In 2023, shortly after LP O\u2019Brien<\/a> announced she was pregnant, a client backed out of a contract.\u00a0\u201cThey emailed me to say, \u2018We just want to be mindful of your situation. So we\u2019re going to go in another direction,\u2019\u201d says the entrepreneur and CEO of LP Drinks Co.<\/a> They had signed an agreement for her to work at an upcoming festival following her first-place finish in Drink Masters<\/em>, Netflix\u2019s reality TV bartender competition. \u201cIt obviously was illegal, but, for my sanity, I needed to focus on what was in front of me. My priority at the time had to be taking care of myself and my soon-to-be-born child.\u201d<\/p>\n While O\u2019Brien\u2019s circumstances were unique, this type of situation is not uncommon, drinks professionals say. Despite federal protections<\/a>, the lived experiences of pregnant bartenders include everything from decreased hours to reneged partnerships to untenable physical expectations. Pregnant and postpartum employees describe changing jobs in order to secure healthcare, taking on side gigs during partially compensated parental leaves, and answering texts about shift schedules from hospital beds upon giving birth.<\/p>\n When some bartenders learn they\u2019re pregnant, they know they have to find a new job immediately. That\u2019s how Caer Maiko Ferguson felt. She figured a small, neighborhood spot with shorter shifts, devoted regulars, and a conscientious owner could provide more flexibility and support during her pregnancy and postpartum period than the high-end cocktail bar in downtown Austin, Texas, where she\u2019d been knocking out 12- to 14-hour shifts. \u201cIt was an intentional choice,\u201d she says. \u201cA lot of planning had gone into finding a place where I could comfortably exist.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n