Pregnant + Laid off - what are my options?
I just found out today on a call with my manager where HR came and basically told me due to "restructuring" I was being laid off. I was offered 3 months severance. My insurance benefits end today and I get 3 months of COBRA. Here's the thing though I was the only female on my entire team, and I had been there for almost 4 years (09/2026 would have been 4 years) and I have never been put on any PIP or gotten anything back other than good reviews. In fact, I was discussing at my December 2025 call a promotion for December 2026.
I just found out early this month I'm pregnant. I never told them, but I had been going to a fertility clinic and became pregnant through IUI which I was using through company insurance. I don't know who else they fired, but last time there were lay offs there was a mass company email, this time it was just me and my manager and the HR lady came in to talk. I saw on my managers calendar he had no other 1:1 meetings scheduled today so I wonder if I'm the only one who was let go? I had not told them I was pregnant, but that doesn't mean they didn't know since I used a lot of their resources such as insurance, fertility coverage, and HealthJoy concierge for pregnancy related questions. Do I have any legal case here? Should I ask for more than the 12 weeks severance and ask for insurance coverage with premiums paid until EOY or Birth (Due date 2/25/27)? I'm trying to navigate this but am completely gutted and have been crying (thanks hormones!) all morning. Appreciate any insight, thank you!
ETA: Thank you everyone for the advice, I had read through all of it and it has given me a lot to think about. First, I’m sorry to everyone who is/was pregnant and went through this - I know firsthand how awful and scary it is. I hope we all find ourselves in a better place afterwards.
Second, I wanted to add a little more context: there were 8 people on my team, 4 of them (all men) were hired after me. 2 of them (men) had the same role and title as me (SWE2). I was the only one cut.
Even without the pregnancy, this might be discrimination because as a woman I am still a part of a protected class and I was clearly singled out. My manager and I signed my review in March which discussed promotion and what 2/5 metrics I need a little improvement in to get there. I had thankfully taken pictures of the review and sent it to AI so I have them despite being locked out. I’m going to talk to a lawyer today.