Job search with a belly

I found out the same week that the organisation at which I've spent the past four years of my career is running out of funding, effectively ending my contract in March. And that I'm expecting a baby. I had been thinking I was up for a change, but I was thinking more along the lines of getting a cat. Or a house plant. Well, life's full of adventures! I have loved working at GCAP; it has been an ideal fit for me; but I'm feeling increasingly positive about the idea of getting new experiences as well. GCAP's financial woes are typical of the sector at the moment; and advocacy organisations particularly. I wonder what the knock-on affects for civil society will look like in a few years time?

Job hunting when the economy is getting so much bad press is intimidating. The prospect of job hunting while 6 months pregnant equally so. I have only started the preparatory work, seeing what organisations in my line of work are hiring and updating my CV. But, it should definitely be an interesting ride. In America, many people advise you not to disclose your pregnancy during the job search, since it puts the company hiring you at risk for illegal discrimination. While such discrimination is equally illegal in South Africa, apparently after your 5th month, you are legally required to disclose your pregnancy to your potential employer (not that there would be much hiding it, in my case, unless the interviews were all telephonic....). I'm curious to see how it will be received. I certainly don't expect to be offered my dream job until after the baby is born (though I may be surprised).