Bread is always the first order of business for Glasshouse Kitchen Pastry Chef Ava Broadwell as she starts her 12-hour day. But some days look a little different than others – especially now that she is toting her 6-month old baking assistant, Bella.

 

Like many working moms in North Carolina, Broadwell is navigating the ups and the downs of being a new parent in the service industry without maternity leave or consistent childcare.

 

Her pregnancy with Bella was unplanned, but Broadwell said once she heard her heartbeat she was smitten. She had been living in a small mountain town in Colorado, and told her employer about her pregnancy.

 

“He basically said, ‘You're of no use to me.’ We parted ways during that conversation, which is really unfortunate,” said Broadwell.

 

She decided to move back home to North Carolina to be closer to family, whom she hoped could help with childcare. Here, Broadwell re-connected with Savannah Miller, chef of Glasshouse Kitchen, who recommended Broadwell for the opening team of Research Triangle Park’s newest restaurant.

 

“They hired me when I was six months pregnant. Being not new to the industry, I knew that I was not going to receive any kind of maternity leave. I did think that because I was a salaried employee maybe they would do something for me, but that was vocalized that would not be happening,” said Broadwell.

 

Glasshouse didn’t offer paid maternity leave, so Broadwell drafted a proposal for how she could still work outside the restaurant. This proposal was going to get approved for hourly pay, but ended up upsetting a lot of people on the opening team who felt it wasn’t fair. 

 

By the time she went into labor, the restaurant had a new general manager, who decided she could take up to 6 weeks of leave without it affecting her job. They even offered to pay her without others knowing.

 

But Glasshouse’s grand opening was set for August 24, 2022. In the end, Broadwell only took off 14 days.

 

Broadwell’s situation challenged the Glasshouse team as they navigated unknown territory with necessary family and medical leave, but it is not uncommon for restaurants to lack maternity leave options.

 

“Ava's job is insanely, physically, emotionally, spiritually demanding. She crushes that. I mean, she has crushed it since day one when she was pregnant to literally working until her water broke and going to the streets of a hospital from work,” said Miller. “But I do believe that, looking back, everyone wishes that it was easier for her. As far as the resources she was given, and as far as just the expectations of what we were doing here.”

 

The Glasshouse manager was willing to work with Broadwell, but that isn’t the case in many establishments–such as Broadwell’s former employer. There is no law requiring small businesses to guarantee maternity leave, leaving it up to the employer.

 

Where the Law Fails

 

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that requires employers to offer up to 12 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave for new moms, however it is only for employers that have 50 or more employees and you must have worked at least 12 months under that employer to qualify. Many local restaurants do not meet these qualifications, and even if they do, the leave is still unpaid–making it very difficult for service workers who often-times live paycheck to paycheck.

 

Paid leave of any kind is rare in the service sector, a continuous battle for working mothers who initially need to take maternity leave but will eventually need to take time off to care for their kids as they grow up.

 

“This really affects women. They most often are the ones that need to take care of sick kids. And when they're unable to take time off from work, that's really a problem,” said MaryBe McMillan, President of NC State AFL-CIO.

 

Time off from work can be critical in complicated pregnancies, where not only the mother needs time to care for her newborn, but also time for her own body to heal.

 

Broadwell additionally suffered from the high-blood pressure pregnancy complication preeclampsia, which made her recovery process even more challenging.

 

“They said that I probably had preeclampsia because of my high stress job, and working 16 hours a day on my feet at seven and eight months pregnant,” she said.

 

Not taking more time off put a setback in her healing process; for example, her stitches repeatedly ripped. 

 

“After a conversation with my doctor, I had been casually catching up with the owner, and then he brought that to the attention of his lawyer and then they required me to take two weeks of bed rest,” said Broadwell. “Which it's kind of laughable just thinking of bed rest with a five-week-old, but it ended up being very helpful.”

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Broadwell admitted that there are things that are very hard about being a new mom in this position. Sometimes Bella just has to come to work with her and it doesn’t feel very professional. But in this non-traditional setting, Bella is forming unique traits.

 

“She's very interested in food. She always wants to be in the kitchen with me, which I'm loving,” said Broadwell. “So that makes me really happy because I think she'll be a little bit unique from other kids with what she gets to eat and what she gets to see–I mean, she had bone marrow the other day. I think she’ll be different in that way.”

 

Although Broadwell is focused on the positives now that Bella is in her life, she wishes it had been an easier transition into motherhood. In February, House Bill 141 was introduced by North Carolina House Democrats to provide up to eight weeks of paid parental leave for state employees, but there is nothing underway for the private sector. Paid and protected maternity leave still lies in the hands of each individual employer.

 

“I had a really interesting time watching her dynamic and kind of went back and forth between a new mom and empathizing, but also a business owner and having to make those choices that make sense and that are fair for everybody,” said Miller.

 

A true baker at heart, Broadwell will probably always stay in the service industry despite how hard this year has been for her.

 

“Unfortunately it's my passion. It's so toxic and unstable and hard on your body and your mind, but I just love it.”