Here's the scenario: you are a female law enforcement officer, and you find out you are pregnant. You quickly ask yourself, "what happens when I tell my department I'm pregnant?" “When should I tell them?” “Will I lose my job?”

Well, there is a lot to unpack here.

The first question I ask my clients is this: What do you want your department to do or offer you when you tell them you are pregnant? This is important to define.

I hope you want to shift from active patrol (or whatever situation that puts you and your unborn child at an increased risk), and request an accommodation, or light-duty assignment, for the duration of your pregnancy.

Many women fear requesting an accommodation because it will impact their job in the long run. But as soon as you get pregnant, it's not just about you anymore.

The light duty assignment may involve handing over your badge and gun for a little while. Fine, that's acceptable. As long as your agency is not firing you or forcing you to take unpaid leave, you can and should take whatever light-duty job is available.

There are two reasons I say that.

First, when it comes to being pregnant, to having a child in your belly that you need to protect, you shouldn't be forced to make zero money during your pregnancy.

Second, you do want to be able to shift out of a job that could actively cause you physical harm, so don't be afraid to do that.