Heydi Fernandez, an emergency medical technician, faced challenges at her workplace after returning to work three months after giving birth. The ambulance dispatch station did not have a private space for her to pump breast milk, so she used a dining table when no one else was eating there. During a surprise visit by the company’s CEO, Fernandez was pumping and shared her concerns about how this situation might affect her career. Many women face discrimination during pregnancy and after childbirth, even though laws are in place to protect them. Legal experts say employers are required to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers, such as adjusting their work environment or duties, if possible. However, some employers may view these adjustments as inconvenient or burdensome. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which went into effect in June 2023, requires employers with at least 15 employees to provide reasonable health and safety accommodations for pregnant workers. These include flexible schedules, help with physically demanding tasks, and a private space for lactation, which must be separate from a bathroom. Employers are not allowed to retaliate against employees who request accommodations, and they must prove that providing them would cause significant difficulty or expense. When deciding when to inform an employer about a pregnancy, legal experts suggest waiting until the pregnancy is far enough along that it would naturally be shared with friends, usually after the first trimester. If a doctor recommends changes to work duties or the environment, these should be documented in writing and shared with the employer promptly. Some women are hesitant to reveal their pregnancy during job interviews due to fears of discrimination, despite the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was amended in 1978 to prohibit discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Amy Green, who experienced multiple miscarriages and needed hormone injections for a later pregnancy, wore loose clothing to hide her condition while job hunting. She faced a difficult choice: disclose her pregnancy and risk being discriminated against, or keep it secret, which could be seen as deceptive. New mothers also have the right to request time off for recovery from miscarriages or medical conditions like postpartum depression. They are entitled to breaks and private spaces for expressing breast milk. After being told her pumping breaks were interfering with hospital and patient needs, Fernandez learned that schedule changes due to lactation were considered illegal retaliation. Both the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act prohibit such retaliation. In the end, Fernandez was able to keep her original schedule.