First Time's a Charm! (& FMLA & Denver)

Sunshine4020 · August 2014

Hi everyone! So wonderful to join this group and get to chat with you ladies! Anyone from Denver?

Got my BFP last Friday. My EDD is either late April or early May. First dr appt is 9/8 so I will know more then! This is a big giant FIRST for me. No pregnancies ever before for me & I know nothing about pregnancy. So far, at an estimated 5 weeks in, I feel great! No morning sickness, just a bit tired really. Everything is making me cry... super emotional. Had some abdomen cramping last week, but nothing since then. No spotting at all. I'm 29 and DH is about to turn 33. I stopped BC last December and we were trying to avoid ovulation, but I guess we got a little careless last month. So this wasn't exactly planned, but we are so ecstatic! I had to tell my mom, sister and a few close family members and friends. Keeping it a secret from the rest of our peeps until after the dr appt though.. It's so hard to do!! Also I just started a new job in July and am a little scared to tell them! Thinking I'll wait until my initial 90 days are up? I'm stressing because of unpaid 12 wks FMLA & the fact that the employee handbook says it's only available to employees with a year of service. What does this means for me?!?! Anyone with any previous experience or advice in this case?? Also stressing about all the MCs many of the ladies on here have had. I'm so insanely afraid of that happening! I didn't know it was so common?!?! :-( Sending good vibes to all the rainbow babies coming in May 15!!! And I think my rant is done! :-) Can't wait to get to know you all and take this journey together!

admac3 · August 2014

Welcome and congrats!

Unknown · August 2014

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Ndracer · August 2014

Congratulations!

MiraK03 · August 2014

Welcome and congrats! No advice on the FMLA

centralperk · August 2014

Welcome and congrats! I would speak to your HR rep to help clarify any questions you have.

evakatharina · August 2014

Congrats! Welcome!

menacohen · August 2014

Congrats... with the FMLA the best thing to do is speak with the HR department as soon as you inform your employer that you are expecting. Im not sure if the guidelines vary from state to state but at least in FL it one year and the employer is only required to offer fmla if they have over a certain amount of employees.

rivieramaya · August 2014

Congrats!

Does your employer offer Short Term Disability? If so, that will allow you to receive part of your salary during your maternity leave. I am not sure if this has a length of employment requirement as well. I agree with PP, your HR department will have the most info.

itsmevkb · August 2014

Congratulations on your pregnancy. FMLA is a federal law so it's the same in every state. Even if you are technically not eligible to take FMLA leave your employer might still be willing to give you unpaid leave and hold your job for you. It's probably cheaper for them to have you gone for a short time and not pay you vs spending the money to hire someone new, train them, etc. Definitely talk to your HR department if there is one. As for telling your employer, just be aware that it is illegal to fire someone because they are pregnant so you don't necessarily need to wait out the 90 days, although I think most women wait until they are in their second trimester.

maybebride · August 2014

Congrats!

It sounds like your company does offer FMLA, but FMLA - by law - will only be available after 12 months of employment with that company.

What you need to find out is what type of parental leave your company offers, if any. That is separate from FMLA. FMLA is protection for your job allowing you to be off work for a 12 weeks in a year to deal with family/medical issues. FMLA doesn't pay you, it simply means that your company has to have a job for you to come back to at the end of the period (it doesn't even have to be your current position). Some companies offer some sort of short-term disability that can be used for parental leave, normally 6 weeks for a vaginal birth and 8 weeks for a c-section. Usually, you will be paid a percentage of your normal salary (anywhere from 60% to 80%, probably) and might have to use up your vacation sick time before that kicks in. A few companies (mine happens to be one) have a separate parental leave STD policy that will pay your full salary for the specified time. This is not the norm.

You will want to read your employee handbook on that and speak with you HR department for specific for your company.

xcjump · August 2014

Congrats! I would talk to HR when you are ready to announce. Your job is not required under FMLA to hold your job if you haven't been there for 12 months, but they might be willing to hold it anyway. Also your state might have a different policy.

Sunshine4020 · August 2014

THANK YOU everyone! Your congrats, kind words and insight have really helped. I'll likely wait until 2nd trimester and after the 90 days to tell them. I'm on DH insurance and believe I can still sign up for STD??? Going to look into that. Meanwhile, yeah if my company isn't nice about maternity leave, that really says a lot about them!! Hopefully that won't be the case (and I don't think it will be). Thanks again!!

jenmhinshaw · August 2014

soralette · August 2014

Congrats and welcome!

I hope you get the FMLA stuff worked out; definitely talk with HR about it as soon as you feel comfortable announcing.

They'll be able to discuss the relevant city/county/state/federal laws that apply to your situation.

Miscarriage odds are scary at first, but they go down really quickly as the days go by, so try not to worry too much! If you, like me, tend to find the numbers reassuring, this site has a good breakdown by day of your odds (just put in the first day of your last period!) -- I really like watching the percentages go down! This early, it gets better by a full percentage point or more every day.

Sunshine4020 · August 2014

@soralette Oh wow!! That sight REALLY made me feel better!!! Only at 6.6%!!!

evakatharina · September 2014

@soralette that chart is AWESOME!

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