My baby ruined my career – trolls call me ‘bad mum' & say I should've ‘kept my legs closed' but I'm a proud single mum
High-flyer Derricka Hill, 31, unexpectedly fell pregnant with her little boy, Derriawn, one, in October 2023.
3
3
Despite being career-focused in her role as a marketing recruiter - which saw her work 50-hour weeks - Derricka was excited to experience motherhood.
Derriawn was born via caesarean on June 28, 2024, weighing 9 lb.
But, since returning to work, Derriawn has had a constant three-month chronic ear infection and has contracted salmonella.
This left single mum Derricka having to use her annual leave and take unpaid days off to care for him.
Some weeks, she is only able to work 25 hours a week in order to look after Derriawn and she says the reduced hours have "ruined her career" because time off means she's "not a valuable employee".
But she insists she "wouldn't be without him".
Derricka, who has full custody of her little boy, from Seattle, Washington State, said: "I ruined my career by having a son.
"When I have time off, I don't bring money into the business. I'm not as valuable as an employee in a business sense.
"I wanted to experience the trials and tribulations of motherhood.
"People online call me a 'bad mother' or say that I hate my son. I don't, he is my whole world, but being a single mum working full time in corporate America is tough.
"Plus, dealing with a child who is sick is an added layer.
"I'd never be without him but my career has suffered enormously. I don't have the luxury of giving up work because it's just me and Derriawn.
"Everything I do is for him."
Before becoming a mum, Derricka said she "worked hard and played harder".
Working as a certified nursing assistant for seven years, she then got into marketing recruitment - a job which saw her work up to 50 hours a week.
"I lived for my job, I wanted to be successful in my career," Derricka said. "I worked hard but played harder.
"I only had myself to take care of and I could do whatever I wanted."
Life changed when Derricka unexpectedly fell pregnant in October 2023 and she "decided to go it alone".
After an "emotionally intense" pregnancy, on June 28, 2024, she welcomed her son, Derriawn David D'Angelo, two weeks past his due date.
Taking her three-month paid maternity leave, in September 2024, Derricka returned to work.
Despite having help from her grandma and mum, Dawn Bellmy, 50, who works in healthcare, on the weekends, in March 2025 Derricka began to struggle with the demands of her work and home life.
She said: "My grandma wasn't able to have Derriawn as he got too heavy for her to lift on her own, and my mum works full-time during the week.
"In March, Derriawn started contracting chronic ear infections one after the other.
"He'd cry relentlessly throughout the night because he was in so much pain, which meant I got little to no sleep and struggled to function at work the next day.
"It was heartbreaking to see as his mum.
"In May, he contracted salmonella too.
"Taking him back and forth to doctors and caring for him meant unpaid time off work.
"He hasn't gotten better, and doctors aren't able to recommend further than the antibiotics that he's taking.
"Corporate America is a beast, but I'm always going to put my son first.
"Having him was my beautiful accident.
"That's why being a mum ruined my career, but I don't regret it for a second."
Posting an honest rant on TikTok on June 20, it has amassed more than 600,000 views.
Derricka said: "I didn't expect so many people to watch me in that video, I just wanted to voice how frustrated I was feeling with it all.
"Some people have commented, 'should have kept your legs closed' and 'where's the dad?'.
"I just try and laugh it off.
"I'm a single mum and I'm proud of it.
"But other people have reached out with messages of support or said they can relate.
"That's the point, motherhood is unpredictable. You don't know what it will chuck at you.
"My son is my whole world; everything I do is for him.
"I think I'm one and done, I couldn't handle another kid at the moment - I don't think my career would survive it either."
Meanwhile, it seems Derricka isn't the only mum struggling.
A mum has shared a brutally honest post about how she regrets having a baby and wishes she never had, as parenthood has turned her into a "shell of her former self".
Elsewhere, one mum revealed she 'contracted a cold when pregnant and didn't even know' she had it, leaving her baby girl brain damaged for life'.
Plus, another mum was left fuming after stranger leaves most passive aggressive note ever on her car BANNING her from using parent parking spot.
3
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
44 minutes ago
- Reuters
US CDC merges bird flu and influenza updates
July 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has merged H5N1 bird flu updates with routine updates for seasonal influenza, the agency's website showed on Monday. The number of people monitored and tested for bird flu will be reported on a monthly basis, the agency said, adding that it will no longer report infection rates in animals on its website. Earlier in the day, Bloomberg News reported that CDC has ended its emergency response for bird flu as the outbreak has abated. The agency did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the Bloomberg report.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Legendary bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman needs emergency surgery as family reveal new underlying health condition
The family of legendary bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman have revealed that doctors have discovered an 'underlying health issue' after he was hospitalized last week. Last Monday, Coleman's family announced that the 61-year-old had been 'admitted to hospital' before later revealing he had suffered an 'infection in his bloodstream'. Coleman - who is regarded as one of bodybuilding's greatest ever competitors - has remained in hospital since then and, now, his family have shared a fresh update. Taking to Instagram, they revealed that Coleman will require surgery. They wrote: 'At this time, Ronnie's overall condition remains serious but stable, with continued signs of gradual recovery. 'His medical team is still actively working to identify the source of the infection, which can take several days to confirm through thorough testing. 'During a recent round of evaluations, doctors identified an additional underlying health matter that will require a surgical procedure. His family revealed that Coleman will undergo a 'surgical procedure' for the health issue 'This procedure is expected to take place in these coming days, and the medical team is confident in their approach as part of Ronnie's broader care plan. 'We remain hopeful and encouraged by Ronnie's resilience, and we are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world. Please continue to keep Ronnie in your thoughts and prayers as we await the next stages of his recovery'. The comment section was flooded with support for Coleman as the legendary bodybuilder continues to deal with his health issues. Coleman holds the, joint, all-time record for most Mr. Olympia titles at eight. He's also previously won 26 International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) titles and retired back in 2007 after his reign as Mr. Olympia came to an end. Concerns over his health initially arose after he was forced to postpone a scheduled trip to the UK this week. In an Instagram post last week, Coleman broke news of his illness as he wrote: 'Hey guys, I hate to break it to y'all, but I won't be able to make it out to the UK this week like I planned. Unfortunately, I had a medical emergency and had to stick around here in the U.S. for treatment. 'But don't worry… I'm in great hands, getting the best care, and I'm staying strong through it all. I'll be back and better than ever, and I can't wait to get out there and see you all real soon!'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
RFK Jr. promoted a food company he says will make Americans healthy. Their meals are ultraprocessed
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday praised a company that makes $7-a-pop meals that are delivered directly to the homes of Medicaid and Medicare enrollees. He even thanked Mom's Meals for sending taxpayer-funded meals 'without additives" to the homes of sick or elderly Americans. The spreads include chicken bacon ranch pasta for dinner and French toast sticks with fruit or ham patties. 'This is really one of the solutions for making our country healthy again,' Kennedy said in the video, posted to his official health secretary account, after he toured the company's Oklahoma facility last week. But an Associated Press review of Mom's Meals menu, including the ingredients and nutrition labels, shows that the company's foods are the type of heat-and-eat, ultraprocessed food that Kennedy routinely criticizes for making people sick. The meals contain chemical additives that would render them impossible to recreate at home in your kitchen, said Marion Nestle, a nutritionist at New York University and food policy expert, who reviewed the menu for The AP. Many menu items are high in sodium, and some are high in sugar or saturated fats, she said. 'It is perfectly possible to make meals like this with real foods and no ultra-processing additives but every one of the meals I looked at is loaded with such additives,' Nestle said. 'What's so sad is that they don't have to be this way. Other companies are able to produce much better products, but of course they cost more.' Mom's Meals do not have the artificial, petroleum dyes that Kennedy has pressured companies to remove from products, she noted. Mom's Meals said in an emailed response that its food products 'do not include ingredients that are commonly found in ultra-processed foods.' The company does not use synthetic food dyes, high fructose corn syrup, certain sweeteners or synthetic preservatives that are banned in Europe, said Teresa Roof, a company spokeswoman. The meals are a 'healthy alternative' to what many people would find in their grocery stores, said Andrew Nixon, U.S. Health and Human Services spokesman, in response to questions about Mom's Meals. Mom's Meals is one of several companies across the U.S. that deliver 'medically tailored' at-home meals. The meal programs are covered by Medicaid for some enrollees, including people who are sick with cancer or diabetes, as well as some older Americans who are enrolled in certain Medicare health insurance plans. Patients recently discharged from the hospital can also have the meals delivered, according to the company's website. It's unclear how much federal taxpayers spend on providing meals through Medicaid and Medicare every year. An investigation by STAT news last year found that some states were spending millions of dollars to provide medically tailored meals to Medicaid enrollees that were marketed as healthy and 'dietician approved." But many companies served up meals loaded with salt, fat or sugar — all staples of an unhealthy American's diet, the report concluded. Defining ultraprocessed foods can be tricky. Most U.S. foods are processed, whether it's by freezing, grinding, fermentation, pasteurization or other means. Foods created through industrial processes and with ingredients such as additives, colors and preservatives that you couldn't duplicate in a home kitchen are considered the most processed. Kennedy has said healthier U.S. diets are key to his vision to 'Make America Healthy Again.' His call for Americans to increase whole foods in their diets has helped Kennedy build his unique coalition of Trump loyalists and suburban moms who have branded themselves as 'MAHA." In a recent social media post where he criticized the vast amount of ultraprocessed foods in American diets, Kennedy urged Americans to make healthier choices. 'This country has lost the most basic of all freedoms — the freedom that comes from being healthy," Kennedy said. —
