Pregnant warrior, Erin Robbins, often referred to with her Spanish salutation as Senora Robbins, is maintaining her duties as a top-notch teacher while carrying her second child. With her second baby girl, Reilly Jo Robbins, on the way, Robbins has to stay focused on both teaching and staying healthy.

Robbins, experiencing  the hardships of teaching while pregnant, said the only difficult aspect thus far has been “battling morning sickness; that was kind of hard because when you come in you just feel like you’re going to throw up.” However, Robbins is never on her own when she needs assistance. Her whole department is always there to help her, she said. “We all always help each other out,” says Erin Robbins.

Pregnancy can be difficult for many women and having to teach kids during it doesn’t make it any easier. According to school nurse Kelly Ducharme, all pregnant women need “fluids…a ton of fluids, with rest in between and not too much activity,” and for teachers, her advice is no different. Some would think that the proper resources aren’t available for pregnant women at a school, but the health office has many services to offer: a bed, heating pads, fluids, and a private space can be very helpful.

Not to mention, the nurses can also check their blood pressure when needed because the stress of teaching can negatively affect that. According to Erin Robbins, teaching is one of the better jobs to have when pregnant because of all the resources available and because of the flexibility.  

Going on leave can be tricky depending on when the woman’s due date is. For Robbins, her due date is at the end of May, so she doesn’t have to worry about leftover sick days, as opposed to a teacher who may have a due date in November. Going on leave is a collection of sick days, so once the woman uses them up, their sick days for the rest of the year are limited.

Since Robbins’ due date is so close to summer, she considers herself lucky. “It’s nice for the students to not have to miss their teacher for that long,” she said. By the time the baby is ready, she will “have taught everything she needs to teach.”

According to Union Representative and HBHS history teacher, Jennifer Given, the Family Medical Leave Act only allows women 12 weeks unpaid when they go on leave, but at Hollis Brookline High School, they’re paid for six weeks while the other six are unpaid. During those 12 weeks, women still have healthcare, but if they exceed the 12-week limit, they no longer are covered by healthcare. “I would like to see a more generous determination of leave,” said Given.

With her due date at the end of May, she is beyond excited to meet her baby girl. It’s tough dealing with pregnancy and teaching at the same time, but Robbins makes it happen.