A woman has gone viral after sharing an all-too-real video of herself agonizing over calling off work while in active labor, leading many to criticize how mothers are treated in the U.S.
Marissa Peirce, who is known as @mpmoney27 on TikTok, gave birth to her son, Charles, last July. While she was in the hospital, her partner filmed her drafting a message to send to her manager at the drive-thru coffee shop where she works.
She posted the video on TikTok in August, writing: 'Me literally in labor overthinking the text I'm sending my manager to call out.'
Marissa Peirce, who is known as @mpmoney27 on TikTok, shared a video of herself agonizing over calling off work while in active labor
The mom gave birth to her son, Charles, last July while working at a drive-thru coffee shop. Her partner filmed her anxiously drafting a message to send to her manager in the hospital
'Labor is stressful, calling out is even more stressful,' she added in the caption.
The footage shows Marissa lying in bed with her cellphone, reading the message she was about to send her boss out loud.
'I am in labor. I just got admitted to the hospital — smiley face. Would it be OK if my mom or brother picked up my paycheck tomorrow — question mark,' she said.
Marissa then turned to her boyfriend and asked if that sounded OK.
'Perfect,' he replied.
Thousands of people have commented on the video, which has been viewed more than five million times, with many insisting it was the most American thing they've ever seen.
@mpmoney27 labor is stressful, calling out is even more stressful #pregnancy #birth
♬ original sound - marissa
After reading the message out loud, she asked her partner if he thought it sounded OK
The viral video has been viewed more than five million times, and a number of people insisted it was the most American thing they've ever seen
'Tell me you work in the US without telling me you work in the US,' one person wrote, while another added: 'This is painfully American.' 'That's literally so sad that that is America
The U.S. is the only wealthy nation in the world without any guaranteed paid family leave for parents.
In late October, President Biden dropped paid family leave from the framework of his $1.75 trillion social spending bill, which the House of Representatives passed last month.
Others imagined how Marissa's boss responded to the news that she was missing work because she was giving birth.
'Please come in with a doctor's note [the] next day, the baby will not count as one seeing as we need it on file,' one person commented.
'I understand but next time please do not let us know last minute,' another joked.
Neither Marissa nor her partner was offered paternity leave, and he went to work less than 24 hours after they brought Charles home from the hospital
While she is disappointed in the U.S. for not having paid family leave, she said she's still grateful that her boss and co-workers were willing to cover her shift while she was in labor
Someone else added: 'Maybe next time you can wait until after your shift is over to have a baby? Would be more convenient for everyone.'
Marissa, who still works at the drive-thru coffee shop, told BuzzFeed that she went into labor that day at 2 a.m. and was scheduled to work at 10 a.m.
She noted that she wasn't worried about her manager's reaction to her calling out; she was just anxious about giving birth early in a pandemic.
'I was overthinking this text message to my boss mainly because I have anxiety,' she explained. 'I was a week and a half from my due date, so I was a little early for a first-time mom and no one really expected me to go into labor.'
Neither Marissa nor her partner was offered paternity leave, and he went to work less than 24 hours after they brought Charles home from the hospital.
'Most people that I know worked up until they went into labor, like I did,' she said. 'I know people who have gone back to work just weeks after having children.'
While she is 'extremely disappointed in the United States' lack of maternity and paternity leave,' she added that she is still grateful that her boss and co-workers were willing to cover her shift while she was in labor.
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