Mom In Tears Goes Viral After Sharing How She Had To Return To Work Only 12 Days After Giving Birth, And People Online Helped Her Out
No parent should be compelled to choose between returning to work and spending time with their newborn.
Rebecca Shumard never expected a tearful TikTok to turn into a wave of support. The new mom had just given birth to her daughter, Eden, far too early, and then faced the crushing reality of returning to work only 12 days later.
Because Eden was born at 27 weeks and stayed in the NICU, Rebecca tried to save her limited leave for the day her baby could finally come home. That choice left her stuck between bills, work, and the time she wanted with her newborn, and people online quickly noticed how unfair it all felt.
What happened next gave her story a much brighter ending.
Rebecca is a new mom who went viral after sharing how she was required to return to work only 12 days after giving birth to her premature baby.
edensmomma10_12This new mom gave birth to her baby prematurely, and she's in pain because she has to return to work. This means she can't always be there with her baby.
Her video touched many individuals all over the world, and they offered her some assistance. You can watch the full clip below.
All about Rebecca's painful and tearful experience
edensmomma10_12Being understaffed...
edensmomma10_12
And the milk supply is decreasing
edensmomma10_12
Will there be milk?
edensmomma10_12
What do others do in this situation?
edensmomma10_12
How can one handle the guilt?
edensmomma10_12
This is America
edensmomma10_12
Without a doubt, parents should be able to devote their time to their newborns without having to worry about work. However, the current laws in the U.S. imply that Rebecca needs to choose between using her 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave quickly or returning to work in order to use it later.
So, she decided to save it for when her little girl left the NICU, as the mom was also extremely stressed that she might not have milk available for her child when she finally returned home. Here are some of the responses given by TikTok users to the mother's predicament.
People online did not hold back.
Greatest country ever
dejacurtis25
Take your deserved breaks
ashleighray30
And it gets messy fast, just like hiding a secret baby fund from a partner after he lost his job.
Now you know why
cherry_garcia96
You're doing your best
jazmynjw
Pumping breaks is a protected right
obnursejen
Prioritizing work
ceeteelee
The absolute worst maternity leave
bakemydaymimo
Only in America
mamadoctorjones
Vile and inhumane maternity leaves
whitneywithheart
You are strong
darkfangg
Biggest supporters
sadiekel1
Certain individuals shared information concerning what parental leave looks like in other developed nations.
aluschen
In Sweden, you get...
alienerade_barn
In Austria...
eminagp1
Welcome to Denmark
le_knaack
Norway is great
locolida
Certain individuals shared information concerning what parental leave looks like in other developed nations. Luckily, the mother and her infant received the happy closure they deserved.
edensmomma10_12
Rebecca said in her follow-up video that, as a result of people’s kindness, she won't be compelled to choose between being with her baby in the NICU and taking care of bills, and she’s forever thankful.
That kind of relief can change everything.
You've shown me support
edensmomma10_12
Bringing it to the country's realization
edensmomma10_12
Other people's comments
edensmomma10_12
Rebecca did a follow-up video, and you can watch it here.
Anyways, there was a positive closure to the story, as Rebecca shared in a follow-up video that the monetary help she received from users on social media meant that she could take some much-needed time off work to spend with her little girl. Due to people’s benevolence, she didn't need to stress over not having the money to cover the bills.
For once, the internet came through.
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