A mother who was about to give birth to her first baby has gone viral on TikTok after she uploaded a video of how she was stressing over what to tell her boss about missing work. She drew a lot of reactions over America's non-existent paid family leave policy.
Marissa Pierce had her baby boy last summer, and while this was a big day for her and her partner, she recalled overthinking her email message to her boss in the middle of her labor pains. In the video, Pierce said that her labor has been stressful enough but informing her superiors about her situation was "even more stressful."
The mother also wanted to contact her boss to ask about her paycheck because she was still scheduled to clock into work a few hours before her water broke. Her due date wasn't until a few weeks yet.
@mpmoney27 labor is stressful, calling out is even more stressful #pregnancy #birth ♬ original sound - marissa
A First-Time Mom's Anxiety
In an interview with Buzzfeed, Pierce later explained that she was having anxiety because she's a young, first-time mother who was nearing her due date. Though she didn't think her boss would be mad at her for giving birth more than a week ahead of her due date, it was her anxieties that triggered her to overthink her dilemma about her work and her paycheck.
Her video has attracted more than five million views, and thousands of comments highlighting the lack of paid family leave benefits in the U.S. Pierce said she's equally disappointed that there is no universal policy, despite America being a rich and progressive nation.
"I was unfortunately offered no maternity leave," Pierce revealed. "My partner was offered no paternity leave," adding that her baby's father had to report to work after they got home from the hospital.
The only consolation she got was her boss understood and reassigned her shift to her co-workers, who willingly covered for her. However, while she will have to stay home with her newborn and until she can figure out an arrangement, Pierce will have no other benefits from work.
All Workers Deserve Paid Family Leave
In the U.S., there are private companies and some states with established paid family leave, but the Democrats have been fighting for a universal benefit, especially for blue-collar workers like Pierce and her partner.
Advocates like Gloria L. Blackwell believe that this is "an equity issue" that should become a national policy deserving of all workers. She also said all children need parental care and attention, whatever their parents' jobs.
President Joe Biden has paid family leave in his Build Back Better plan, which is currently under deliberation in the Senate. Blackwell hopes that the lawmakers will not waste this opportunity and agree to the proposal, especially since a handful of states have had similar programs in place years ago. Reports cited, however, that a universal paid family leave could be on the chopping block because of budget constraints.
