working at a gas station while pregnant

[bridgetboo62]

so here in oregon you dont pump your own gas
people pump it for you

well the gas station down the street is hiring and its super convenient because i could walk to work and walk home everday
plus we need the extra money to get things ready before baby arrives in 9 months

my question is will being around the fumes all day be harmful to the fetus?

 

[purplecupcake]

The amount of fumes you'd come in contact to in an outdoor open area is really minimal. Go for it!

 

[bridgetboo62]

thank you
i tried researching it online
but didnt come up with much information
so i thought i would ask you ladies here

its a relief to hear that

but its going to be hard to be on my feet all day im assuming especially as the pregnancy progresses

does anyone have a job or had a job while they were pregnant
where they were on their feet all day?

 

[purplecupcake]

Honestly it's better for you to be on your feet all day than on your butt. Being on your feet will keep your core strong and your blood flowing. There's a ton of research about how harmful sitting all day is. Even people with desk jobs that work out daily have worse health than someone who stands at a desk all day.

 

[bridgetboo62]

well thats good to hear
i just get lightheaded a lot lately to the point where i have to sit down or i feel like im going to pass out

 

[eme]

Hmmm, I don't know....honestly I think it might be best to run it past your OB. Being outside obviously minimizes the amounts of fumes you'd be inhaling. But seeing as you'd be pumping gas all throughout your shift might change things. Obviously it's nothing that's harmful for someone who's filling their tank once a week, but I wonder too what effects it would have to be filling tank after tank on shift.

I ~think~ it might be okay, but honestly just run it past your OB to see their thoughts. It may surprise you their experience with this topic as you clearly can't be the first pregnant woman ever to work at a gas station as a pumper!! =)

**only reason for my hesitation is in the fact that we're told to avoid harsh household cleaners while pregnant, etc because of the fumes so I would assume that gasoline would be similar. I've found quite a few links that talk about risks of inhaling chemical fumes during pregnancy if you'd like to read them I'd be happy to link them for you

 

[My_First]

I cant see it being any worse than the 'fumes' a hairdresser may inhale. I would say if you really wanted the job but were concerned, wear one of those paper mask things, you know the ones people use for sanding.

 

[bridgetboo62]

thats a good idea i could wear a mask
i can only image the funny looks i would get
and all the questions
i could see explaining myself over and over again getting tiring real fast

thats a good idea to ask my midwife
i will send her an email now

 

[eme]

Oh wow! just found a fantastic article/link about gasoline and pregnancy....I'll link it below!

https://nurse-practitioners-and-physician-assistants.advanceweb.com/Article/Teratogenicity-of-Fuel-Fumes-2.aspx

 

[eme]

Oh wow! just found a fantastic article/link about gasoline and pregnancy....I'll link it below!

https://nurse-practitioners-and-physician-assistants.advanceweb.com/Article/Teratogenicity-of-Fuel-Fumes-2.aspx

It's a rather scientific link and wordy but if you scroll more towards the bottom it gives you results of a few studies. From what I was able to read as I glanced over it, it sounds like it may not be the best idea

 

[bridgetboo62]

oh wow that is super scary article
but i dont really believe anything i read online wholeheartedly so i will wait to see what my midwife has to say about it

 

[messica]

I wouldn't risk it personally. Especially after reading through the link eme posted.

Risk aside, you might be the most capable woman on the planet for the job but I'm not sure many people would feel comfortable having a pregnant woman pump their gas. I know I wouldn't, and would definitely get out to do it myself if I found myself in that situation. I'm pretty sure everyone I know would do the same or go elsewhere for their gas. For that reason you may not even be considered for the job even if you do apply and are otherwise qualified.

 

[bridgetboo62]

wow that is ridiculous and as close minded as you can get
first of all here in oregon its against the law to pump your own gas
second of all i dont know anyone who would discriminate against a pregnant woman
and im pretty sure its against the law for organizations to discriminate against you i.e not hire you or fire you because you are pregnant
i find your posts and comments towards me to intolerably rude and offensive
i will be reporting you.

 

[messica]

I have no idea where your hostility towards me is coming from.

I live in Minnesota, and here, it's not discriminatory for a man to not let a woman pump his gas - it's common courtesy. My husband would NEVER let me pump gas if he was there, nor would my father, father-in-law, my brother-in-laws, my grandfather, my uncles, my male friends etc. It's how they were raised. Not only would they not let a woman pump their gas but certainly not a pregnant woman. And as a woman I would feel the same way.

If there was a law that said they couldn't pump their own they'd go to another station because the situation would definitely make them uncomfortable.

I have no idea why you'd feel the need to report me. It's not mean - it's manners and a matter of ethics, no different than opening doors or ushering a woman to go first.

If you prefer I block seeing your posts in the future I sure will but I have no idea what is reportable about any of what I've said

 

[bridgetboo62]

its not manners to discriminate against women
women have equal rights and can do anything a man can do
here where i live we strive to have equal opportunity work force
with an equal number of women and men in a wide variety of professions
while i suppose that point of view is cute it is also archaic. we live in the twenty first century

and your post made it seem like "wow a pregnant woman working at a gas station
how poor and unfortunate that woman must be"
"women that are so poor they need to be working at a gas station shouldnt be having children"
when my husband has a very well paying job and we dont need the money i would just like to be doing something during the day and what is better than doing something and making money while doing it?

here in oregon no one pumps their own gas its the law its the way its always been here
no matter what gas station you go to. its a state law

 

[Selaphyna]

its not manners to discriminate against women
women have equal rights and can do anything a man can do
here where i live we strive to have equal opportunity work force
with an equal number of women and men in a wide variety of professions
while i suppose that point of view is cute it is also archaic. we live in the twenty first century

and your post made it seem like "wow a pregnant woman working at a gas station
how poor and unfortunate that woman must be"
"women that are so poor they need to be working at a gas station shouldnt be having children"
when my husband has a very well paying job and we dont need the money i would just like to be doing something during the day and what is better than doing something and making money while doing it?

here in oregon no one pumps their own gas its the law its the way its always been here
no matter what gas station you go to. its a state law

She did not discriminate against you, she was just stating that could very well happen if you tried to get the job. Either, the business may not hire you, or they could lose customers because the customers are not comfortable with a woman (especially a pregnant woman) pumping their gas.

Yes it's against the law for a business to not hire you because you are pregnant, but if they know you are pregnant they could state another reason as to why they won't hire you, which gets around the whole not hiring you because you are pregnant.

As for the OP, I say, apply if you want. It's your decision. As for being on your feet all day, it is better for you to be up and moving around, but at the same time, take breaks and sit. My feet hurt by the end of the day, but I also need better shoes. When I was pregnant with DS, I was working as a waitress, and there were nights i came home with my feet hurting too, and then there were days that were fine.

 

[bridgetboo62]

well if you look at my ticker im only about six weeks probably less
(havent had my first appointment and scan yet)
so im not even showing and wont be for a while
even when i start to i could wear t shirts that are loose fitting
and i wont be working there for long
we should be moving by the end of the summer and the only reason the job appealed to me is because its so close and i could walk to and from work
im definitely not going to offer up the information that i am pregnant
so therefore they cant decide not to hire me based on that or come up with another reason to mask the fact that its because im pregnant

"I'm not sure many people would feel comfortable having a pregnant woman pump their gas. I know I wouldn't"

^thats like saying people would feel uncomfortable with women being construction workers. its not okay for people feel that way its discriminatory. a woman is just as capable as a man same as a black man is just as capable as a white man.

 

[Kantny09]

Bridgetboo - I don't think that is what Messica meant at all. I live in Texas and I would feel the same way...I didn't realize it was against the law in Oregon to pump your own gas and I doubt she did either. Different people and different states do things much differently I guess. And yes here in Texas it is against the law to discriminate against pregnant women when it comes to hiring...but it is also a right to hire state...so while the employer might be thinking they don't want to hire a pregnant woman they could come up with a hundred other legal reasons not to hire someone as long as they don't say "it's because your pregnant". But I don't think she meant any disrespect or that she thought you were poor...just that other people have different views and may or may not feel comfortable having a pregnant woman pump their gas...because for us that is just not how we were raised.

 

[Selaphyna]

well if you look at my ticker im only about six weeks probably less
(havent had my first appointment and scan yet)
so im not even showing and wont be for a while
even when i start to i could wear t shirts that are loose fitting
and i wont be working there for long
we should be moving by the end of the summer and the only reason the job appealed to me is because its so close and i could walk to and from work
im definitely not going to offer up the information that i am pregnant
so therefore they cant decide not to hire me based on that or come up with another reason to mask the fact that its because im pregnant

"I'm not sure many people would feel comfortable having a pregnant woman pump their gas. I know I wouldn't"

^thats like saying people would feel uncomfortable with women being construction workers. its not okay for people feel that way its discriminatory. a woman is just as capable as a man same as a black man is just as capable as a white man.

Again it's not discriminatory. That's how she feels and surprisingly quite a few people feel like that.

Yes women are equal to men, but there are some jobs that would make most people cringe if they saw a woman doing it, or seen a pregnant woman doing it. That is our society, unfortunately. As stated by the poster just above, depends on how the person was raised, i guess

She wasn't being hostile towards you either.

I see your ticker and I understand not offering it up. I wouldn't either. The only way I'd offer it up is if there was something in my duties that I couldn't do while pregnant. I wish you the best in what ever you decide.

 

[messica]

"I'm not sure many people would feel comfortable having a pregnant woman pump their gas. I know I wouldn't"

^thats like saying people would feel uncomfortable with women being construction workers. its not okay for people feel that way its discriminatory. a woman is just as capable as a man same as a black man is just as capable as a white man.

No.

I'm saying I would feel bad. Guilty. Terrible. And many other people would too.

It has nothing to do with capability, gender, or race. It has to do with chivalry, manners, and the way they were raised. Hate it if you choose, but it's not discriminating against anyone by preferring to extend kindness in given situations.