Hellobee Boards

I voted ttc after new job then you would qualify for leave if that applies here. Plus you will already be established when you come back.

@Mrsbells: if everyone waited two years after starting a new job, there wouldn't be many kids born.

I started a new job while 7 months pregnant, had the baby early at 8 months, and then went back to work when baby was 3 months. It. sucked. It was so stressful having a brand new baby and what was essentially a brand new job.

Having a newborn is stressful enough. Mix that with the inevitable stresses of a new job and proving yourself and it can be really toxic. I think you really hit your stride at a new job at the one year mark. If you start TTC 4-6 months in, that will mean you'll be at the job over a year before going out for maternity leave, which is great.

TTC after a few months for sure! It was so nice being established at my job when I came back after maternity leave and was a zombie trying to figure out pumping.

Start TTC after a new job!

DH and I have been talking about the possibility of a second baby (!!!!!) and if we did, it would be within the first 3-9 months of a new job for me (if all goes well). I'm nervous! But I would need at least 1 year at full time for benefits and accruing PTO (and FMLA eligibility) for leave.

@Mrsbells: I will likely stay within the same company, so that helps (I'm in healthcare, getting my RN soon and hoping to score a nursing job in the same company), but I'm very part time right now because of school. I like the point mamabolt made about being established in a job before the whole pregnancy/baby thing.

Also, it's nice to see another spring '12 mama who has also waited a "long" time between the first and second child!

@Mrsbells: I took my current job specifically for the health/maternity benefits, and waited 3 months after starting to TTC. It took me 6 months to get pregnant, so I'll be going on maternity leave at my 18 month mark. I've had plenty of time to establish myself at my job, and no one seems to think my pregnancy was too fast/unexpected. I'm looking forward to being able to "get up to speed" for a while after returning to work - I feel like the stakes would be a lot higher if I were just starting a job with a new baby.

I was 13 wks pregnant with #2 on my first day at my new job. The timing wasn't ideal, but if you're the right candidate and a good fit an employer will make it work (it will also tell you a lot about what it will be like to be a working mom there.) Though ideally i would have been there at least 12 months to qualify for FMLA/accure leave time.

Definitely would wait! Then you won't feel so guilty about taking time to pump, sick days for baby, etc. I always hate needing to take time off within the first 6 months or so of a new job!

I just started a new job in May and we are going to hopefully start our first treatment for #2 in January. So a little bit longer than a few months after starting but I wanted to get settled first and I finally feel like I'm at a good point. And I'm a spring '12 mama too!

@Mrsbells: I would way rather have the baby first, for a lot of reasons- then you already have the baby and can settle in to your new job and new life, you don't have to deal with pregnancy at a new job, morning sickness, being off for leave, adjusting to baby- hopefully you can do that first, that's what I'd choose!

@Mrsbells: as for what you said about it being awkward to be pregnant before 2 years on the job...that is ideal, but life doesn't always work that way. I started a job at 7 months pregnant, worked for 3 months then took a year long mat leave (and got all my benefits from the job while off). Then i went back to same job and quit after 9 months (crazy manager). Said manager got fired and i wasn't liking the new job i had taken, so i went back to previous job and immediately got pregnant....so i will be working 8.5 months before i am off again for a year. And i hope to extend my leave if possible and go back part time. None of it is how i would have imagined doing things, but my job is protected and i am within my rights so no one can say anything. And i know in the long run once my kids are older and i really establish myself at the job, i will work there for years to come and this on again/off again start will be history.

So i would do whatever works for you and your family in terms of when you are ready for a baby and not plan it around the job. Getting pregnant exactly when you want doesn't always go according to plan anyway, so if you are ready to TTC, i would go for it. And if there is a job opportunity for you at the same time, i would also go for it.

My dream job came up three weeks after my BFP. Because of the nature of the hiring process I knew it was likely that my start date would end up being around my due date. I ended up getting my offer letter for the new job 10 into my maternity leave, and started after 12 weeks. It was really hard, but as @kiddosc: and @Greentea: said, it was good to get all the change over with at once and just settle into a new routine, without having to deal with pregnancy sickness at a new job.

It was a particularly good choice for me because I used to basically be a workaholic with terrible work life balance. I was able to start my new job with new habits that worked for my new life with LO. Plus,my new co-workers are mostly all parents and understood the need for me to occasionally flex my schedule for appointments, etc .

The thing that really made the change all at once doable was that DH is really involved and has been at the same job for more than 10 years and had lots of flexibly.

@Rocker2014: that was sort of my experience. I saw a posting for my dream job go up a week after my BFP so i knew i had to apply anyway. And the timing worked out that i started 7 months pregnant.....i was hoping to start sooner so i had more time to work before taking time off, but they were really slow on the whole process. I was lucky to work exactly 13 weeks though and qualify for all the maternity benefits the job had to offer. It was kind of crazy (in a good way) how it all worked out. Just very stressful at the time.