While I would love to see paid family leave and all obstacles in the workforce removed for pregnant women, I did agree with Huffington Post's Christine Hassler that it isn't okay for moms-to-be to hide their pregnancies from potential employers. I, too, turned down headhunter calls while I was pregnant for this very reason:

One of the best ways to approach a dilemma like this is to turn the question on yourself. If you were an employer looking to fill a position and the person you hired was going to be out of the office for an extended period of time just a few months after she started the job, wouldn't you want to know? Think about what goes into training a new employee. It takes at least a month to not feel new on the job and successfully acclimate to all of one's delegated responsibilities.

Already six months into your pregnancy, why were you not upfront in the initial interview about your pregnancy? Were you afraid you weren't going to be hired if they knew you were pregnant? Although I can appreciate how that fear may stop you, obviously your employer is going to find out - pregnancy is not something you can hide! Also, have you planned out your post-pregnancy schedule? How long were you thinking of being on leave? Have you arranged for child care after going back to work? If you haven't considered or answered these essential questions, you can't expect to just wing it or have your employer's regulations answer the questions for you.

I'd advise telling your potential employer immediately. You have already gotten off to a bad start with this company by beginning with a lie. And yes, this is a lie by omission. You are putting your employer in a tenuous position by not being upfront with him or her. Once the situation is discovered, he or she will be faced with a difficult business and ethical decision.

While this mom could be in dire straits and need this job, she is not entitled to any family leave since she hasn't been with the company for at least a year. In this case, she hasn't even started working for the company! The omission did nothing for her.

I remember feeling peeved when one analyst firm in New York -- which initially reached out to me -- did not return my phone call when I told the recruiter via voicemail that I was pregnant. But I was also relieved. Who wants to work at a company that is so unfriendly to families?  

Belated Health Story: A Norwegian study found that premature babies were more likely than full-term babies to die in childhood or suffer from health problems as adults, according to CNN. Unlike Norway, low-income mothers in the U.S. do not have access to healthcare and suffer higher rates of premature births. But doctors still recommend that all preemies, even if they appear healthy, tell their doctors they were born early.

Leading Ladies: Just a heads up that we updated the "about us" page to include a more up-to-date photo of your founding MotherTalkers. (From left to right: Erika, Elisa, and Gloria.) Wepa!

What is on your minds?  

Hi all. This is just a quick note to let you know that our store is up in the "about us" section of the site. We are selling t-shirts, workout clothes, a baby onesie and a tote bag. Enjoy!

One caveat: We are not shipping orders until April 2, although we are taking them. But just in case I am not around that day I thought I would let you know now. :-)