Maternity Leave timing

megstervt

I was just lurking over in Oct '16 and noticed they have a thread going about maternity leave around the winter holidays.  It got me thinking, are you looking forward to the timing of your maternity leave?  Worried about it for any reason?  Obviously this question will vary so much based on personal circumstances!

For me, my maternity leave will mean I miss the beginning of the school year which I am ecstatic about.  It's by far the most stressful time of year at my job.  I'm lucky because I'm not a teacher, so I don't have to worry about missing the beginning when so many classroom routines are established.  I'll be missing all the logistical coordination and other crappy stuff that my job entails that time of year and will come back in October when everything is smooth sailing.

oneliloaktree13

Maternity leave to me just mean's a pay check until I quit my job when it's all done. I do enjoy that I'll have two months off before my fall semester starts, but I'm thinking of continuing part time until spring so little nug is a little older and I can be gone for longer during the day. 

Kellyj103

This is a really good question! I'm taking four months off and coming back end of October/ Beg of November. I'm an attorney so I was worried I was going to have a trial or intense litigation during that time but so far it doesn't look like it. I am having a trial in June so that's a little stressful but my office is pretty understanding.

BostonBaby1

 Maternity leave? What's that? I'll be working from home (WAHM) so The timing luckily doesn't matter to me.

deuxbouledogues

I am really thrilled with mine. School year ends June 17 so if he comes July 2nd (ha) I have a couple weeks to get ready and then all summer with him. I will go back for two weeks (inservice week and first week of school) to get things set up for my long term sub. Then I will come back the week before winter break and then get another two weeks off. Woo!

MamaBish

I don't care when it happens. I guess it's a good thing my intern will likely be staying through the summer so I have someone I can trust who will continue to do things the way I would like. I can't imagine what I would come back to if I had some untrained intern just filling in... eek

LDSJM123

I am due July 19th. We have budgeted for me to stop working July 1 but I plan to continue working as long as I can (or want to lol ). I will be returning to work on Dec 1st. It's the busiest time of the year for me at work, so ideally, I wouldn't return until after the start of 2017. But I am grateful for the 16 weeks that'll I get as my leave is totally unpaid. 

edited- Trying to type and talk to my husband on the phone at the same time is difficult. 

ladythrice

I like the timing of my maternity leave. I'll be taking 20 weeks so will come back after Thanksgiving. I'm going to see if I can squeeze out a couple weeks of working from home and extend my time at home until after Christmas... but this is up in the air. When I return to work DH will be taking 4-6 weeks of FMLA time to stay home. So far we're happy with the timing of his paternity leave as well.

erin7264

I'm just using mine to squeeze as much value out of my benefits package as possible, since mat leave is unpaid and I don't have short term disability. DH doesn't want me working while he's gone for AT mid-June, so at this point we're planning on me going on leave a full month before my due date. 

That makes me happy because it means I have 3 more months left to work in this shit hole! 

abpl2014

@theshannondee I'm jealous of your time off from school! 
I am stressing about my leave big time. My due date is 6 weeks exactly to the first day of school.  We are not able to use our sick leave as part of Maternity Leave, so even though I will be having the baby in the summer my time off starts counting the day baby comes. If I wish to take more than 6 weeks off, I have to pay the school my days salary for however many days I am gone. With teaching kindergarten I am stressed about missing the beginning of the year because establishing routines and a schedule is so crucial to the rest of the school year. But at the same time, I know I will never be able to get that precious time back with my baby. So basically my DH and I have to sit down and see how many days off from working we can afford! Ahh it's stressing me out! I am open to any and all suggestions. There are several other staff members that have gone rounds with the business manager trying to let us use our sick time we have earned but they are not budging! So frustrating!

xc1148

I am excited because I will be coming back around Thanksgiving/Christmas so I will get some nice breaks right after I come back! I really enjoyed my December-May maternity leave last time though because I didn't have to leave the house all winter But I get two weeks pre-maternity leave so I am looking forward to hanging at the pool with DD while we wait for the new baby. And it will be nice to go for walks etc when it's warm out. My ideal maternity leave would be July-Feb haha.

ladythrice

@abpl2014 my advice would be to take as much time as you can possibly afford. Six weeks is nothing and will fly by overnight. If you can afford to invoke FMLA and take the allotted 12 weeks I would absolutely do that. With #1 I was home for 19 weeks and I distinctly remember thinking at 6, "HOW do people go back to work already?!?!" You may literally still be bleeding from birth (I was...). You are in the thick of getting breastfeeding down (if that's what you choose), and LO is still in the "fourth trimester."

lcking82

I'm not looking forward to being away from my lab for 8 weeks---I've worked really hard to get my clinicians to come to me when they have issues and cultivate relationships, and when I "check out" for 8 weeks, I don't want to undo all the good things I have going on.  I'll probably still text/email pretty frequently, unfortunately.

MrsRo731

I'll be taking 12 weeks which is fully paid - I'll be going back mid-October; however, I might ask if I can work from home until the beginning of November and keep the baby with me at home. Obviously this will all depend on what kind of baby she is - if she's colicky, there'd be no way. Either way, I highly suggest taking as much as you can afford. 

With my 2 year old, I was on maternity leave from mid-December through mid-March; it was amazing because I missed the busiest time of year in my field (Accounting). However, it'll be nice to be home during the summer/fall this time so I can get outside for walks, trips to the park, etc. 

jlgriff11

I'm going part-time March 14, then I'm going to stay at home full-time for an undetermined amount of time once I go into labor/go on bed-rest/have a c-section/get told to stay home by doctor.

I'm pretty excited about the extra three hours sleep I'll get in the morning. lol.

blackgirlmagic

I'm excited about the timing. I work in the budget office for the federal government and my program spends all there money July through September so I get to miss all of that. I'm hoping not to come back to work till after the new fiscal year because I don't want to have to deal with my backup throwing all the close out process on me. They will hate me but I will love every minute of it!!! 

kcossey528

I didn't have much of a plan because I knew at some point my dr would take me out. A lot of people I know worked up until the day before they went into labor! We all work for the same hospital system, so I am sure benefits have something to do with that. I've been on short-term since news years, and only have 6 months, at which point my hospital can let me go. My dr isn't letting me go back, so I will more than likely be termed right around my due date! I'm kind of ok with it bc I was working 10-12hr/5 days a week with an hour commute each way. I want to come back to the community hospital, do my 3 12s, and be done. So I may be using my time off looking for another job. I make more than DH so financially I can probably only be out 8 weeks or so..

trucksntutus

I love the timing of mine. It's perfect! I'm in school and work ft as a nursing student. So I'll be taking the summer / fall off of school and since my work offers 4 mo paid mat leave I should be returning to work somewhere around November. 

joleri23

I'm loving the timing of mine! July and August are some of the best months in the Rockies, and I finally get to enjoy them like the tourists do. Plus, July and August are some of the busiest months at my job, so I'm OK with not being here for them. We have a good plan in place to handle my absence. I'm planning on working up until the time I give birth (fingers crossed that it pans out that way...) and taking off 8 weeks, then working part time in September and hopefully some of October.

Schmooie730

The timing doesn't make much difference to me. I work in a child care center so we are all year no matter what, though the summer is when we do our more fun lessons without as much structure. I don't get any paid leave so I'm planning on working as long as I can until baby comes and then I'll only be taking 8-10 weeks off. I don't make much money but we do need my paycheck to help cover bills and fun stuff so I have to go back as soon as I can

noelietrex

The timing doesn't really matter much for me at work. My team will pick up my slack the same as we do when anyone on our team is out for a few weeks (we have great vacation policies so 2-3 weeks off at once after saving it up is relatively common place). I get 12 weeks and I'm THRILLED for it! The only timing-related thing I'm stoked for is July, Aug, and Sept in Colorado. The weather is going to be gorgeous and I am planning to hike and go outside and do yoga in the park and be super active with LO! If my unmedicated out of hospital birth goes as planned I'll be back on my feet same day and out of the house almost immediately, whipping out boobs to BF babe on the go! This is my pie in the sky anyway. I'm not nervous about having a newborn after having cared for so many. The best thing for colic and acid reflux in my experience is being outside anyway. I love baby wearing, I'm an excellent napper, and have no qualms about whipping out my tits or stopping to change a diaper in the grass. I may be the ultimate in naive, but I think this is going to be fun! Fingers crossed for everyone to enjoy their leave!

MDmomma1217

I will be quitting my job to stay at home for a few years, but I have another PT job that I work online, so I will continue to do that in the evenings. I currently work FT at a school, and my last day is June 16. My EDD is July 15, but because baby is measuring ahead my dr said to expect an early July baby. It will be nice to have a few weeks off work to try to relax and get last minute things done, because I worked right up to my due date with DD.

ktomorrow

 @Kellyj103 Fellow litig attorney here! We have 11 weeks STD and I'll probably start 2weeks prior to EDD due to deadline concerns if early arrival.  I'm hoping for 3-4 months total even tho unpaid. Stressed about being a preg associate!

joleri23

noelietrex Colorado summers forever! I'm looking forward to it too.

DominiqueU

I'm an elementary school teacher, so I'll work until the end of the school year. My plan is to use accumulated sick days (I may have to get a doctor's note to do this) and then take FMLA. I'll return to work after winter break in January. I'm freaking out a little bit. I'm somewhat of a control freak and I don't like the idea of not setting up the routines and expectations for my classroom. I'm expecting to come back to a hot mess in January, but it will be worth it to spend that extra time with the baby. 

Nowe we just hope that the board grants my leave so I don't have to go through a ton of trouble with doctor's notes and such...

Kellyj103

@ktomorrow  I totally feel your pain! I work at a nonprofit, so things are kind of relaxed but I know a lot of my friends at firm jobs struggled with their maternity leave. I started the month I found out I got pregnant so  I think a few months may be unpaid for me as well. I keep reminding myself that it will 100% be worth it  

rnyland1

The timing of my leave (july to October) doesn't matter much....however I'm worried that being gone for 12 weeks will really set me back at my work.  I've worked hard to gain clients over the past few years, and I know my clients will be given away to my co-workers while I'm gone.  So i'll basically be back at square one when I get back.  With my first I only took 6 weeks off of work...it was horrible and I wasn't ready at all. I'm hoping it will be easier going back at 12 weeks. Seriously though, shame on my company for not having any mat leave policy beyond FMLA -- Just because it's the minimum federal requirement does not mean that companies should not try to provide something beyond that abysmal policy.  In that regard, the US totally sucks compared to other countries!

givemepenguinss

I'm a freelancer, so it doesn't matter much to me, either. I'm going to hang on to one client's work while this baby is a newborn. 

My first baby was born at the end of October, and I was working for a big company with benefits at the time, so I had November, December, and January off. 

pinkpenguin32

I actually just got hired in permanently at my job. I don't technically qualify for FMLA because of the recent hire. I also don't have any paid time off. That being said they are giving me 12 weeks, unpaid. I was thinking of only taking 6 because I don't know if we can swing it. Reading through your posts makes me super sad that I'm going to go back after two week. DD is 13 months and I just went back to work at Christmas time. That was almost a year with her. Maternity leave makes me sad to think about now, because it's just not in the cards. Even my male boss was like you know you can take more time than that... if only it was that simple. 

I will add I'm looking forward to being off for whatever time I am for the start of Fall! I'm excited to spend it with my kids and get out. 

sboston06

I'm happy with the timing because it will give us some of the nicer days of summer with some of the perfect crisp days in September. We are hoping to go away with the baby for a long weekend sometime in early October before I go back to work. Just because it will likely take me a long time to save back up vacation time.

I get 12 weeks of FMLA. None of it is paid by my company. I'll be using the 5 weeks of vacation time I have saved and then use 4-6 weeks of short term disability that I've paid for (at 60%). Then the rest (if any) will be unpaid.

LF93

Here in Ireland we get 24 weeks maternity leave. You don't get paid from your job but there's a maternity benefit from the government! So I will be using my annual leave and the full maternity time off (If I don't get too bored). So I'll be gone from work the first week in June until the first week in January. If I last that long  

BioTeach84

My timing for leave is pretty perfect. I'm a teacher and my last day is June 17th and my due date is July 7th. My contract allows us to use FMLA at any point during the first year after giving birth and we can use our accrued sick days to get paid for it. I'm using 43 of my 63 accrued days so that I do not have to go back until October 31st. I'll have to work a few Friday night football games during that time since one of my supplemental contracts involves working the snack bar, but I am thankful to be able to spend so much time at home and still have sick days to spare.

mrsmommya

Another teacher!  We get out at the end of May so I will work up until then.  Be off for the summer, due July 26.  I will take the 20 maternity leave days from the school and about 30ish sick days I have saved up to get paid until about the beginning of Oct. FMLA will pick up the extra month so I can stay off, but it will be unpaid. I will be returning just after 1st quarter and Halloween.  I do plan to visit my class about once a month or so to check in.

LilLambie

I'm super lucky with my job. I work at a school in Australia, so we get 6 months paid time off. We go on semester break on the 28th June. I am getting paid for the 2 weeks we have off, and will then go on maternity leave from the first week back. So I'll actually be off for 5 weeks prior to my due date, but only on maternity leave for 3. It's a requirement that we don't work for 6 weeks prior to our due date unless you have a doctor's certificate saying you can. I should be right as long as I don't have any more complications. I will be coming back for the first week of next year, so hopefully will be able to pick up a teaching contract for the whole of next year.

blackgirlmagic

Hearing about all these other countries maternity leave really shows how horrible the United States is with our maternity leave policy or lack of should I say. 

[Deleted User]

If all is going well, I plan to work until I have our baby. Unfortunately I work at a really small, fairly new company so they don't do paid time off, but they are so flexible. I get off until at least Labor Day, but if I need more time I can take it. I'm also able to take a few shifts here and there before I'm officially back if I would like to, depending on how things are going. I am happy though that we're having baby in the summer- more time to go visit family without taking time off work! Very thankful that I have the job I do, even if the benefits aren't as great. But seriously, the US has some work to do about this maternity leave business. 

WVUPetunia

I'm really worried about this, actually.  I'm a teacher, but I got laid off for next year due to cuts and loss of funding.  In my current job, my plan was to stay off until Labor Day because we start a couple of weeks before the end of August.  The district I will have to look for employment in now starts a few weeks earlier, which would leave me with about a 4-5 week old when the school year starts and in a new job in a new school.  Not sure how much a new principal would love letting me have two weeks off at the beginning of the year, but she can't enter daycare until 6 weeks.  I've considered waiting longer to get a new job so I can stay with her, but then there would be financial problems.  I really have no idea what to do, and I guess I will just have to see what happens with my situation in the next couple of months.

silvers626

I really feel for all you ladies in the US. I can't even imagine what it would be like to go back to work full time with a 6 week old baby when you have no leave or your position is not guaranteed. I'll be taking my full year mat leave here in Canada. While it's only paid at a portion of your income up to a max dollar amount and you have to pay tax on that income (even though it's a government benefit and is therefore generated by the taxes you've already paid) it is a lot easier to manage than what most of you ladies have to do in the US. I can't believe how the US lags behind in this. What a terrible way to impose additional stress and create anxiety over having a family. Sounds like most of you have it figured out though but I don't know how you do it!

blissylissy86

I love where mine is falling!! Our school is out may 28th and I am due June 30th. So I will have a good amount of time off before baby (hopefully). I plan on not teaching any classes in the fall semester, so i won't return until mid jan. My other job is working from home, and I will have 6 weeks off from that. I am HOPING that I will be able to continue to do that job with baby at home, as it is reading intensive. 

dolewhipper

I really can't complain about mine. I'm getting 18-20 weeks (depending on if I need a c/s) leave paid, which includes an average of my base+ commission. July and August can be really big months for us though, but after that it's dead. I should actually make more money when I'm on leave than if I was at work! Then I come back right before the holiday busy season. I'm hoping my boss will allow me Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off, but I will probably have to work Thanksgiving and New Years. 

kellz14

I agree maternity leave in the US is so arbitrary depending on what company you end up working for.  I'm grateful that in working for a large corporation, I get 12 weeks PTO (6 weeks medical disability + 6 weeks "parental bonding" time).  Which still pales in comparison to other countries' policies (or say, Google's).  I wish there was a way to incentivize companies to allow for more maternity leave, particularly those small businesses that can't afford it - or other businesses/organizations that are just stingy.