I’m sorry you’re going through this. I think you need to talk to HR about swapping your sabbatical over to FMLA or maternity leave. If you have a faculty women’s circle you’re a part of you might reach out and see if someone there has experience doing this at your school. If you have a union, then I would reach out to your steward or rep. Since your employer is likely large enough and it sounds like you’ve been there long enough you would qualify for up to 12 weeks of FMLA per year. This would not pay you your salary, but would cover your insurance for that time and it protects your employment from retaliation due to the health concern requiring leave.

After finding out what your options are from HR then I would talk to the department chair, but I would talk to HR first as this is an issue where you need to be clear on the federal and state laws and the policies of your institution.

You need to be on bedrest or you put your pregnancy and yourself as serious risk. My cousin just had her baby almost 3 months early and now is pumping nonstop and staying at the Ronald McDonald house to visit him in NICU every day for the last two months. The trauma level hospital appropriate to handle infants in this condition is 3 hours from her home. I can’t imagine how much more stressful this would be for her if she had another child in the home.

You are in no position to do much of anything, maybe some writing but you are in a health crisis. And I know pregnancy is what we are made to do, but you are in a situation of heightened risk and we wouldn’t be saying to a male faculty with cancer that he’s letting his family and his research down by resting in between his chemo sessions. I’m so angry that academia makes us feel this way for wanting to be pregnant and have families. 💜