Marissa Mayer, Yahoo Inc.'s chief executive officer, has announced that she and husband Zachary Bogue are expecting babies—twin girls—most likely this coming December.
In a personal blog, Mayer announced her pregnancy:
Excited to announce that @zackbogue and I are expecting identical twin girls!! https://t.co/N25wQl4hmv
— marissamayer (@marissamayer) September 1, 2015
"With great happiness, Zack and I have some exciting news to share—I'm pregnant!" said Mayer in the blog.
The 40-year-old mother was surprised to discover that her pregnant tummy carries twins, and said she expects the delivery this coming December.
"The twins part was quite a surprise, because I have no family history of twins or any other predisposing factors," the soon-to-be mom excitedly wrote. "However, as I've now learned, identical twins occur by random chance in roughly 1 out of approximately every 300 pregnancies. Zack and I have embraced the surprise and are very excited about these new additions to our family."
Mayer said that she plans to take limited time away and work throughout her pregnancy, as this "is a unique time in Yahoo's transformation." She reportedly plans to take it the same way she did when she was pregnant with her son Macallister.
"I've shared the news and my plans with Yahoo's Board of Directors and my executive team, and they are incredibly supportive and happy for me," the mom wrote. "I want to thank them for all of their encouragement as well as their offers of help and continued support."
According to Reuters, Mayer's short maternity leave in 2012, taking just two weeks off from work and then returning again, fired up a debate regarding her example, whether it would be helpful or harmful to the women in the workplace.
The news outlet adds that the addition of a nursery outside Mayer's office further aggravated the controversy.
Yahoo also had a major issue in 2013 when a policy that banned working from home was set. Critics said that it would make life difficult for working parents.
Later in the same year, the company reportedly increased the number of paid leaves that mothers could take, and also introduced a paid leave for fathers. This action has also been done in US companies such as Netflix Inc. and Microsoft Corp., increasing their attractiveness to staff.
Yahoo Inc. wrote in a blog post as well: "Our CEO Marissa Mayer is pregnant with twins. At the company, we are extremely happy for her and supportive of her plans and approach. Yahoo, as well as Marissa and her family, thank you for respecting their privacy during this happy, special time."
