, we promised to help my friend clean up her cabin. The tasks were vacuuming, laundry and cleaning the bathroom. Luckily my husband did the vacuuming and I quickly volunteered for laundry. When someone ask “what about the restroom”, I had to say “someone has to do that”. I couldn’t tell them that the chemicals could harm my future child…so they probably thought I was just lazy or didn’t want to do the nastiest job (not entirely untrue either….). There was also the thought of doing a bonfire on the beach and we had to blame my asthma once again. I look forward to announcing my pregnancy and clarifying all these things!
I sometimes wonder if it was a good idea for me to start a new job at this time. I know that it’s the best thing for my career. I couldn’t let the opportunity go by. But yesterday, at the company party I was talking to one of my coworkers who has been in this company for over 2 years, and he told me he often works until 11pm and sometimes on weekends. These days, it’s a stretch for me to stay at work until 5:30pm. I reach home at around 7pm and I just collapse. At my old job, things weren’t too busy. I could walk in at around 10am and leave at 4pm. It was really the perfect set up for a pregnant woman. I also had the opportunity to work from home once a week. All those perks sound so good to me right now. The worst about my new schedule is that I have not figured out a good time to work out. I like doing that in the morning, but I keep hitting the snooze these days and in the evenings, all I can think about is lying down. My research tells me that I’ll gain more energy in the 2nd trimester – I hope that is the case. I guess I should consider myself lucky for not having any morning sickness yet (knock on wood).
What worries me the most about this new job though is the maternity leave. I found out after I accepted the job that in Washington, you need to have worked for an employer for at least 12 months in order to benefit from the family and medical leave (3 months). By the time I go on maternity leave, I would have only been with the company for 7 months. I don’t know what will happen. Will they give me 3 months anyway? That would be the nice thing to do…but corporations don’t have to be nice. At my last job, I knew I could have taken 3 months and 1 of those months are paid.
I also worry about 3 months not being enough. Coming from Canada, where most mothers take 1 year off, 3 months sounds horrible. I can’t believe the US labor laws. They really do not protect or benefit the workers at all. I spent some time reading the Labor Laws on Monday and found out that employers are not required to provide breaks either. WHAT? I mean, I know most of them do, but how come that is not part of the law?
To end on a positive note, my mother is coming to visit in less than 9 days! She’ll be here for 2 weeks and I’ll finally share the news with her. I cannot wait. Plus, she’ll be there for the first time we hear baby’s heartbeat. J
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