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A working mother recently went viral on TikTok after sharing a video of herself composing an email to her employer while in active labor. Her experience encapsulates the troubling state of work culture and the lack of paid parental leave in the United States. When Emily Johnson went into labor this past summer, her focus should have been on welcoming her first child. Instead, she found herself anxiously drafting a message to her boss about her absence.
“Labor is stressful, but notifying my boss was even more stressful,” she wrote in the caption of her now-famous TikTok video, which has garnered over 5 million views. In the video, she reads aloud from her phone while lying in a hospital bed: “I am in labor. I just got admitted to the hospital. Smiley face. Would it be okay if my mom or brother picked up my paycheck tomorrow?” She then turns to her partner for reassurance about her wording, to which he responds, “Perfect.”
The video is accompanied by the text: “Me literally in labor overthinking the text I’m sending to my manager to call out.” Emily explained to BuzzFeed that she went into labor unexpectedly, just hours before her scheduled shift. “I went into labor at 2 a.m. on a day that I was supposed to work at 10 a.m. I was overthinking the text message to my boss mainly because I have anxiety,” she said. “I was a week and a half early, so I was a bit anxious as a first-time mom, and the thought of calling out added to my worries.”
She welcomed a baby boy named Oliver. Unfortunately, the United States has some of the weakest paid family leave policies globally, and the work culture often penalizes those who wish to take time off for family reasons. No one should have to worry about their boss’s reaction while going through such a monumental life event.
Many viewers resonated with Emily’s experience in the comments section, sharing their own frustrations regarding parental leave. Some comments brought a touch of humor, while others highlighted the seriousness of the issue. “I empathize with everyone who has commented about their own lack of parental leave,” Emily stated. “I’m extremely disappointed in the United States’ maternity and paternity leave policies. Most people I know worked right up until labor, like I did. I know parents who returned to work just weeks after giving birth. Sadly, I received no maternity leave, and my partner had no paternity leave either; he was back at work less than 24 hours after we got home from the hospital.”
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In summary, Emily Johnson’s experience while in labor highlights the significant shortcomings of parental leave policies in the US. As more parents share their stories, it becomes increasingly clear that the current system is inadequate, leaving many to navigate the challenges of work and family without sufficient support.