​I​ ​Got​ ​Laid​ ​Off​ ​While​ ​Buying​ ​a​ ​House . . . and​ ​Pregnant

Somehow I went eight years without it happening to me.

It was commonplace among my friend and my colleagues to have lost their jobs at some point — apparently, statistically, it'll happen to everyone at least once in their professional lifetime.

But I had survived four stable-ish postgrad jobs in the shaky media industry until my company went under at literally the most inconvenient time ever — when I was six and a half months pregnant.

Oh, right, and I was also just a month away from closing on my first-ever home.

When my boss told me on a Friday in mid-September that everyone at our company would be on "unpaid leave" for the foreseeable future, I tried to hold it together as the shock and disbelief set in.

But that lasted not long at all, at which point I called my husband in my fragile emotional state to tell him, basically, we were screwed. Why me? Why now? Also, what would happen to my health insurance? And our MORTGAGE?

The answers to the above questions are still TBD as I try to make sense of my less-than-ideal predicament.

But now that I've had some time to digest what has happened — lots of time, actually, since, you know, I'm unemployed — I'm trying to look on the bright side. More spare time means more time to prep for the house and the baby and to sleep in because, as they say, you won't sleep once the baby arrives! I realize I'm lucky to even have the option to enjoy this time.

But the Jewish mother-to-be in me knows sitting on my pregnant butt doing nothing but complaining and crying is literally the worst possible option.

So here's what's helping me get through this "bump in the road," literally and figuratively, and what to do if you find yourself in a similar sitch. Sorry, though, ladies — unfortunately "sue your employer" isn't on this list of to-dos . . .

I don't care if you haven't spoken to them since 2012. It can't hurt to reach out to everyone you've ever worked with to tell them you're on the job hunt and to keep an ear out for you — old coworkers, that random girl you met that one time at a work event, hiring managers you interviewed with the last time you were job-searching.

In fact, I got a promising job interview this way just three days into my furlough!

Days blend together when you're not working, so you need to differentiate them yourself. I use normal "business hours" to apply to jobs and reach out to my contacts, but my nights and weekends are still my nights and weekends.

I know I might go insane if I spend every waking moment on my laptop, so interspersing my dreaded "to-dos" with watching TV, running errands, and something as simple as a half-hour walk is helping maintain my dignity.

Seriously, though, just don't. I've learned quickly that, especially while pregnant, you need to do what makes you happy, and staying cooped up at home like a crazy person because you think seeing the light of day is wasting precious job-hunting time is just not healthy. Trust.

It's crazy what a one-hour gym class or a pit stop at 16 Handles can do to lift your (my?) spirits.

Once you land a job interview, honesty is the best policy. This certainly depends on the job you're gunning for, how far along you are, and whether or not you're showing, but most HR people will agree that being upfront about your, uh, "condition" is better than keeping it a secret until the end of the interview process.

I've learned that if you're the best person for the job, they'll hire you no matter what your situation, even if you need a few weeks off in a few months. And you've surely heard that employers legally can't discriminate against you because you're pregnant, and if they do, then you're better off without them, TBH.

Just casually mention your pregnancy midway through the interview and then move on to focus on your skill set and experience instead

My husband legit calls me Debbie Downer, so this one is easier said than done for me, but it's true — we're about to become parents and move into our first home. These are two huge freakin' milestones that should be exciting no matter what circumstances may complicate things!

So, to force myself to be more positive, I started following the Instagram account @FertileGirl and watched the (highly recommended, BTW) documentary Vegas, Baby to help me appreciate that I'm pregnant with a healthy baby.

Not having a job is temporary. But for many couples, not having a child is permanent. How's that for glass half full?