u/MumblingPixie

I have been at my current company for four years. I used to love my job, but recently I've been feeling incredibly burnt out. Lately, I find myself spending more time unravelling my coworkers half thought out requests, cleaning up poor code, and constantly asking for things that frankly, I don't think I should have to ask for. I work on a small team and my manager always says that it's best to provide feedback and help one another so that we can all learn from each other, but I just feel like I'm at my wits end lately. My mental load is through the roof and I'm tired of asking for the same things, providing the same kind of feedback, and being the one to fix problems.

I realize that not everything that gets handed you will be coded perfectly with perfect documentation, but it just feels like my team members work has declined significantly and I'm the one to pick up the pieces. I suspect it's an over-reliance on AI, so he's not double checking his work or requests. The infuriating part is that he's an Architect, but I find myself doing aspects of his job most of the time. I've started to feel resentful because of it.

My husband and I are in the process of doing IVF, so we are hopefully starting a family soon, which leaves me in a weird place. I want to very badly find a new job, but I am concerned about the timing of it all. I know my current workplace will be very understanding when it comes to dealing with appointments and stuff like that, so I'm not sure if I should wait things out for the pregnancy or look for something new before hand. Has anyone else been in a similar situation?

I start my first IVF cycle later this month and in order to hopefully reduce stress, I booked PTO for the busy week where I would be in and out of the clinic for ultrasounds and tests. I knew that I would have a couple of last minute appointments pop up the week before and after that week as well, so I decided to let my manager know. I was on the fence about mentioning IVF at all, but decided to fill her in because I wasn't sure about how I would react to the medications and if I would need to book additional time off. She had a baby recently and has always been understanding about taking time off in general, so I had a feeling she would get it. To my surprise, I learned that she had dealt with infertility issues for YEARS until she finally had her child. She told me to take all the time I need and that she'll do whatever she can to make me feel supported. I think that sometimes dealing with infertility can be so isolating, but hearing about her story reminded me that I'm not so alone. It's such a relief knowing that that is one less thing I have to worry about on this journey. Anyway, just wanted to share my story because it made me really happy. For the first time in a while, I feel optimistic about things.