This woman's video of texting her boss while going through active labor is everything you need to see to understand how America's healthcare system works. Peirce Morgan shared a video of nervously texting her boss asking if she can take a leave for today as she is giving birth. What followed suit was a series of triggered responses where women shared their own woes of lack of parental leave while they gave birth and how the expected response from her boss would be.
Woman In Labor Trying To Explain Why She Is Not Coming To Work Says It All
By
Samantha in
Heartbreaking
On 4th December 2021
advertisement
This TikTok video is a classic example of America's questionable healthcare system as this woman in active labor posted a video of herself nervously sending a text message to her boss explaining why she is calling in 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."
The video shows Peirce lying down on a hospital bed and reading a text message out loud that she is 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."
After reading the text message, she then turns around to the person who is filming to ask if that is alright? and the person in return lets her know 'perfect.'
@mpmoney27/TikTok
advertisement
Peirce's video was followed by many triggered responses where the internet shared the responses the boss will come up with and how ridiculous the whole system is where it expects women to give birth and also actively meet their workload.
A study conducted by the National Partnership For Men & Women shows that the latest laws disproportionately impact minorities and women with low income who couldn't afford to take unpaid leave even if they qualified.
Peirce's text message led people to show their disappointment over America's healthcare system especially when it comes to women.
@mpmoney27/TikTok
Talking to Buzzfeed News Peirce said the video was taken from last July when she gave birth to her firstborn.
She recalls the early morning when she went into labor when she was supposed to clock into work and 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."
@mpmoney27/TikTok
Peirce says that she knew her boss would be understanding but that didn't stop her from getting panicked on how she is going to explain her absence:
"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."
Responding to her video, Peirce shared that she could relate with the women who were not granted parental leave and how terrible this can be really:
"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."
@mpmoney27/TikTok
Despite not getting any parental leave, Peirce shared that she was still grateful to her boss and her coworkers for covering her shift that day.