I am a nanny and am looking for some advice. I started a really great job two months ago and just found out i'm 4 weeks pregnant. I met this family through other nanny friends and pretty much got the job on the spot. I LOVE this family, the father is only in town one weekend a month (he works elsewhere as a surgeon) the mother is a nurse practitioner and only works 2 12 hour shifts a week (all day tuesdays & wednesdays) The kids are awesome - 9 yr old boy and 11 yr old girl, so they are in school most of the time i'm there and I just run family errands and do basic organizing/laundry. Basically I couldn't be happier working for them - I work 2 full days and occasionally a week night if i'm available. I obviously want to stay with this family and would like to work up til I no longer can. I'd also like to return to work after a maternity leave of 6-12 weeks depending on when the baby is born since the family will vacation across the country next summer anyways.Do you think this would be a problem or that they wouldn't want to keep me? I would not bring my child to work with me once he/she is born unless the family suggested it - my mother and sister's would be happy to care for the baby the 2 days a week I work. Do you see any of this as a problem? I really don't want to lose this job. I really appreciate any input I can get.
6 comments:
First and foremost, I want to say, "Congratulations" OP on your new blessing!! You are about to receive on of life's greatest gifts. :)
Anyway, I would wait and tell them after the first trimester which would be the three month mark. Just to be sure....
If you wait any longer, they MAY be a little miffed since as a Nurse, your MomBoss knows all too well that most women know they are pregnant by at LEAST three months. Tell her what you told us...that you really love your job, the kids and that you sincerely do not want to leave them. Let them know you already have thought it out and have a childcare plan once the new baby arrives. You will take the chance that she just may let you go, but it is a chance you will have to take. If you are working on the books, I think it may even be illegal to fire someone for being preggers, but I am not sure.
If she decides to keep you, she may let you bring your baby to work with you since it seems the children are in school often. Or if you have to leave your baby with your family, she may just let you stay on.
Think about it...caring for an infant is the toughest job in the world. Since you are only doing two days and the occasional evening, I think you should be good. If you were doing full-time, I would say it will be too much work, but for two days per week, it sounds pretty doable to me.
Let us know how things go OP.
Congratulations on your new addition!
To answer your question, even the nicest people turn on their nanny when they become pregnant. I know this from experience. Expect to be let go as soon as you tell them you are pregnant. Either that or they will treat you like crap until you quit.
Congrats!
From an employer perspective, this can be a difficult situation and rarely goes according to plan. So I would expect your employers to be a bit skeptical and unsure of how to proceed. I do agree with waiting until 12+ weeks to tell them because 1. you will get a chance to show how awesome you are and 2. you can legitimately say you weren't sharing until after the risk of miscarriage was much lower.
I've had only bad experiences when I've tried to keep a pregnant nanny and nanny with a newborn, as have others I know. However, your situation is quite different since your job is really more of a personal assistant and the kids are older. In your case, if you were a great employee, I would definitely try to keep you on!
When you do tell them, you need to be prepared with a concrete plan. Tell them you have every intention of working until xx date. Offer that if they see any decline in job performance, they should discuss it with you. Then specify what maternity leave you want (I doubt you'll get much paid leave) and what date you will return. Explain you have excellent childcare in place. Do not ask to bring your child. Do not ask for paid leave. If they offer these things, great, but don't ask this early in a new job.
i think you should wait to talk to them until after your third month. Then you can ask them. If the mom and dad are both in the medical field I think you should find them sympathetic towards your problem. But not saying that you are like me but I never kept a pregnancy after the third month so everyone I told I ended up having to un-tell them. Just sayin'
I know this is a few months late, but I just wanted to share anyways. I am a married nanny and my husband and I just had our first child 6 months ago. We actually did fertility treatments for 2 years before we got pregnant. I had been with my family for more than 3 years by the time my son was born. I stayed with them and worked up until the day before I was induced (for complications). I took two weeks off and then returned to work, bringing my son with me everyday. My charges were 9 and 5. The 5 yr old wasn't in kindergarten yet and so was home with me everyday. They were super supportive throughout our battle to get pregnant, during the pregnancy and postpartum as well. We actually miscarried a baby just shy of the second trimester and they were very supportive through that as well. They have since moved away and I now have a job with a different family and I bring my son to work there also.
So I know this is kinda late, but I just wanted to put out there that it can definitely be done!! :)
I know this is a few months late, but I just wanted to share anyways. I am a married nanny and my husband and I just had our first child 6 months ago. We actually did fertility treatments for 2 years before we got pregnant. I had been with my family for more than 3 years by the time my son was born. I stayed with them and worked up until the day before I was induced (for complications). I took two weeks off and then returned to work, bringing my son with me everyday. My charges were 9 and 5. The 5 yr old wasn't in kindergarten yet and so was home with me everyday. They were super supportive throughout our battle to get pregnant, during the pregnancy and postpartum as well. We actually miscarried a baby just shy of the second trimester and they were very supportive through that as well. They have since moved away and I now have a job with a different family and I bring my son to work there also.
So I know this is kinda late, but I just wanted to put out there that it can definitely be done!! :)
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