A working mom recently went viral on TikTok for sharing a video of herself crafting an email to her boss while she was in the throes of labor. This moment truly encapsulates the issues with the United States’ work culture and its inadequate parental leave policies. When Jessica Hargrove went into labor this summer, her thoughts should have been centered on welcoming her first child. Instead, she found herself stressing over how to inform her boss that she wouldn’t be at work.
“Labor is stressful, but calling out is even more stressful,” she captioned her TikTok video, which garnered over 5 million views. You can see her lying in a hospital bed, reading from her phone, “I am in labor. Just got admitted to the hospital. Smiley face. Is it okay if my brother or mom picks up my paycheck tomorrow?” After glancing at her partner, who reassured her that the wording was fine, she shared her overthinking with viewers, adding, “Me literally in labor overthinking the text I’m sending to my manager to call out.”
Jessica explained to BuzzFeed that her labor began unexpectedly early; she was supposed to work just hours later. “I went into labor at 2 a.m. on a day I was scheduled to work at 10 a.m.,” she said. “I was really anxious about sending that message because I was a week and a half early.” As a young parent giving birth during the pandemic, the added stress of needing to notify her boss about missing work was overwhelming.
She welcomed a baby boy named Leo into the world. Unfortunately, the United States has some of the worst paid family leave policies globally, coupled with a toxic work environment that punishes parents for wanting time with their newborns. The last thing anyone should worry about during labor is how their boss will react to them taking time off to bring new life into the world.
Jessica’s video resonated with many, prompting a flood of comments. Some were witty, while others brought attention to the serious lack of parental leave, not just maternity and paternity leave. “I can relate to everyone sharing their experiences with inadequate parental leave,” Jessica said. “It’s disappointing that most of us have to work right up until labor. My partner had to return to work less than 24 hours after we got home from the hospital.”
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In summary, Jessica’s situation underscores the pressing need for better parental leave policies in the U.S. and highlights the unnecessary stress that comes with the current work culture.
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