how long to wait to tell new employer about bun in oven?

[daughtersrule5]

I'm 13 weeks and have a little tummy showing and I have been applying for jobs and might just start one in a week!!! Yay!! But how long should I wait to tell my new employer about the pregnancy?? Thus is baby number 6 and normally I was working with the others so I didn't have to worry. I'm a little nervous!! Thanks

[daughtersrule5]

Thanks for all the feed back! I'm in oregon and the job is for housekeeping! My plan is to return back to work at 2 weeks postpartum as long as delivery is smooth sailing. I'm just so unsure because I've wanted this job FOREVER ad they called me out the blue to interview.

[MamaMacMurtry]

Legally, under the affordable healthcare act, no insurance company can deny maternity coverage for any reason other than an unmet deductable.

[sabrinaallen]

Yeah I'd say yet something ASAP and i don't know what state your from but you will not be eligible for fmla till after you've been with your job at least one year. Also depending on the state you won't be cover for short term disability unless you've personally been paying insurance for it and 85 percent of the insurance companies will look at it as a pre existing condition and won't cover it either.

[RippedonScotch]

They can't not hire you because you are pregnant but it may be a factor in a decision if someone else is as qualified. I would wait a bit before telling them but not to long as they may have to hire a person to cover mat leave. I told my boss at 10 wks but I have been here for 7 years now and it took him 5 months to hire my coverage last time i went off on mat leave

[thorarb]

I wouldnt say anything at your interview or even during the first 90 days of hire (typical probationary period). You're still early so it's not like you got a huge belly waddling around like I do. I was hired on at this place almost 3 months ago. I wore a loose shirt because literally id been interviewing for a long time with no luck. I tried being honest about it during the interview process and it backfired everytime. Even when I knew I was well qualified and aced the interviews. So I know it seems wrong but I hid my belly and bam got this job. I still continued to never mention it but of course once the belly comes there was no being casual about it. Lol I work in scrub uniforms so they are always loose fitting.

Id say dont mention it at first unless the job you're getting requires you do to something that you arent allowed while pregnant.  

[thorarb]

Im 30wks and I just told my boss today. Everyone has already known (quite obvious) but due to legality issues she couldnt ask lol they are being really great about it seems like. Ive been scarred before. My 1st son I told my employer almost immediately after finding out and was fired the next morning for no apparent reason (they didnt give me one just dismissed me!) I feel it was discrimination because I had said I was preggo the evening before.

My job cant offer me paid maternity leave but they do seem like they are trying their best to accommodate me and making sure I have my position back when I return. They said I can take up to 16wks off but I think ill only do 6wks due to money issues.

[camerinj]

I wouldn't lie. I would let them know soon, but definitely make sure you impress them in these first few weeks. surely they'll understand that now it is more important than ever that you have a job because you have to provide for another child. let them know your past history and give them no reason to complain. I worked under a man who refused to renew my contact because I didn't tell him I was pregnant at the interview...but there's a reason it's illegal to ask those questions. I have a much better job now that is supportive of my desire to grow my family. so, if it doesn't work out remember that they would probably be the type of job that will be upset of you have to stay home with a sick child, etc and there is always something better.

[AnnieBrooke]

Depending on how large a company it is, I would be a little annoyed if I were an employer and went to the trouble to interview and hire someone only to find that they were pregnant and their departure was pretty imminent.  (This would be more problematic for a very small company than a larger one, because in small companies the effort it takes for a multi-tasking boss to stop everything and interview a stream of candidates is detrimental to getting the work done that brings in the money for the business.)  

So when you do tell the boss, don't let on that you knew you were pregnant when you were interviewing.  It is a complete surprise, your periods are always irregular and you had a stomach virus and didn't think anything about the aches and pains, etc.  Then lay it on hard about how you worked through all your other pregnancies until your ninth month and heroically saved your last employer a lot of money by finding your replacement, and helpfully say you will be available to train your replacement, and how you have never missed a day of work due to pregnancy, and all good things a boss will like to hear when he learns the unwelcome news that within a few months he or she will be having to do the whole hiring grind over again.

As far as when to tell -- get in, do some really stellar work, make them see how lucky they are that you are their employee, then tell them.  But not too much longer than your 16th week, because they won't believe you didn't know if you wait much longer than that.

Good luck, I know it is illegal for someone to fire you for getting pregnant once you are their employee, but even those rules don't apply if the company is tiny.