My company is starting to require once a week return to office. I am recently pregnant. Has anyone been able to receive fully remote work from home accommodations due to being pregnant?? I’m concerned it’s an hour drive.

Just because we did it in the past doesn’t mean we continue to suffer through less than ideal situations. If drive is the issue, it’s going to get harder later in pregnancy. So maybe negotiate accordingly. If it is nausea, it will be harder earlier. I would talk to your manager and ask for accommodation. If denied, then think about options. I worked fully remote due to terrible nausea up until my 30th week after which no one cared as they knew I was pregnant. We were required to be in office 5 days a week. But I knew I would switch roles after birth and so their perception didn’t matter much. Please think through your unique situation and trade offs. Good luck. Such an exciting time.

Yikes, these comments aren’t it. Lots of bitterness…

While they’re correct, pregnancy alone isn’t enough of a reason, you can easily have a provider recommend it during your pregnancy. I think first semester will be much harder to get unless you have nausea but second and third, there’s more of a case you can make with stress and comfort. It all comes down to how open your provider is and willing to recommend it. Then your work has much less of a say.

You only have to commute once per week? Just go. Agree with the other commenter that we used to be 5 days per week in person and pregnancy, absent medical complications, doesn’t get you out of that.

If that commute is a deal breaker for you now, then go once per week like you’re required to and start looking for a job that’s closer to your house.

Ignore the people who had to suffer, smile through it, and somehow think pre—covid is the gold standard for corporate work climate. Eww.

Yes, I got a 100% work from home accommodation during my pregnancy. I got a medical accommodation from my OB about it being unsafe to drive long distances due to persistent nausea.

You can clearly do your job from home, so they have to provide the reasonable accommodation under PWFA.

What exactly are you concerned about?

I already posted, but in response to a couple comments that think some of us sound 'bitter' - it's not that at all. There are way better benefits for pregnant people now than I had and I am all for it! (I even took an unpaid leave, and now my firm offers 16 weeks fully paid.) That being said, if driving an hour is a problem for your pregnancy, then just make sure you're consistent about that - no driving an hour to see a friend, or to go to a wedding, or to go on vacation. If it's really a problem, then fine, it's a problem. But you cannot pick and choose when it's convenient for it to be a problem. Personally, I continued living my life while I was pregnant. I went on a babymoon before each of my kids. I climbed Cathedral Rock in Sedona when I was 5 months pregnant with my 3rd, after a 4.5 hour flight across the country. I just prefer to live life. (Again, this is not a reflection of any true medical issues. But a healthy pregnancy is not an illness.)

It’s once a week.. you’re not gonna find much sympathy
Best of luck, hope you have a smooth pregnancy!