How much time will you have with your newborn before returning to work?

mander82

Just curious what the average is....if its shitty like mine, or if my measly excuse for a maternity leave is the norm. Not taking paid or unpaid into consideration here.

TeeJ526

If everything goes according to plan, which I know it won't, because it's her schedule, not mine, I'm taking 14 weeks off to be with my baby for a vaginal delivery and 16 weeks if I end up getting a c-section. So 3 and a half to 4 months.

scarlet3egonias

I'm taking the full 12 weeks.  I will be taking about 10 of those weeks unpaid (I get 6 paid but my dr appointments and any other days off have been taken out of those 6 already).  It's a bummer to know we'll be short an income during that time but I think the time at home is more important.

snarkylibrarian

12 weeks with about half of it unpaid and half of vacation/sick/holiday hours that I've saved up for the last couple years. A lot of the women at work keep telling me I should leave work early "to relax" and I want to smack them. 12 weeks FMLA is all I get and I want them all with baby, not just sitting around bored at home.

meeshybee

I'm a SAHM this time, but when I was working I got 6 weeks. That's also the earliest daycare would take the baby, so I would've had to either find someone to babysit or use vacation/unpaid leave if I'd had to go back sooner. I seriously doubt I would have been physically up to it before 6 weeks, though.

lizgrace03

SS Grad student:  I am not working at all from the time he's born until the end of the semester.  I will decide whether I want to work in the spring based on how things are going after the birth.  I will stay enrolled regardless and WFH on my dissertation.  I had an interview for a $15,000 scholarship yesterday.  FX I get it, because that would allow me an extra semester or so funded without having to work!!!  It's aimed at women in doctoral studies- I think I have a good chance.  I think the two older ladies I interviewed with liked the fact that I'm pregnant.  

carafern

I probably should have clicked SS (but I clicked 6-8). I will be exclusively focused on LO for 6-ish weeks. As a grad student, I have no paid maternity leave…and am taking leave from school this quarter but will have to return to some grading and research in January. Still, its flexible and I can work from home for the most part.

mommymeg143

I will be a SAHM once this baby comes but I'm taking the full 12 weeks from FMLA prior to resigning my position. I've worked with the company for 6 years now and have accrued 3 and a half weeks of sick time so I want to be paid for those before leaving. I've also paid on a short term disability plan for the past 6 years so I'm going to take advantage of that too!!

silverwings72

I get 6 weeks on STD and then I can take up to 12 weeks of paid family leave. I think this is just a California thing?? I won't be taking all 12 weeks of the family leave because I will only be getting 60% of my check and we will have to supplement with our savings. So, realistically I'm thinking 12 weeks total. Hope that makes sense.

wildflower75

Sooo excited for Maternity Leave and sooo NOT looking forward to coming back to work!
I am only getting paid for 8 weeks plus 2 weeks of paid vacation.
And then the rest is unpaid but at least I will be home with my babies for about 6 months!

ssstephanie214

Grad student here too...if she comes on her due date I'll have 7 weeks before spring semester starts. I am trying to pick classes that allow me as much time at home, and I think I'm overestimating my ability to juggle it all. Freaking out a little.

AnnieRoo13

I'm a special Canadian Snowflake and I get a full year. I'm really looking forward to spending it with the little man

I was very shocked to hear that our US friends get so little time. I know a lot of people say they wouldn't trade the higher taxes for more leave and I get that, but I wouldn't give up my year.

snarkylibrarian

For those of you who are only getting 6 weeks or less, that's terrible! 

We really have to do something about family leave in the U.S. It's totally ridiculous. It's contract negotiations time next year for my union and I plan on trying to negotiate better family and medical leave for my workplace. I'm already starting to organize both younger workers who are looking to start/grow their families as well as older workers that are currently taking care of their parents or sick spouses to get their support for pushing for a change! Legislative change would be awesome too, but this feels more like something we have a better chance of winning and seeing results in a shorter period of time.

JFH2010

I'm taking 12 weeks. With DS I was in grad school and essentially had 5.5 months. It was glorious. 12 weeks seems way too short but that's the way it is. I don't want to SAH or quit my job, so 12 weeks it is. I truly, truly feel for those who only have 6 or 8 weeks. It's inhumane.

FTR I don't think I'd want a full year off, but I would absolutely pay higher taxes to have 6 months maternity leave as the standard!

Soonergirl131

I just get the 12 weeks unpaid of FLMA, which hopefully isn't a big deal. Hubby would really like the SAHM thing to work out and as of right now we may have to stretch a little each month but it will be worth it in the long run when he is done with his degree.

shan24

I voted 10-11 months. I'm entitled to a full year, but I'll be starting work again with the new school year in September. I don't want to have to jump back in mid semester.

krgriffin26

I plan on taking 7-9 weeks right now. Most of that will be paid leave. I work for a solo and he has offered me 3 paychecks and 3 pay periods (unpaid). Since I get paid twice a month the math gets a little fuzzy but it would add up to 3 months if I took it all. The plan is to only miss 1 paycheck before returning so we will just have to wait for LO to arrive before I know for sure.

lincoln79

I am extremely lucky. I get twelve weeks paid, but since I am a professor that doesn't get "vacation days", none of the time we are not in session count towards the 12 weeks. So I will basically get 16 weeks total off (because of the week off for Thanksgiving and semester break).

heythereporkchop

Wow, I find it so crazy that you guys get so little time! I'm from the UK and we can take up to a year off, though not all paid. We get 90% of our average wage for the first 6 weeks, then either that or £138 (whichever is lowest) for the next 33 weeks. Then there's being able to supplement with saved holidays etc.…

In saying that, I voted special snowflake as I work from home and for myself so I'm not sure what I'll be doing :-) luckily my husbands income allows me to be a sahm if I want to

silverwings72

It's official - I really want to be Canadian!!! ( It's just not fair!!!!!

mslynn2012

I'm a teacher, so 6 weeks for vaginal, 8 weeks for csection. Last time I delivered at the end of April. Was scheduled to go back the last 3 weeks of school (csection) but used FMLA. I didn't have to go back till August, and even that was difficult.

This time we decided I would take a leave of absence. So I've been off this entire school year being a part time SAHM. It's amazing! I'm hoping we can afford for me to do this again next year. I'd love to be able to be with my toddler and baby as long as possible.

carcrashheart

er, since taking care of my toddler kinda is my work/job/whatever, then......however long the hospital holds me before sending me along my way with a new baby? couple of days? DH won't be taking full days off. he'll be staying home for two weeks but going in to the office when there are meetings or something he needs to be there for. so i'm jumping right in!

sparklingwhit

If he comes in the next week like he's supposed to I will be taking 12 weeks.  If he comes beginning of November I'll take 14 weeks.  I work commission and coming back to work mid-Jan or with a week left would make no sense since I won't have time to build an order base for the month.

manders9479

14 weeks, 12 FMLA, extra 2 weeks for winter school break!

mander82

Ok,  well you guys confirmed for me that my 6-8 weeks sucks.....lol.

Aside from a couple poor ladies that chose less than 6 weeks, I am at the bottom of the barrel.

 

(

highbornhunter

I am taking the 12 weeks of FMLA allotted to me.  The way it was explained to me, that starts from when the baby is born, I actually can't take it before (unless maybe I had health complications, was put on bed rest, etc?). Anytime I take before he gets here will come out of my banked vacation time. My due date is 11/2 and I'm scheduled to work up until 10/30.  I get 6 weeks of STD pay through my Aflac (quack) policy through work.  I'm hoping that's not a giant pain the ass to file for and pays out quickly.  I've also saved up a bunch and luckily my personal bills are pretty small.  We've discussed me staying at home, but the cost of my husband's benefits through work go up a huge amount every year.  They basically told him this year that if they are looking at the same amount next year they just won't offer insurance and everyone will need to go on Obamacare (not using the term to offend if you are a fan, just not sure of all the right lingo).

I wanna be Canadian too

dr_pr

Once he's born, I'm taking the rest of this semester and all of spring semester off; I'll hopefully go back for summer semester when he's 7 months old.  I only get SDI from CA (part-time employee, so no benefits from my work) for 6 weeks though.  I'm lucky H has a really good job and can support the 4 of us on his own for a while.

lizgrace03

@carafern @ssstephanie214 I think it's terrible that they don't have any sort of FMLA for grad students. When I found that out I pretty much panicked, but I'm very lucky to have such an understanding advisor.  She was pregnant in grad school too, but she's Canadian so I think she had like a year off or something.  

bunnyray

Here in Ireland working mothers get 6 months maternity leave. Most ladies also use their annual holiday time up against that to increase it to 7 months. I actually got let go in my job when I was 5 months pregnant so I'm just taking the time unpaid except for the small benefit I can claim from the government.

mommymeg143

budzer said:

I'm in CA so we are pretty lucky to get pdl and bonding with baby. Even 55% will put us tight but I don't care. It's more than what most get so I appreciate it. Every state should have it as a minimum.

@mommymeg143 and others who are leaving their jobs, have you told your employer yet?

I want to see how I go before deciding but want to give the correct fair notice too if I decide not to go back. 

I told them in July when I made my final decision to give them enough time to replace me. I'm now three weeks away and they still haven't looked for someone. My boss keeps telling me to just take my leave and we will talk after. He doesn't think it's real.

JustJainey

I'm very fortunate to have not only a year in maternity/paternity leave, but also to accumulate vacation while off so will be able to be off with LO until sometime in Jan of 2016.

absolutelymaybe

I don't qualify for FMLA because my employer has less than 50 employees in a certain mile radius, but my work is cool with me taking 12 weeks.

Six to eight weeks will be STD that maxes out at $250 per week and I have three weeks of annual vacation that will roll over Nov 3rd so I'll get fully paid for those.

So we are looking at 1-3 weeks unpaid.

alibissell

I'm a lucky Canadian...I get a full year from the time baby is born (EDD Nov 14th) Plus, I actually just finished my last day of work today, (not happy about the back pain which is the reason for the leave), so I have a month of paid leave (I'm able to use my sick days) prior to my year of mat leave. Definitely a lucky, lucky girl!

runningmama14

I'm taking 8 weeks. I could take longer if I wanted, but can't afford to.

jillybean7582

As of right now I am planning on 14wks all unpaid as we currently have 14wks of my take home pay set aside for my leave.

I might extend it another 2wks if the numbers work out once we take into account what our x-mas budget will be, how much both DH's and my x-mas bonuses are, and if we will reach our full out of pocket max for insurance (if I am sucessful in a med free Vbac we won't hit it but if I have to have a repeat c-section we definately will)

minibean16

Oh Canada.

These results make me sad

MissN06

I'm taking 12 weeks & thankfully have enough sick days built up that's it's all paid. I'm jealous of the 6 & 12 month ladies.

hidingangel82

mander82 said:

Ok,  well you guys confirmed for me that my 6-8 weeks sucks.....lol.

Aside from a couple poor ladies that chose less than 6 weeks, I am at the bottom of the barrel.

 

(

I feel your pain... and i was actually feeling pretty lucky getting to do 8 weeks til reading these answers!

krissykris89

I'm taking four weeks after delivery. I had it prearranged with my employer as a term of agreement to come back to the company and surprise employer doesn't want to hold up to our agreement. FMLA doesn't apply because it's a small business. Lesson learned... ALWAYS get a job offer letter. Big fat F U to my employer whose treating me like the devil because I'm fighting them on it.

orangebird2020

I get the 12 weeks of FMLA, I will be paid 60% through STD. I have about 7 weeks of saved PTO, so I will work out some blend of PTO & STD. I hope that is enough time, but I would love even more.

ColtiersMom

I only get 9 days paid off, it sucks but I have onky worked there less than a year. After they pay me my 9 days I am quitting to be a SAHM, i'm pretty lucky since I dont have to work☺