Lomax at the job interviews

Wouldn't you know it, I get pregnant and get laid off of my crappy job and BLAM!  My dream job opens up.  ARGH!

I was contacted by a recruiter the Friday before I was released from prison about a position managing a team of marketers in a small company in downtown Seattle.  By this time, I had pretty much given up on looking for a job believing that at 5 1/2 months pregnant, companies wouldn't want to touch me with a 10' foot pole.  I was committed to surviving my current position until baby came, then never going back.  The call from the recruiter was a happy surprise though I was filled with a little bit of dread considering my situation.  He sent me the job description and told me the company name and as luck/fate/grace would have it, I had a good friend that used to work there AND I had interviewed there the in the early spring of 2008.  So, I called my friend, updated my resume, sent it to the recruiter and waited.

My friend and I had dinner the following week - she had read on Facebook about the pregnancy and I wanted her opinion on whether or not my being pregnant would be a deal breaker.  Surprisingly, she said "No."  They were more interested in finding the person with the right skills and any other personal things could be worked out.  This was good news, so I waited.

About a week later, the recruiter calls to tell me they want to do a phone interview with me.  Cool!  I am starting to feel a little guilty, though, because the recruiter doesn't know my situation and I can't or shouldn't tell the hiring manager my situation.  My guilt is starting to turn into worry and worry into anxiety.  Keeping Lomax a secret seems, in some ways, disrespectful to my feelings about being a mom and my baby boy.  I'm happy to shout it from the rooftops, not hide it under a rock.  So what to do.  The answer was "nothing" - this is a phone interview so no problem.  And it went well, despite being the HOTTEST day on record in Seattle (103 degrees, no air conditioning, UGH!).

Wouldn't you know it, a week later, the recruiter calls and say they want me in for a in-person interview.  Immediately, my anxiety reawakens... keeping my secret on the phone - easy.  Keeping the secret in person would, at minimum, require a shopping trip.  This time, I called 2 friends, my inside connection and a HR specialist.  My inside connection told me that she had let the cat out of the bag because she didn't want me to be disqualified (YAY!).  My HR friend assured me that even if they did "notice" I was pregnant, they, by law, couldn't say anything (Phew).  Plus I got to go shopping!

Shockingly, that interview went well too!  I met with 5 people between 8:30 am and 1:30 pm - my purse was filled with snacks and water, just in case - and each conversation felt more like good conversation rather than a stressful interview.  Lomax was pretty active during each conversation.  Since I was, technically, trying to mask his presence, I sat up straight instead of leaning back in the chair.  I kept my hands away from my belly - their new natural resting place.  The one giveaway is every kick Lomax gave me, as always, made me smile.  He was apparently "discovering" my pelvic bone on this day.

The big question, though, is how well did my clothes mask the pregnancy:

I got called in for a 3rd round of interviews - this round included the CEO.  This time, Lomax was a good boy.  He didn't fidget and sat still most of the time.  I think he had discovered my bladder, though because I had to pee after every interview.

Now, I'm starting to feel confident about my chances at an offer.  I am also starting to feel stressed about trading in baby time.  I've got 3 months before I have a person to take care of and like so many other things in my pregnancy, I have no idea how I'm going to feel in 3 months about working or leaving baby at home with a nanny or my mom while I punch a corporate clock.  If I get and accept an offer, will I feel guilty for trading in my maternity leave for a paycheck?

Okay - I'm getting ahead of myself.  I will cross this bridge when I get to it...