Maternity Leave/ FMLA

firewife_911

This topic literally keeps me up at night right now. I live in Massachusetts, & we can get 12 weeks unpaid leave. However, we can use whatever time off we have at work so you aren’t going 3 months without a paycheck. I have enough time to where I can take a month of paid leave, after that it’s unpaid. I seriously do not think that we will be okay without my income. I am the bread winner as well. My husband & I both work in public safety, and we have plenty of opportunities for overtime. I try not to work over my regular 40 hours a week because I don’t want to over work myself, so my husband has been trying to pick up what he can. We still have so much to do around the house before the baby comes. Not only that, but when he does come i’m worried about income. I don’t want to go back to work after only 4 weeks😭 & I don’t want my husband to have to work so much he doesn’t get to bond with his son once he’s here😭

fifilala516

I'm sorry, @firewife_911. That's so stressful at a time when this should be so joyous. Maternity leave in the U.S. is a disgrace.

fifilala516

Maybe there's a fund you can register for, for maternity leave? It's becoming a bigger thing for people to do that, as well as register for meal funding, baby's college, etc. 

katepattsea

I’m so sorry too, @firewife_911. This should not be an up at night problem for parents to fret over. 

Something that might tip your decision one way or the other- consider the cost of newborn childcare if you do go back after 4 weeks. Some care centers do not take children under a certain and age and it might cost more than usual for a baby less than 6-8 weeks. Weigh the cost of that against your take home pay during those weeks. 

I’m so mad even having to bring this point up to another mother. America thinks it has family values at its core, but that’s just dogwhistle speak that’s brought out for other issues. 

elksamm

Maternity leave is so important and it’s just so frustrating that there aren’t better options in place. The price for newborn and infant daycare is absolutely ridiculous. I hope you’re able to find a solution so that both you and your husband are able to spend as much time bonding with your little guy.

kcf19

@firewife_911 I’m sorry that you’re worried about this too. This is my fourth baby/fourth unpaid leave. I get a little over 3.5 weeks paid through STD plus my PTO. They usually only let me carry over 2 weeks of PTO, but are making an exception this time and I can carry over as much as I have. Its going to be really tight though. I was hoping the American Families plan would pass some kind of paid leave, but that isn’t looking promising. We refinanced last year so we could remodel our kitchen and we will have to take from that fund for my leave. It’s such a financial hardship after each baby. Wipes out our savings, not even considering the hospital bills 🙄. 

pedsoncrn461

I can use short term disability for as long as my doctor writes me off for (probably 6 weeks) and I will get 60% of my base pay and then after that I will be on FMLA which I can use PTO or take unpaid. I should have about 4-5 weeks saved by my due date but not sure I want to take all of it and have zero left when I go back. My husband's job gives him 2 weeks paid leave so he will be home with me those weeks.

nomar610

@firewife_911 have you heard of PFML?

PFML stands for Paid Family Medical Leave. It's a state-offered benefit for anyone who works in Massachusetts and is eligible to take up to 26 weeks of paid leave for medical or family reasons. PFML is funded through a Massachusetts tax, and is separate from both the federally mandated benefits offered by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and from leave benefits that may be offered by your employer. Here is the info you should qualify. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/paid-family-and-medical-leave-pfml-fact-sheet

firewife_911

@nomar610 I have heard of that, however I work for a municipality, so they are not required to participate in that. If they wanted to, It would have to go to a town meeting & the selectman. I have spoken to the Assistant Town Administrator, & he basically said he doesn’t think they will approve It. It kind of really stinks because my town is very pro the minority, which in my case as a woman I am the minority. But It costs money that the town does not want to spend… They find other things more important to spend It on…. oh well☹️