Joining the board/any input with new job and ttc?

aboxofchocolates

Hello everyone.  I have lurked on this board for about the last year and I wanted to actually become involved with it since everyone seems so helpful and honest.  I'll be going off the pill in about a week.  The original plan was to start TTC in August/September.  Well in all honesty the plan of when to start trying has been pushed back for the last two years.  My husband and I decided a few months back that we wanted to make a serious try this Fall.  We have talked extensively about it and we are both ready and excited about it.  We don't want to put it off any more.

Here is the only thing that I am stressed out about.  I will be starting a new job in August (teaching) and I am a little worried about how I will be perceived if I become pregnant within my first year.  If things went according to plan (and I know that may not be the case) we would like to try for a summer birth to avoid having to miss too much work.  Has anyone else had any experience in getting pregnant while starting a new job?  I would appreciate any advice or input on how employers may view the situation. 

Thanks!

GABride2010

Hi and welcome to the board. I am in a similar position (although I'm not a teacher). I'm starting a new job in two weeks. DH and I have also put our TTC plans on hold for about a year so far. As of our last discussion, we have decided to start TTC sometime this Fall (likely Nov). I wanted to be at my new job for about 6 months before we start trying, and I will remain on BCP until we start TTC.

Ultimately, you and your DH have to decide what y'all want to do regarding TTC. Good luck trying to plan what time of year you have a baby, but that may not be realistic. There are a lot of factors that play into fertility, and you only have a max of 20% chance each month to conceive. It can take a perfectly healthy couple up to a year to get pregnant. Good luck with whatever you and your H decide!

Edited: removed poorly worded sentence

als1982

You may want to find out if FMLA and/or short term disability will even cover you if you've been there less than a year.

aboxofchocolates

Thank you for the welcome and input. I know I need to look into fmla more. I'm just nervous about how my peers and supervisors would view me if I was lucky enough to get pregnant right away. If we didn't we probably wouldn't put it off until the next year to aim for a summer birth. I figure if it happens this year great and if not we'll just keep going and be great when it happens and we'll make it work.

lfk2013

Welcome!

I recommend reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility.  While you'll pick up a lot of what the book says from the wonderful ladies on here, it does help to read it. I am now.

I also know plenty of people that are teachers that had a baby during the school year. They survived.

FutureMrsWright2012

OP, welcome! I think that if I was in your situation, I would make sure that my FMLA and short term disability was ready to go 3 months before starting TTC. In other words, since you probably have to be with your employer for a year, I wouldn't start TTC until after I had already been there for about 8-9 months. The reason for that is because, if you are lucky enough to get pregnant right away, you have no guarantee that your pregnancy is going to be smooth sailing. Of course, that is just my feelings on the matter. You know better than us about your financial situation and whether or not it would be feasible to go without pay for an extended period and what's best for your family. Whatever you guys decide, I wish you all the best!

@GABride2010... One quick thing... I just wanted to clarify your comment that it could take a couple over age 35 up to 6 months to conceive. I'm not entirely sure that's true. From what I understand, if by the 6 month mark your're not pregnant after age 35, then you should see an RE. I think that's more due to the fact that a woman's "fertile window" is a lot shorter at that point, not because you get pregnant faster after 35. Hope that makes sense!  

GABride2010

@FutureMrsWright2012 Oops! Yes you are correct. I did not word my post accurately! I didn't even realize that until you pointed it out. Thank you for bringing that to my attention!