A woman who says she is pregnant with high-risk twins has shared her frustration online after claiming her boss repeatedly complained about her frequent medical appointments and sick leave, sparking a wider debate about workplace protections for pregnant employees in small companies. The employee wrote on Reddit that she has weekly appointments due to her high-risk pregnancy and expects those visits to increase to twice a week soon.
“To be clear, I’m pregnant with high risk twins. I essentially have appointments every week and soon will be having them twice a week,” she explained. According to her post, her boss has expressed irritation over the schedule. “Boss has told me on many occasions that it’s annoying how many appointments I have,” she wrote. Her response to that has remained consistent: “I have the best doctors watching my babies and myself.”
‘I Can’t Do This Anymore,’ Boss Texted
The situation escalated when she called in sick, saying she had flu or Covid symptoms. She described how her toddler often brings home illnesses and that she gets hit harder because “my body is already working overtime growing two babies.” After informing her boss she would not be coming in, she received a message that read: “Oh my God u/gabigale23 this is crazy I am so freaking busy I can’t do this anymore.”
She also said her boss tried calling later that day to ask why the printer was not working, even though she was out sick.
The employee pointed out that she does not receive paid sick leave and accrues only three hours of PTO every two weeks, which she says is quickly used up for pregnancy-related appointments. “My health comes first, and fire me if you want, my contract is ‘at will’ anyways,” she wrote, adding that she noticed what she called negative behavior within two weeks of starting the job.
Several commenters advised her to explore protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). One user suggested, “If I were you I’d file for fmla to protect your job unless you’re planning on using it after you have the babies.”
However, the employee responded that her company has fewer than 15 employees and said, “My company has less than 15 employees.. so I’m not sure how this is going to turn out.” Other users debated eligibility thresholds, with some noting that FMLA typically applies to companies with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius. One commenter stated, “It’s 50 employees within a 75 mile radius.”
There was also discussion about the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act and whether smaller employers fall under its scope. Some users pointed out that state laws may offer additional protections depending on location.
Advice to Document Everything
Many commenters urged her to keep records of all communications. One wrote, “save every single text she sends you about this. every ‘oh my god’ response, every guilt trip about calling in sick. if this goes sideways you want receipts not memories.” The original poster replied, “Done.”
Another user advised forwarding messages to a personal email in case she loses access to work accounts. Others suggested contacting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or consulting an employment lawyer. One commenter who identified as a lawyer clarified they were not giving legal advice but encouraged her to look into filing a complaint and to search for an ADA lawyer in her area.
The employee said she has been hesitant to bring up maternity leave formally. “I’ve been waiting to have the maternity leave conversation because, well, I guess I don’t want to know the answer quite yet,” she wrote. She added that her twins may require NICU time if current medical trends continue, and for now she is focusing on what she can control.