So the 34-year-old personal assistant at a multinational company (MNC) was ecstatic when she got pregnant.
She had been working at the firm for four years.
In July 2005, she gave birth to a boy and went on maternity leave for the next 12 weeks.
Before going on leave, she trained a part-timer who was engaged to cover her duties.
A week before she was due to return to work, her employer rang to say that the part-timer would be taking over permanently.
He assured her that the human resource department would find her another position.
In the meantime, she did some administrative duties and helped the company move to new premises.
Three months later, she was told to leave as there was no suitable position for her.
She fought for some compensation and was given a month's pay.
Said Ms Ngian: 'I really felt short-changed. I had waited so long to be a mother and this was what I got.'
She made a claim at the MOM for wrongful dismissal and received some compensation. She declined to reveal how much she got.
But her lack of a job and worry over her family's finances drove her into depression for the next six months.
Her car-salesman husband earns an unpredictable commission-based salary.
'Sometimes, I blamed my son for making me jobless. I'd feel very guilty and upset with myself after that,' she said.
After sending out resumes, Ms Ngian got a job at a small financial firm as a personal assistant.
When she got pregnant again last year, she had anxiety attacks, fearing that she would losing her job again.
Her new company, however, is very supportive.
She is now busy with her two young children and it has even allowed her to work part-time.
'Many years back, I had dreams of retiring at my previous company. Now, I still feel a tug at my heartstrings whenever I think about what that company did to me,' she said.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on August 3, 2008.
