Article Her baby was in NICU after an emergency C-section. Her boss asked if she’d be at work Monday
Article Her baby was in NICU after an emergency C-section. Her boss asked if she’d be at work Monday
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“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde
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Feb 6 2026, 1:21 PM
Quote:In the hours after one new mom's emergency C-section − nine weeks before her due date − and as her baby girl was whisked away to the neonatal intensive care unit to be hooked up to life-saving machines, she emailed her boss.
She was supposed to start a new job in five days. She'd negotiated for paid maternity leave in her contract, thinking she'd at least have a couple of months of work under her belt before she'd need to use it. But here she was, lying in a hospital bed with her abdomen cut open and her daughter fighting to stay alive.
She explained everything in the email: How her doctor accidentally broke her water during a routine cervical exam, and the chaos that ensued as she was rushed into an emergency surgery to deliver her baby. Her boss replied quickly. It was a brief message, offering some compassion and ending with the question: "Can you please confirm that you'll be at work on Monday?"
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Central Oregon Daily News, Feb 1, 2026.
Quote:In the hours after one new mom's emergency C-section − nine weeks before her due date − and as her baby girl was whisked away to the neonatal intensive care unit to be hooked up to life-saving machines, she emailed her boss.
She was supposed to start a new job in five days. She'd negotiated for paid maternity leave in her contract, thinking she'd at least have a couple of months of work under her belt before she'd need to use it. But here she was, lying in a hospital bed with her abdomen cut open and her daughter fighting to stay alive.
She explained everything in the email: How her doctor accidentally broke her water during a routine cervical exam, and the chaos that ensued as she was rushed into an emergency surgery to deliver her baby. Her boss replied quickly. It was a brief message, offering some compassion and ending with the question: "Can you please confirm that you'll be at work on Monday?"