How much time will you take off?

JennyLynne · January 2013

So it sounds like we all have varying times of how much we'll get paid on mat leave and how long they'll pay us. I'm more curious though how long you plan on taking off work.
BTDT mammas--how much did you take off w/ previous babes and was it long enough? Too long?

I feel like the 6 weeks I get at 60% isn't going to feel long enough off of work, so I'm trying to get an idea of how much longer I can afford and what is just too much time. Moms that I work with have mentioned that week 8 is when they started to feel "stir crazy".

miss2697 · January 2013

I'm taking 12 Weeks. I'm a first time mom. Technically its unpaid, but as a teacher they put away money for us each month so that we get a check over summer. Since I'm due in July, I will get the lump sum which comes out to about 6k. Then I won't get paid again until I start work again in October. I can use sick time and personal time too, but I'm only three years in and don't have many days saved up.

aehamilton13 · January 2013

I'm in Canada, so I'll be taking my full year. I'll have my salary topped up for either 4 or 8 months... That's a long story... Depends if the job I've been seconded to for the past 3 years becomes my permanent job or not before I go off. FX it does! After that, I'll be getting whatever EI covers.

angelsnight · January 2013

I am a FTM but I plan on taking the full 12 weeks that I get off. I don't want to go back full time but right now it is not an option not to, so I can forsee still feeling like it was not enough time, though I do realize many people get way less, if anything.

luvmyducks · January 2013

I took off 5m full pay bc I only took one sick day the 11yrs I worked for my company. If I was planning on going back I probably would've taken 3 to 4and saved some sick pay, but I resigned after my leave and have been a SAHM since. If I had to go back to work, no time would have been long enough for me.

bunnie712 · January 2013

I took off 12 weeks with DD. 6 weeks were paid and 6 were not. I felt stir crazy around 8 weeks, but once I started getting out of the house more whih does take some effort I felt better. I was ready at 12 weeks but that whole first year was hard since DD didn't sleep through the night and I had a hard time gettig a conference room at work to pump in.

Starting in midFeb I'm going down to 6 hour days for 30 hours a week and will take a 25 percent salary cut to do so. I'm hoping this will be the best of both worlds.

just13nat · January 2013

I took off 12 weeks last time and I will this time as well. It will be paid because I'm using all my sick/annual leave.

new2011mommy · January 2013

I am taking 6 weeks, which is what I took with DS. My office is very small so it is hard for me to take longer. I work 4 days a week so I will be off 24 days. I will use all my sick and vacation time, which is 19 days so the rest will be unpaid. I did not take out short term disability because it was expensive and would cost me more then just taking some days unpaid. 6 weeks is not enough time and I wish I could take longer. I am lucky to work from home.

hells115 · January 2013

I am taking 12 weeks just like I did with DD. I only have 2 weeks paid vacation, so that'll be my only pay, but it's totally worth it to stay home as long as I can, but then again, not everyone can afford to do so. GL!

bobcee · January 2013

I will take off 12 weeks just like I did with DD #1. I will be able to cover all 12 weeks at full pay by using a combination of sick and vacation leave. I will admit I was ready to have more adult interaction by the end of the 12 weeks and time away from baby, but I also missed cuddling her all day.

Also I feel that by 12 weeks we had a better routine going, breastfeeding was going well and my supply was good by that time (plius I was able to build up a good freezer stash by that time), and she was sleeping pretty much through the night so I was getting a better night rest as well. Had I tried going back at 6 o 8 weeks, physically I would've been fine since I basically have a desk job (I did bleed for 8 weeks post partum though), but I don't know if I would've been there fully mentally as I was still exhausted.

aehamilton13 · January 2013

lwrightenator:
aehamilton13:
I'm in Canada, so I'll be taking my full year. I'll have my salary topped up for either 4 or 8 months... That's a long story... Depends if the job I've been seconded to for the past 3 years becomes my permanent job or not before I go off. FX it does! After that, I'll be getting whatever EI covers.
I am so moving to Canada.  Especially after that post regarding Canada's vs. the US's healthcare policies! 

It is pretty awesome here, if I do say so myself!

tiff&matt2011 · January 2013

aehamilton13:
I'm in Canada, so I'll be taking my full year. I'll have my salary topped up for either 4 or 8 months... That's a long story... Depends if the job I've been seconded to for the past 3 years becomes my permanent job or not before I go off. FX it does! After that, I'll be getting whatever EI covers.

I'm in Canada too and plan to take the whole year off if I can afford it. I have to look into how much I'll be getting, and it also depends on how much I can work before hand. I'm part time so I'm hoping I can pick up enough shifts between now and when the baby comes that I'll get a decent amount

Rk2029 · January 2013

Ill have two weeks of vacation time to use but after that its all unpaid...boo

thismplsgirl · January 2013

I took 6 weeks off with DD and then went back for 3 days a week for the first 10 weeks back. Now I stay at home.... 55+ hour weeks were too much so I quit my job when DD was 4.5 months.

MamaKaz2013 · January 2013

I'm lucky that my company offers 12 weeks fully paid. They also allow an additional 8wks unpaid, which I will probably take for a combined 20wks. Pretty darn good, but I moved back from London last year where I could have taken a full year off and gotten a bonus for returning to work!

JCWhitey · January 2013

I'm maybe different than most of you, but I plan to go back to work within a couple of days. My job will allow me to be at work until I pop and then I can work from home after. I'm not very good at having nothing to do and since my job isn't difficult and can be done here and there throughout the day in small bursts I see no reason why I can't. Then I'll start going in again (with the baby, of course) once a week at some point so I can do the stuff I need to do there in order to keep working at home. I don't get any paid leave or anything, so this will help with finances, too. And I'm hoping for a BIG promotion in the next few months and I'm hoping this much dedication will help.

Of course, through all of this I am going to have the help from my Mom, whom I'll be staying with for about a month after the baby is born. Without that I don't think it would be possible at all!

danigirl7181 · January 2013

I'll be taking 12 weeks off. I get 8 weeks paid maternity because I am having a RCS, if I was having a vaginal birth I would only get 6 weeks paid. The rest, 4 weeks, I will be using my vacation time. DH will take off 2 weeks after I have LO and then another 4 weeks when I go back to work. He did this with DD also.

zobogo · January 2013

I'm taking 6 months off. I have short term disability insurance which will get me about 2/3 of my pay for the 6 or 8 week period. I mainly got the insurance because I'm the breadwinner (& a worrywart) I was too worried what happens if I need to go on bed rest & I didn't want to take from my time off with the baby if this happened. I have approximately 4 months leave - I will take a few weeks unpaid to get to when baby is 6 months old. I would like to work parttime when I go back but I don't have my hopes up too much that this will work financially.

Our union contract allows for taking up to a year off, bosses aren't too happy about me taking 6 months but I offered to work from home parttime when baby is 3 months old but they refused. I would love to take a full year but this just isn't feasible.

hollandmama · January 2013

I'm taking 4 months off (fully paid) and then I have the option to continue taking more time without pay, so maybe I'll take other 3 months but I'm not sure. I would also prefer to work part time instead of taking 2 full months.

grapeskittles4lyfe · January 2013

I'm working in Germany, so I'll be taking the government-protected 6 weeks before delivery off at 100% and 12 months after delivery off at 65%. I had to do some rapid recalculation of my monthly budgets when I saw how little 65% of something is once you've gotten used to the 100%, but I should be thankful for what I get.

rondosa · January 2013

I'll likely take 9 of the full 12 months I get here in Canada since I'm the primary breadwinner. I'll have two weeks vacation to use at 100% then I'll go on EI.

KdgTeacher · January 2013

I'm taking 12 weeks which start the first day of school. If I'm lucky and LO comes on the EDD or later I'll get 3ish weeks of that 12 paid.

tmstengrim · January 2013

I plan on taking 8 weeks. My boss is being great and paying me at least a percentage for the first 6 weeks (paid like a short term disability policy would) and then I am going to take an additional 2 weeks of vacation and sick time. My friends and family have told me that 8 weeks is when you are feeling like you could defiantly use some time away, although they also say it's never easy leaving the little one!

kinpooh · January 2013

I'm in canada as well, so getting a whole year off! With a top up pay either 6 or 8 weeks at 100% (that depends on your company) and then after that, whatever EI covers.

All mommies, move to canada! I can't imagine being off for just 12 weeks and then going back to work!

Erinm278 · January 2013

I'm really hoping to take 8 weeks. Only 3-4 of those will be with full pay. I will have to take short term disability for the rest and will not receive full pay.

atlvol · January 2013

I will get 1 week @100%, then 5 weeks @70% on short term disability, and I plan on taking 1 week of vacation at the end @100% for a total of 7 weeks. I have the option to take another additional 6 weeks unpaid, but that is just not possible for us to do.

missyjg · January 2013

I'm taking 8 weeks. Pretty much summer break from school and will start back at the beginning of the school year again.

I took 8 weeks with DD. I was so sad when I had to go back to work with her. I still hate leaving for work, I'd love to be a SAHM but we can't do without my income right now. Cancer and infertility isn't cheap unfortunately.

arlingirl · January 2013

So our plan is for me to take a year off teaching and stay at home. We've already started saving money for that lifestyle. If something changes and I decide to go back I'll get 12 weeks off with about 8 unpaid and 4 paid by short-term disability.

I worry about being stir-crazy at home.

I am a photographer, so I plan to expand that business more and make it full-time. It's just a tough, crowded market right now with the other 9 billion photogs out there.

UA81112 · January 2013

I'll be home 12 weeksat 100 pay. 4 weeks is vacation and 8 weeks mat leave. My H gets 1 week paternity leave, plus at that point we'll have just about 2 weeks of his vacation time banked. My hope is he'll stay home with me the first week for bonding purposes. I'd like him to save the remaining 2 weeks for December 1 week around the holidays so we want build in family time and 1 week before my schools winter break starts. I get 2 weeks winter break, but with our daycare I just learned that if we take the baby out for 3 weeks we can drop down to 50 pay then so I'd like him home a week before or after my break to make that happen for us

Vivi20 · January 2013

I'm so envious!!! I LOVE Germany, and would so move there in a heartbeat!

Anywho, I'll be taking 12 weeks off and *maybe* an additional 8 weeks. I need to call my HR and find out exactly what all I can take. But I fully intend on taking advantage of all the time off that I can. And actually, we are planning a move about five months after baby is born, so I might not be going back to work for a good year. It's looking like that's what's going to happen, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up. When I do return to work it will more than likely be just part time.

LoveWillerson · January 2013

I will be taking 12 weeks. Depending on delivery, I will either get 6 or 8 weeks paid at 60% of my salary and the rest will be unpaid. I could use my leave, but I am planning to save this for when the baby comes.

MrsChamp11 · January 2013

I took off 12 weeks last time. I was paid short term disability at 60 for 8 weeks last time c/s and 4 weeks unpaid. This time I am doing the same. 12 weeks off. 6 weeks STD pay and 6 weeks no pay.

fabk · January 2013

Also in Canada so I will be taking the whole year most likely.

NICU RN · January 2013

I haven't been at my job long enough to qualify for FMLA. So I am planning to ask my employer how long it would be okay to take. I will have to go with whatever he says, since my job is not guaranteed. But I am hoping he will give me the option, and if so I will take 12 weeks. It will all be unpaid.

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