I’m 27 weeks pregnant and work has been nuts the last little while - billing 200+ months is killing me! It boggles my mind that no one at my firm has so much as asked if I’m doing okay or has any inclination to take things off my plate. People just keep pushing like normal, on weekends, etc. I can’t fathom why people think this is okay.

It’s your job to raise it and express your needs. If you haven’t asked for an accommodation you shouldn’t expect your employer to give you one. There’s nothing wrong with expressing your needs or going on STD if you need to.

I’m not sure why you expect them to act differently. You are pregnant. You will soon presumably take a maternity leave. I’d work as much as you can and be glad they are giving you work.

Have you raised it? People might be hesitant to be seen as taking work / hours away because you’re pregnant for it being seen as discrimination. If you don’t raise that you’re not ok, people assume you are (I’m also pregnant and was over 200 hours the last three months, so I get it)

Not all firms are necessarily like that, and no idea what size firm/market/practice area you are in, but it took me longer than it should have to realize that each attorney below EP is really nothing more than a set of (ideally high) billable hours.

Many people have things going on that aren’t as public as pregnancy, but even if the firm says they are “family friendly” or “collegial”, often the powers that be would rather not know anything about you outside of billing hours.

So, yes, you need to do be your own advocate and do what’s best for you.

Agreed to advocate for yourself, but also sorry that you’re going through this. I’m weeks out from my due date and I’ve had a rough pregnancy and frequently felt how you did, but I never had to pull a 200+ hour month so I relate to not wanting to complain about how hard it is to keep up. I’m trying to be a little more assertive about my limits this week, but it’s still hard.

Because in law firms, most people don't care.

Thank you! Hope the rest of your pregnancy goes smoothly!!

You have to push back. I have learned the hard way that no one at this job other than maybe one or two very close or kind people will proactively look out for you. Most people are in survival mode themselves. I recently had a serious family emergency and most people were like “hope everything is ok, here’s some work.” It wasn’t until I almost had a panic attack after trying to push through for a day until I was scheduled to travel home and said “I’m sorry, I know things are busy, I am so upset and distracted I need to take the day. I think I’ll feel better once I get to my parents and will log back on tomorrow” that folks stopped pestering me for a bit. Only one partner proactively took things off my plate as soon as I told him.

Everyone is looking out for themselves. They will not care about you or look out for you until you make them by setting boundaries.

Quit,or your child will cry day and night after you will give birth