Waiting for #2.

TaraGoldenCO

Well I signed up for a platinum health care plan hoping that we would get pregnant and deliver #2 in 2016.  (We have a 14 mo. old and we want our kids close in age).  

But I have also been pushing for my work to offer us short term disability (that covers maternity leave) and supplemental health insurance.  Our HR person called the rep. at the very least, so I suppose I need to wait back to hear on that before trying to get pregnant.  I am very thankful, that at the very least, they are looking into at my request.  I got zero benefits and only 6 weeks off with kid #1. Thank god I had family to help me out the first few months I was back to work. I work for a small business that is in the start up phase, so in part I understand why they could not offer me more, but it was hard.

Also, our budget is barely staying afloat paying for daycare and healthcare and $200 a month to a college fund for kid #1, which adds up to about $1,400 a month. (Daycare is very expensive in Colorado). 

I am at a loss how we are going to afford these costs for kid #2. 

 It really frustrates me that I am prevented from having a second child when I think my family is ready because of financial considerations.  Why can't we join the rest of the civilized world and offer quality subsidized daycare, paid maternity leave, and universal health care?  In Europe these are not political issues, it does not matter if you are conservative or liberal, these are just basic benefits that every government should provide.  

DoodleDara

I totally hear you on this one and I wish our country was more up to date with support of new parents. I have a 18 month old and we've been taking seriously about having our next soon but finances are a big part of why we're holding off. I work part time and do not receive benefits through my job so all of my maternity leave would be unpaid and we've been talking about having me work an extra day a week until #2 arrives to help save. Good luck!

Xstatic3333

I hear you too! We have similar daycare costs in RI, and looking at our budget I think we'll need a five year gap if we decide to have two. I also work for a tiny nonprofit, so no FMLA for me. Hoping they'll just hold my job for 6-8 weeks; on the bright side, it would take at least that long to train a replacement.

One thing you could look into is a family daycare, as opposed to a center. They're harder to research (no websites) but can offer high quality care at a good price.