Many working women, unfortunately, go through a miscarriage incident, can they tell their manager? Here are a few suggestions on dealing with a miscarriage at work.
A miscarriage is a traumatic experience for any woman. Be it due to an accident or even if medically induced, the emotional and physical pain is not easy to deal with. And while a lot of women do feel that it is not something that should be discussed at work, you should take the initiative and inform your manager. Doing so is pivotal since you may be needing a few days off from work. Rather than casual leave, you are entitled to medical leave in such cases. Also, the post-miscarriage bleeding and other symptoms could last for a longer time, and this may affect your overall health.
Here’s how you can tell your manager
Whether your manager is a man or a woman, you should be upfront about your medical issues with them. Tell him/ her that you’ve had or are undergoing a miscarriage. There’s no need to spill the beans or provide too many details unless you are friendly with them. Just inform them about the same so that you can seek any medical benefits if required. Usually, you don’t expect any snooping around, but there’s a chance they may — a dignified silence is the best route to take in such cases.
Paid leave is provided for pregnancy and also issues like miscarriages that may occur during the procedure. Hence, you must be aware of your rights before approaching the manager. You would want to use your medical insurance and get a few days off to rest.
Considering that this period can vary in length and intensity for different individuals, do inform your manager that you would need a few days off work. Ask them if, after a couple of days, you can work from home or do part-time. Remember, this phase can be very taxing on you mentally and physically.
What if your company is not supportive
There’s a chance that some people may be judgmental and not consider this to be a paid-leave. Unfortunately, attitudes like these exist in all companies. Again, make sure you are aware of your health benefits and rights. If needed, involve the HR or casually mention that you are aware of these facts.
Dealing with a miscarriage at work
Resuming work after a few days of miscarriage depends a lot on your internal health. Some women may continue to have heavy bleeding post the miscarriage too. So you may need to constantly use the washroom and exercise more hygiene. Along with this, mood swings might be frequent so you can ask your doctor to help you with some medicines accordingly, to get your hormones back on track.
When at work, make sure that you are eating well and taking the required medicines. Not doing so can make you dizzy, weak, etc. If there’s too much discomfort, it’s best to take the day off and head back home rather than tormenting yourself and not getting any work done.
If you have close friends at work, confide in them. They can be your pillars during this traumatic phase and help out if needed — to share the workload, get an extra tampon or even just reminding you for your meds.
Though not easy, a miscarriage is a part of life which cannot be avoided some times. Deal with it patiently and remember that your health comes first, this too shall pass.
Jappreet Sethi
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