Single mom called out after saying her career suffered post-pregnancy: 'I'd be lying if I said...'

When Derricka Hill found out she was pregnant in October 2023, it wasn’t part of her plan, but she welcomed the news with open arms. Juggling a demanding career in marketing recruitment, the then-30-year-old from Seattle was used to being in control of her fast-paced life. But what followed wasn’t just a shift in routine; it was a seismic transformation of identity, ambition, and balance.

Her son, Derriawn David D’Angelo, was born on June 28, 2024, following what she described as an “emotionally intense” pregnancy, to the New York Post. She took a three-month paid maternity leave and returned to work in September. That’s when the emotional toll of single motherhood in corporate America really began to surface.

“I love my son more than anything,” Derricka says. “But I’d be lying if I said having him didn’t change my career completely. Some days it feels like it ended.” At 31, Derricka finds herself straddling two full-time roles,  one as a marketing recruiter, sometimes working up to 50 hours a week, and the other as a mother doing it all alone. Before she entered this chapter of her life, she was fully career-focused, spending seven years as a certified nursing assistant before transitioning into corporate hiring. She was ambitious, independent, and living on her own terms.

But reality shifted quickly. Though she has some support from her mother and grandmother, it's not always enough. Her grandmother, who initially helped with childcare, eventually found it physically challenging to care for Derriawn as he grew heavier. Her mother works full-time and can’t assist during weekdays. That left Derricka with few options and a lot of pressure. To make things even harder, Derriawn began experiencing recurring health problems in early 2025, chronic ear infections, and a severe bout of salmonella that required frequent doctor visits. "He was crying nonstop in pain. I was barely sleeping, and then expected to function at work like nothing was happening," she says. "That kind of exhaustion is hard to explain."

The frequent medical appointments forced Derricka to take additional unpaid leave. There were weeks when she could only manage 25 hours of work, half of what she used to put in. As a result, her standing at work suffered. She felt less reliable, less productive, and in her words, “less valuable.” Sharing her journey on TikTok, Derricka received a wave of reactions. Some offered support and solidarity, while others harshly judged her for expressing how motherhood impacted her career. “People have called me a bad mom,” she admitted to the New York Post. “They say I must hate my son because I talk about how hard this has been. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s my world. I just wish more people understood how complicated this can be.” Despite the struggles, Derricka holds onto gratitude and pride, saying, “Having my son was my beautiful accident,” she says with a soft smile. “Corporate America is brutal, but no matter how hard it gets, I’ll always choose him.”