Working while pregnant

Having a child is one of the most beautiful things a woman can go through. With all the memories and bonds created, there are still a lot of things that go on during the pregnancy, especially with being a teacher.

Teresa Argueta, English teacher at AJMS, expresses that the one of the biggest struggles was not telling people about her pregnancy.

“The biggest struggle at the beginning was not telling people why I was tired or why wasn’t feeling well, at the beginning, I was very lucky, I had a really healthy pregnancy. But to keep that in until it was safe to tell people was really hard because I have a lot of really good friends on campus,” says Argueta.

Not only was that difficult for her, but she also went through changes in her body which led to another struggle.

“Your body physically changes drastically in those first three months. The size of where the baby is, goes from the size of like a pea to the size of a pair pretty quick. So that means that your body’s moving and it hits your bladder. And you have to go to the bathroom a lot, way more at the beginning than actually in the middle of the pregnancy so I was asking teachers to cover me to go to the bathroom,” says Argueta.

Argueta also worried about her students for when she took her maternity leave because she wanted to teach, she didn’t know what would happen with the substitutes.

“When I was about to take off for giving birth, and then staying home to bond with my son, knowing that I was going to be gone for a really long time and not knowing how long that was gave me a lot of anxiety. I felt bad for my students. I felt bad that I was leaving them with a sub or a series of subs and I didn’t know who was going to take over,” says Argueta.

Gabriela Dampier, assistant principal at AJMS, is also experiencing some struggles as she is in the near end of her pregnancy.

“Just being on my feet all day has been really tough, I walk a lot, and I have to walk back and forth. So I had to go and buy some new shoes this week, just because my flats aren’t cutting it,” says Dampier.

Dampier also has struggles finding time to do simple things that are necessary for her and her baby.

“Finding time to eat lunch is trouble sometimes because we don’t have like a set lunch time. So like yesterday right after lunch, it was just like, go go, go go go one thing after another. And by 3:30 I realized that I hadn’t touched my lunch,” says Dampier.

Not only does she have these troubles, but she also gets nervous around campus at times.

“I think there have been times where I get really nervous in the hall because a lot of kids will be running and pushing. And I’ve had kids like run into me before when I haven’t been pregnant so I always worry that they’re not going to see me or something like that,” says Dampier.

Although pregnancy can come with many hardships, there are things people should remember as they work during a pregnancy.

“An employer can’t fire, deny a job, or deny a promotion to a woman because of her pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions as long as she can perform the major functions of her job,” says the article ‘Working While Pregnant.’

Also, it’s better to first tell your boss the news than anyone else.

“Whenever you decide to announce the news, make sure your boss is the first one to know; you want her to hear it straight from you, not through the office grapevine,” says the article.

Being pregnant can bring many joys into someone’s life. With everything, Argueta had one last comment.

“Don’t ever ask someone if they’re pregnant. It’s not a nice thing.”