I'm screwed

The policy at my work to take FMLA and CFRA (the California version of the law) says you have to have worked there for at least 1 year and have worked at least 1250 hours in the previous year. I started my job on February 2, 2008, so unless I'm having an elephant, there's no way I will have been there for a year when I deliver. And 1250 hours is about 8 months' worth of 40-hour work weeks; I won't get to that point until November. Sigh.

I am feeling incredibly frustrated with the timing of this pregnancy. Obviously it wasn't planned, and I am a planner by nature. I can take some unpaid leave-- 30 days' worth-- but that's it. I'm looking at quitting my job or having to go back to work way sooner than I'd like so I can get the time on the books and then take the leave.

Mike and I had a brief conversation today and he said something to the effect of, "well, you can just go back to work and take your leave starting in February." I can have the baby, use whatever vacation I've accrued (and maybe the unpaid leave, or maybe not) and then suck it up and go back to work. That really pissed me off because it doesn't take into consideration the fact that I won't have that much vacation time and 1) physically, depending on how delivery goes, it may be difficult to "just" go back to work, and 2) emotionally, it will be incredibly difficult to "just" have the baby and then drive my sorry, sad, tired ass 90 miles away to 8+ hours of work and 3 hours in the car.

The other thing Mike said was, "you're a director, maybe they'll waive the policy for you." Umm, yeah, I don't think so. Considering they don't let me work from home because "everyone else wants to, regardless of how close or far away they live" and considering that my (nonprofit) organization is running a massive deficit, I don't see it happening. Most of all, I'm sure management will be smart enough to figure out that once I have a baby, my interest and enthusiasm in commuting 180 miles a day, far away from the flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood, is going to drop off like a stone and it won't be long until I quit.

I didn't say any of that to him because I've been trying not to focus on, or talk about, the fact that the timing of this baby sucks! So I bit my tongue and am going to try to talk to my HR person-- eventually- to see what my options are.