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A woman in active labor posted a TikTok video of herself having additional anxiety over sending a text explaining to her boss why she was calling out sick.
The video, which reached 5 million viewers, shed some light on the harsh reality of what's expected of women and working mothers.
Marissa Peirce, a.k.a. @mpmoney27 on TikTok, captioned her video post with, "labor is stressful, calling out is even more stressful."
@mpmoney27 labor is stressful, calling out is even more stressful #pregnancy #birth
In the video, Peirce is seen laying in the hospital bed and reading aloud the message she was about to send to her boss.
"I am in labor. I just got admitted to the hospital — smiley face. Would it be OK if my mom or brother picked up my paycheck tomorrow — question mark."
She then turns to face the person filming her for approval, and he lets her know the message is "perfect."
What followed were sarcastic responses her boss might say, suggesting that working moms are all too often expected to meet unreasonable demands.
@mpmoney27/TikTok
@mpmoney27/TikTok
@mpmoney27/TikTok
@mpmoney27/TikTok
With the exception of some states, most Americans working for a company with fewer than 50 employees are not legally required to offer paid or unpaid maternity leave so that women can take care of a newborn and recover from childbirth.
According to a study done by the National Partnership For Men & Women, current laws disproportionately impact minorities and women with low income who couldn't afford to take unpaid leave even if they qualified.
Peirce's situation led others to lash out at a country-specific workforce problem.
@mpmoney27/TikTok
@mpmoney27/TikTok
@mpmoney27/TikTok
@mpmoney27/TikTok
Others came forward with their stories.
@mpmoney27/TikTok
@mpmoney27/TikTok
@mpmoney27/TikTok
@mpmoney27/TikTok
Buzzfeed News spoke to Peirce, who said the video was taken from last July when she gave birth to her and her boyfriend's first son, Chris.
She recalled the early morning she went into labor on the day she was supposed to start her shift at a drive-thru coffee shop, where she still works today.
"I went into labor at 2 a.m. on a day that I was scheduled to work at 10 a.m. I was overthinking this text message to my boss mainly because I have anxiety."
"I was a week and a half from my due date, so I was a little early for a first-time mom and no one really expected me to go into labor."
She said she knew her boss would be understanding of the situation, but that didn't prevent her from panicking.
"I was a young parent, giving birth in a hospital in the middle of the pandemic — a week and a half early. Having to call out of work was the cherry on top for my anxiety."
Peirce empathized with commenters who went through similar situations and were not granted parental leave.
"I am extremely disappointed in the United States’ lack of maternity and paternity leave. Most people that I know worked up until they went into labor, like I did."
"I know people who have gone back to work just weeks after having children. I was unfortunately offered no maternity leave and my partner was offered no paternity leave. He went to work less than 24 hours after we came home from the hospital."
Despite not getting maternity or paternity leave, Peirce was still grateful her boss and coworkers were able to cover her shift while she was in labor.