How long will your maternity leave be?

sarahg8r · May 2014

I just had my regular monthly meeting with my boss and she asked if I was still planning to take 12 weeks off for maternity leave. She said that is a long time for our organization and said they'll be hiring a temp to handle things while I'm out. I do marketing and public relations, so it's unusual to hire a temp for that kind of work. But I'm actually kind of glad they'll be hiring someone since it will make my transition back into work a lot easier if projects haven't been piling up for three months.

I was surprised that most people don't take off 12 weeks, though. All of my friends have taken their full 12 weeks and in previous jobs (I'm new here), everyone has taken 12 weeks as well.

How long are you planning to take off?

+RBL+ · May 2014

About 5-6 months, depending on when LO arrives.

I gave my return date as 02FEB2015.

I took about the same with DS last year.

herecomesthesun · May 2014

It depends on when this little one shows but I'm looking at 10-12 weeks.

kareik01 · May 2014

None

My job doesn't pay maternity leave. And I'm starting nursing school 9 days before my due date. The director said she'd give me a week off before I'd be required to be back. Not sure what I'm going to do!

karacc18 · May 2014

I am planning to take the 12 week FMLA that I am allowed. I may opt to use some vacation time to extend my leave a week or two after, seeing as i have to use vacation by December 31 anyways. Luckily my company allows me to do that, however i'd love to be out til the holidays are over, but that is an extra 6 weeks so that won't fly.

marathonmommy82 · May 2014

I have about 14 weeks of PTO saved up --- combination of sick, vacation, and personal leave. I'll probably take 10-12 weeks.

enigmasara · May 2014

8 weeks unpaid for the most part, but I will be going into the office from weeks 2-8 to do some billing stuff that we don't want to train a temp on. The office is only a 7 min walk/1-2 min drive from our house & I can go in with the baby when no one else is there.

M&Max · May 2014

I'll be taking 12 weeks off and then working a flex schedule through December. Since we aren't super busy during November and December, they are being pretty easy to work with about it all.

MC03 · May 2014

I will take three weeks before RCS, and then 14 weeks after. Paid by a combo of sick, vacation, and State of CA disability/paid family leave.

cblakin · May 2014

4-5 months, depending on when he gets here. I want to make it through the holidays on maternity leave. only one month will be paid, but we have been saving for this and should be fine for a longer maternity leave if needed. luckily in oregon we get 12 weeks protected plus the 12 federal.

mandyjimmy · May 2014

I get 6 paid and will be taking another 2 unpaid. I can take up to 12w through FMLA, but it would be really hard for me to be away from work that long.

torooji · May 2014

I'll be taking 20 weeks.

Russiandea12 · May 2014

I will be taking 12 weeks. I get 6 weeks STD and have 4 weeks paid btw saved up sick & vacation time, so I will only have 2 weeks which are unpaid. I will have a couple sick days & vacation days left, so that I can take off if I need to before the end of the year.

BlckRoses · May 2014

I'm taking the full 12 weeks. I have a little over 9 weeks sick and vacation time saved up, so it'll be a little short, but we'll make it work.

BlytheMac · May 2014

I'm in the same boat... I lead a team of 6 and am the most senior by years. My boss mentioned that 12 weeks sounds like a long time off of work. I agree, but at this point, I'm not ready to sacrifice any of my "allowed" time... They mentioned needing me to check emails and work from home during the 12 weeks. So, how is that 12 weeks off?? Oh, the US of A and it's male-centric thinking. I plan on telling them that is not going to fly.

Anyway, I'm going to tell them I'm going to take 12, and then if I do get bored and come back early, then it's a nice surprise.

I've been working for this company for 7 years, for sure they can deal with 12 weeks....

aelhunt · May 2014

If you are using short-term disability, you will want to check your policy. Mine makes you use your sick leave first before they pay and they only cover 8 weeks postpartum altogether. I only have a few weeks saved since having DD and that will work well since they make you be out for 2 weeks before starting coverage.

That being said, I will most likely take an additional 4 weeks unpaid to get to 12. I felt better going back to work when DD was 3 months. We had a nice schedule going on for her and she was STTN with only one wake.

mislogis · May 2014

12.
6 or 8 weeks paid (I'm having a tubal which is a 2 week recovery at 8 weeks pp. My STD Company is looking into it now) and I have 2 weeks of pto. I'm saving 1 week of pto for the holidays
And we are using 1 week of pto for vacation in June.

Nov and dec are slower months anyway so I can ease back into work.

Raclla · May 2014

12 weeks unpaid fmla.

I do have the ability to work from home. That'll help with some extra cash while I'm out.

sarahg8r · May 2014

aelhunt said:

If you are using short-term disability, you will want to check your policy. Mine makes you use your sick leave first before they pay and they only cover 8 weeks postpartum altogether. I only have a few weeks saved since having DD and that will work well since they make you be out for 2 weeks before starting coverage.

That being said, I will most likely take an additional 4 weeks unpaid to get to 12. I felt better going back to work when DD was 3 months. We had a nice schedule going on for her and she was STTN with only one wake.

I pay for STD, and I'm not sure of the specifics, but I believe I will get 60% of my income for 6 weeks for vaginal delivery and 8 weeks for C-section. My job requires me to use up all of my sick and vacation while on FMLA as well. So I should have about 8-10 weeks of that covered with some sort of income. I'm not really worried about the pay, though. We pretty much cover all of our bills with DH's salary.

xxMiss2Mrs09xx · May 2014

I'll be going back the Monday after new year!

Laur110 · May 2014

11-13 weeks, potentially more. At least 5 weeks will be paid in full and then I get 6-8 weeks paid at 60% for short term disability.

I know I am not going to want to come back to work. I still need to discuss with them options regarding working from home.

tabaskoa · May 2014

I'm taking 12 weeks (max allowed with FMLA). 6-8 of that will be STD, then I'll use 2 weeks pto, then will have 2-4 unpaid (we've been saving up for this though, so not worried about that in the least). I'll still have close to 2 weeks of pto left to use before our year end (end of March 2015).

I'm planning/hoping to keep working until I go into labor, but if I hit my due date I think I'll take vacay time until the baby comes. We'll see.

aelhunt · May 2014

sarahg8r said:

aelhunt said:

If you are using short-term disability, you will want to check your policy. Mine makes you use your sick leave first before they pay and they only cover 8 weeks postpartum altogether. I only have a few weeks saved since having DD and that will work well since they make you be out for 2 weeks before starting coverage.

That being said, I will most likely take an additional 4 weeks unpaid to get to 12. I felt better going back to work when DD was 3 months. We had a nice schedule going on for her and she was STTN with only one wake.

I pay for STD, and I'm not sure of the specifics, but I believe I will get 60% of my income for 6 weeks for vaginal delivery and 8 weeks for C-section. My job requires me to use up all of my sick and vacation while on FMLA as well. So I should have about 8-10 weeks of that covered with some sort of income. I'm not really worried about the pay, though. We pretty much cover all of our bills with DH's salary.

Sounds about right. The 60% doesn't include taxes so it actually is about the same take-home (depending on your tax rates) and you end up paying the taxes on it when you file the following year.

Valancyy · May 2014

I'm a SAHM this time around, but for my first two pregnancies I took 6 months (26 weeks) each time. This was the max we received, all but 6 weeks unpaid.

This was very unusual where I worked (insurance). Most took 8-12 weeks. 12 weeks was actually on the long side. The only other mom I know who took 6 months also eventually quit to stay at home.

With my first I was itching to go back, but with my 2nd I was dreading it. I only went back 3 weeks and then quit that time.

Rach604 · May 2014

I get 4 weeks paid 100% and 2 weeks paid at 80% so I'll be taking 6. My mom may come down to watch LO for a week or two. Saving my PTO for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

LilSip0611 · May 2014

Most likely 5-6 months depending on when I deliver. I'm using a combination of short term disability, PTO, vacation time and NJ family leave insurance. I'll also end up taking a month unpaid but I know I can't stay at home for good so I'm taking as much time as I can afford after the girls arrive.

tinkerbell019 · May 2014

I'm keeping my options flexible, I'll be putting in notice for 12 weeks...I'm actually hoping they will hire someone, and I may be able to talk them into keeping them on board once I return as my workload is overwhelming. If they will not hire someone, I may work from home a couple days a week just to avoid getting completely behind or likely come back earlier than planned.

kaitm22 · May 2014

6-8 weeks depending on when baby arrives and how I am feeling towards the end of that time. I am self-employed so will have no income during that time, which hubby is okay with, but might get a little tight since I would rather not dip into savings.

enigmasara · May 2014

BlytheMac said:

I'm in the same boat... I lead a team of 6 and am the most senior by years. My boss mentioned that 12 weeks sounds like a long time off of work. I agree, but at this point, I'm not ready to sacrifice any of my "allowed" time... They mentioned needing me to check emails and work from home during the 12 weeks. So, how is that 12 weeks off?? Oh, the US of A and it's male-centric thinking. I plan on telling them that is not going to fly.

Anyway, I'm going to tell them I'm going to take 12, and then if I do get bored and come back early, then it's a nice surprise.

I've been working for this company for 7 years, for sure they can deal with 12 weeks....

@blyhtemac If you are taking FMLA I believe it's illegal for the company to contact you at all during the leave (I would double check this though).

Valancyy · May 2014

heightdeprived said:

I always feel like such a jerk in these threads. I'm also Canadian. I'm due august 15, so I'm planning on my last day of working being august 1, using up as many paid holiday days as I have, and then applying for my maternity leave benefits and parental leave benefits once the little guy arrives. I'll take a year off at 55 or 60% of my last 52 weeks income. I'll probably end up back to work the beginning of September I think.

@heightdeprived: I can never get over how horrible the maternity leave is in the US (I'm from the US). There really isn't any. I always feel so bad when women are forced to go back after 6 weeks, or even 8. I guess if you really want to go back, it's different, but so many really have no choice.

And then to hear stories of employers giving mothers a hard time or asking them to answer emails or work from home during leave. It's not fair.

MereDe3 · May 2014

10 weeks for sure, 11 if I feel like taking a week unpaid. I haven't yet decided on that point.

kareik01 · May 2014

Valancyy said:

heightdeprived said:

I always feel like such a jerk in these threads. I'm also Canadian. I'm due august 15, so I'm planning on my last day of working being august 1, using up as many paid holiday days as I have, and then applying for my maternity leave benefits and parental leave benefits once the little guy arrives. I'll take a year off at 55 or 60% of my last 52 weeks income. I'll probably end up back to work the beginning of September I think.

@heightdeprived: I can never get over how horrible the maternity leave is in the US (I'm from the US). There really isn't any. I always feel so bad when women are forced to go back after 6 weeks, or even 8. I guess if you really want to go back, it's different, but so many really have no choice.
And then to hear stories of employers giving mothers a hard time or asking them to answer emails or work from home during leave. It's not fair.

Completely agree!

My work doesn't offer maternity leave. I work in a business where the only women are me and the Accounts Receivable woman...so naturally a male run business isn't likely to recognize maternity leave. I have 5 days of vacation for the whole year, which includes "vacation" and "sick" so it's beyond unbelievably ridiculous. So I purchased Short Term Disability, but I'm not sure what they're going to cover or for how long because I've been in school the past 5 months and didn't work my full hours I normally do.

And I live in Nebraska which doesn't have any recognized insurance or requirements for maternity leave. So basically once my 5 vacation days are gone, I'm dependent on STD, however minimal it is.

caballablanca · May 2014

I used the 12 weeks with DD and I plan on using it again with DS. I went part time after DD was born so hoping it will be easier to come back this time around. After our bonuses are paid out in February, DH and I will evaluate me SAH permanently. He is scared about being laid off.

Scottwswife · May 2014

I'm taking off 3 weeks before Buster is due, and then not going back. H is being transferred to another office out of state so I would either need to transfer as well, or (option2) not work, which is a possibility moving to a cheaper area. We'll be in a huge 3 br apartment for less than we are paying in a teeny 1 br right now, and able to buy a house in a couple of years.
edit:typos

M&Max · May 2014

enigmasara said:

BlytheMac said:

I'm in the same boat... I lead a team of 6 and am the most senior by years. My boss mentioned that 12 weeks sounds like a long time off of work. I agree, but at this point, I'm not ready to sacrifice any of my "allowed" time... They mentioned needing me to check emails and work from home during the 12 weeks. So, how is that 12 weeks off?? Oh, the US of A and it's male-centric thinking. I plan on telling them that is not going to fly.

Anyway, I'm going to tell them I'm going to take 12, and then if I do get bored and come back early, then it's a nice surprise.

I've been working for this company for 7 years, for sure they can deal with 12 weeks....

@blyhtemac If you are taking FMLA I believe it's illegal for the company to contact you at all during the leave (I would double check this though).

I just read our plan regarding leave and it specifically said it was illegal to do any work during your FMLA time period. I would definitely double check your policy handbook!!

kareik01 · May 2014

heightdeprived said:

@kareik01.. only 5 days vacation? Yikes! Apparently again this is where Canada does alright... labour laws make it so we are guaranteed generally 3 weeks paid vacation a year (15 days), after 10 years with an employer it goes up to 4 weeks (20 days), depending on the employer you can get more than that, but it's a guaranteed minimum. ( It isn't exactly 15 days... it goes by your hours of work... but full time (40 hours a week) works out to 1 and 1/4 days vacation "earned" every month)

You either get the paid days off, like i do at my work (so if i take a holiday day, i still get paid my 8 hours that day), or some employers pay you out "vacation pay" on every cheque. So they take whatever your gross is, multiply it by 3 and divide by 52 and you'd get that much extra on your cheque, but then you're still entitled to those 15 days, you just "lose" that time on your next cheque. My h's job is like this.. he gets paid out on every cheque, for example we're taking tomorrow off, so i'll get the day paid, but H won't.

I Canada. I will never complain again about time off!

No kidding, I've heard Canada and the UK are great for this type of stuff.

It doesn't help where I live though. Nebraska is behind on the times anyway, and I also live in a town of 5,000 people and I work in the agricultural business right now! The mentality here is so much different than most places

Hopefully H gets a new job like he's hoping and I'll be able to find a better job before long! H and I work at the same place right now, and he only gets 5 days off for the whole year too. Even though he puts in 75+ hours most weeks during the summer, they'll still cut his salary for being gone when baby is born. It's so unfair

Betje81 · May 2014

I get 9 weeks of paid maternity leave and then I'll be using 2 weeks of my vacation time (I'm going back into school 2 weeks earlier than I need to in order to use them at the end of my maternity leave-- one of the perks of the admin side of working at my school). I'm hoping to be able to work from home for the first part of the day after I come back since my husband works 3rd shift so we can save on daycare.

Peedy · May 2014

I'll be taking 13 weeks. 10 weeks of full paid maternity leave benefit (not STD), and 3 weeks PTO. I will be returning to work 4 days a week when I get back. They'll pay me 80% of my salary and bonuses, I'm pretty pumped about it.

BlytheMac · May 2014

M&Max said:

enigmasara said:

BlytheMac said:

I'm in the same boat... I lead a team of 6 and am the most senior by years. My boss mentioned that 12 weeks sounds like a long time off of work. I agree, but at this point, I'm not ready to sacrifice any of my "allowed" time... They mentioned needing me to check emails and work from home during the 12 weeks. So, how is that 12 weeks off?? Oh, the US of A and it's male-centric thinking. I plan on telling them that is not going to fly.

Anyway, I'm going to tell them I'm going to take 12, and then if I do get bored and come back early, then it's a nice surprise.

I've been working for this company for 7 years, for sure they can deal with 12 weeks....

@blyhtemac If you are taking FMLA I believe it's illegal for the company to contact you at all during the leave (I would double check this though).

I just read our plan regarding leave and it specifically said it was illegal to do any work during your FMLA time period. I would definitely double check your policy handbook!!

Thanks, ladies. I agree with this 100%. I'm going to stick with no communication during FMLA. I actually do get 12 weeks paid, but only because I've saved up all of my sick leave for the past 7 years plus all my vacation from this year. And again, I think with all that, I deserve a break!

I appreciate all the input!

stephmt528 · May 2014

I'll be taking 8 weeks of leave by using PTO and then hopefully another week or two unpaid.

I'm a therapist, so I'll be transitioning my clients during July and be done with my clinical work by Aug. 1. Then I'll do paperwork and administrative work until I deliver!

Very similar to how I did things with my DD and it worked great. Hoping it works out again this time, but we'll see!