Working and pregnant... (long sorry, but need advice)

RedRose87

Okay so working and being pregnant, doesn't sound like a big deal right? Shouldn't be, except I work at Wal-Mart. I was hired there back in June (before I even knew I had any chance of getting pregnent - doctors had said it wouldn't happen naturally). Well I was hired to be a cake decorator, but was told I would be trained for all positions within the bakery. Great. Well I have been stuck doing what we call "Frozen". I basically stock all of the cakes, cookies, etc. on the shelves in front of the bakery, plus I zone (bring everything forward) and stock aisle 3 (baked goods), plus I have to stock baked items in front of deli. On top of that I clean the bakery and organize all of the merchandise in the freezer. So four days a week I have to break down any where between 2 and 5 pallets of items (some for "my" section, other merchandise is bread (which I DO NOT lift, as it is 30 plus pounds), and the cake decorators items, on top of other merchandise that doesn't even belong to bakery. Then I have to load trollies of merchandes to take to the floor to stock, which requires a lot of constant bending and crouching, and lately I have to sit on the floor to even reach the bottom shelf. Getting up off the floor is a work out.

Okay, so I have been doing all of this since before I got pregnant, and then when I got pregnant I kept telling my supervisor that I wouldn't be able to do it for much longer. She kept telling me "You are pregnant, not disabled". I had a lady tell me that she worked there while pregnant and almost miscarried three times, but that "If she could do it, so could I'... needless to say I told her she was ignorant.

Anyways, I have been trying to get my supervisor to move me to a different position within the bakery, and she refuses. The past two weeks, when I come home I can barely walk, my feet are so swollen, and I am having horrible back pains, and stomache cramps. I went to personel the other day and told them that I needed to be moved to light duty due to the fact that I was having extreme difficulty performing my job duties due to my pregnancy, and I was told "You can't be put on light duty unless you actually hurt yourself"... wtf?

So I asked if I could transfer to a different department, she said yes. BUT working in the bakery I am technically considered part time, but I still get 24 to 32 hours a week. This is a luxery. I was told if I transfer I would be lucky to get 20 hours a week (I have bills to pay!) PLUS transfering to a different department would mean a cut in pay since the bakery is a higher paying department than all of the others.

So I am being told that since I am pregnant, and unable to perform a job I wasn't even hired to do, I will have to transfer and suffer financially...

I have been putting this off, but today I ended up histericall thinking I had finally pushed myself to far. I was having terrible stabbing pains in my pelvic region, and called my doctor freaking out. Luckily after laying down after work, I was able to feel the baby moving still, and that calmed me down.

So now my doctor wants to fax a note to my job saying I can't lift more than 10 pounds and no climbing latters (which I haven't climbed anyways, despite the fact that I have been endlessly and mercilessly made fun of for refusing to climb an icy latter on an icy freezer floor). So once I take that note in, I will be transfered out, thus taking the financial cut in pay/hours.

Anyways... anyone have any input on my situation. I know that what is important is the baby and I, and our health... but being able to actually provide for us is important as well. I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place and just need some encouragement.

There have been several other incidences regarding my pregnancy and being treated unfairly (for example I called in because I spent 16 hours in the ER... they wouldn't excuse the absense and I got written up).