Three months after account executive Mary Lau, then 26, joined a local GST claims company in 2006, she became pregnant.

She had just completed a three-month probation and was worried the pregnancy would affect her confirmation. Her manager had assured her that the pregnancy was not an issue.

Three months later, however, the company fired her. It said she should not have issued a cheque but Madam Lau said she was acting on her supervisor's instructions.

The frustration over her termination soon gave way to worry. Madam Lau and her network engineer husband were servicing two housing loans in Malaysia for properties belonging to them and their parents.

They were also supporting their elderly parents and with a baby - their eldest child - on the way, her husband's $2,000 salary was not enough.

Said Madam Lau, now 28: 'At that time, I was afraid to apply for a job. I felt I would be rejected and that would make me more upset.'

The couple lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and wrote a letter to The Straits Times forum to share their experience.

When it was published, her former employer sent her a lawyer's letter, threatening to sue for defamation.

Although MOM could help her make a claim for wrongful dismissal, it could not give an assurance that her employer had no case to sue her. In the end, she withdrew her claim and decided to lay low.

She found a job at an MNC a month later. On goodwill, it accorded her maternity benefits though she was not entitled to any.

Last month, she gave birth to another girl. Her eldest is now 11/2 years old.

Said Madam Lau: 'What happened to me was terrible. But it will never stop me from having more children.'

This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Aug 3, 2008.